blog post image

How to Use a City: Jim Duignan on Quietly Creating a Radical Social Art Practice in Chicago

  ‘I’ve been working quietly in the cracks of the city my whole life and all of a sudden there’s a kind of light shining that is often too bright and too constant.’ Born and raised on the North Side of Chicago, Jim Duignan has devoted his life to reinvesting in the city’s most under-served […]

Aug 18 2021 by Maddie Rosemurgy in Breaking the Grid
blog post image

2008-9 Lycée Français de Chicago Artist-in-Residence Program: Lightyears ahead of #vanlife

As an unintended consequence of the pandemic, the role of the recreation vehicle has become central to the conversation about life in America, and values related to independent thinking, minimalism, adventure and bucking the status quo. But back in 2008, the prescience of an artist keenly observing our culture imagined how a vintage Airstream might […]

Jul 29 2021 by Nancy Lerner in Breaking the Grid
blog post image

Stuart Dybek on Chicago and the Short Story

Born and raised in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood, Dybek has always enjoyed writing but only realized that he could truly become a writer after attending the University of Iowa Writers Workshop. Dybek has published five collections of short stories. His work can also be found in the Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, Harper’s and Ploughshares. […]

Jul 21 2021 by Elizabeth Meyer in Breaking the Grid
blog post image

Designing Chicago’s Future

Passion for architecture, design and community development are core values for Otherwise, as we continue to draw inspiration from the city around us. So it’s gratifying to see that the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is also doubling down on these priorities, as it announces the formation of the new Committee on Design, […]

Jul 15 2021 by Nancy Lerner in News
blog post image

The Importance of Real Estate Branding in Luxury New Developments

For nearly 30 years, the Otherwise team has worked with clients across the real estate industry to bring the brand of a building to life with unexpected insights and novel approaches that set the stage for meaning that endures. Across the arc of our engagement with clients, we’ve learned that the work gets better when […]

Jun 22 2021 by The Otherwise Team in Editorials

Archives