Downtown 'Cultural Stadium' idea picks up steam with new leadership, $2 million funding

A long-discussed vision to revitalize Downtown Chicago as an arts-filled “Cultural Stadium” is now in motion, with the appointment announced this week of a leader to helm the project.

Former Michigan state representative Donna Lasinski was announced Wednesday as the initiative’s inaugural president. Under her leadership, the Cultural Stadium plans to build on Chicago’s already-vibrant arts scene and “transform existing infrastructure and underused public spaces into new cultural experiences,” according to a press release from the group.

Backed by $2 million in private, corporate and government funds, the idea for the so-called “Cultural Stadium” was created by Lou Raizin, the president and CEO of Broadway In Chicago. The proposal aims to weave arts and culture into the everyday lives of Chicagoans, especially those working in or visiting the Loop.

The six-figure gift came from cultural leaders Abby O'Neil, a founding board member of the Harris Theater and Carroll Joynes, a co-founder of the University of Chicago’s Cultural Policy Center.

The project has been discussed in abstract for years but is now moving from idea to reality with the appointment of Lasinski, who has served as the Cultural Stadium’s senior adviser since April. Lasinski has an extensive background in politics, education and public service; according to her LinkedIn, she served as a trustee on the school board of Ann Arbor Public Schools from 2014 to 2016 and founded education company ThinkStretch, LLC in 2008.

Some programming has already been piloted this summer and fall. Through a Cultural Umbrella pilot program that offered free days for children and their families to access the city’s major cultural institutions, more than 400 children and their parents attended events at places such as The Joffrey Ballet, Chicago History Museum, Chicago Children's Theatre and the Adler Planetarium. The effort was funded by a $50,000 grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Also underway is “Poetry Way,” the creation of a digital display in the alleyway between Joffrey Tower and the Chicago Theatre in the Loop. The collaboration between the Poetry Foundation and the Joffrey Ballet launched during the Chicago Loop Alliance Arts Fest in October. A permanent debut is set for March 2027.

More downtown alleyways could be transformed under the Cultural Stadium. The website calls the project “Midblock” and aims to turn “overlooked alleys and service corridors” into vibrant and bustling gathering places.

The first of the murals features a giant koi pond by local artist Ryan Tova Katz on the roof of the parking garage at 181 N. Clark St.

Douglas Jubic/Cultural Stadium

According to the Cultural Stadium website, other potential projects include “The Link,” which proposes turning a portion of Lower Wacker Drive into a music venue; “The Vault,” a large canopy and pedestrian walkway imagined for LaSalle Street, between Jackson Blvd. and Adams St.; and “The Pause,” which aims to “transform the humble public restroom into a bold statement of what a great city can be.”

Chicago has recently taken steps to install its first public restroom in West Town.

Though many details were not available, the Cultural Stadium plan also envisions transforming vacant retail and office spaces in Downtown Chicago into affordable studios for working artists and a year-long residency program that would allow creatives to live rent-free, called “The Community.”