Commission Original Artwork at the Thompson Chicago

hyde park art center
Photo by Hyde Park Art Center

For Millennial travelers interested in the ultimate bragging rights, try suggesting a hotel that offers them the opportunity to make their mark by commissioning an original piece of artwork. 

The Thompson Chicago has announced a partnership with the Hyde Park Art Center that offers guests the opportunity to commission original artwork from Chicago artists during their hotel stay, with the finished works incorporated into a gallery display in early December. The hotel is participating in the Hyde Park Art Center’s Not Just Another Pretty Face, a collaborative project that arranges commissions between patrons and artists who create new, personalized pieces of art. 

Hotel guests can scroll through the program’s roster of artists to select artists with an aesthetic that catches their eye. The hotel concierge will connect interested guests with Hyde Park Art Center to arrange introductory meetings with the artists to discuss goals and the artists’ practices. If guests would like to move forward, the artists begin the commissions. Thompson Chicago also is offering discounted room rates for those guests planning return trips for future meetings with their artists.

2016 is the sixth installment of Not Just a Pretty Face, which is presented by the Hyde Park Art Center every few years. All proceeds from the commissioned work are split between the artist and Hyde Park Art Center to foster future publicly-accessible art programs.

The formal exhibition and unveiling of the 2016 Not Just Another Pretty Face will be on Friday, December 9 and will be on public view from December 10, 2016, to February 5, 2017, at Hyde Park Art Center, located at 5020 South Cornell Avenue, Chicago. Exhibitions are always free and open to the public.

Visit www.hydeparkart.org and www.thompsonhotels.com