Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Shanabruch.
Steve, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve been creating art under the brand “The Chicago Neighborhoods” since November of 2011. I was stuck in a rut at my 9 to 5 design job at the time, needed a creative outlet, and wanted to come up with a personal project that would allow me to continue my growth as a designer without the typical constraints of client work. I started by creating logos for the various neighborhoods in the city, which I’d post on my website, along with a little bit of history about the neighborhood. I got a little burnt out a year and a half and 115 logos later and started to look to evolve the project. The logos were all created black and white, so the next logical step was to add a little color to the project. In 2013 I started working on a series of “Neighborhood Tourism” prints that were inspired by the WPA National Park posters that were created in the late 1930s.
It is now five years later, the “Neighborhood Tourism” series has over 35 different designs, and still creating prints on a semi-regular basis. I never really had much of a goal for the whole project other than creating art I enjoyed, but it took on a life of its own and I was fortunate enough to gain a modest following on social media where people were asking to buy prints and other merchandise with my work.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’ve mainly been creating WPA-inspired “Neighborhood Tourism” prints for the last five years, which are sold on my website, Etsy, and a few shops around town. They are printed with museum-quality inks, and for the frugal-minded folks out there, they come in a standard size so you won’t break the bank on a custom frame.
I am truly creating this art for my own self-enjoyment, but I love it when people get excited when they see the designs I create. Often times Chicago-centric art is only focused on downtown, but what about the people in West Ridge, Bridgeport, South Shore or Norwood Park? I’ve received so many messages from people saying things like “Thank you for including the whole city, not just the hot spots,” and that just makes me happy. Chicago is a big place, and the people here have so much pride in where they came from or where they live, so they appreciate it a whole lot when they come across these neighborhood designs that feature something so familiar to them.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
My advice to artists: create work that you love, not what you think other people will love. I believe that this is the only reason I have been able to keep this project going since 2011. Sure, selling prints is a nice way to make some money, but I’d have quit a long time ago if I only cared about other people’s opinions or potential sales.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be seen on my website, thechicagoneighborhoods.com. Prints can be purchased on the site, or at a few shops on the north side (Neighborly, at Montrose and Damen; and ChiTown Magpie, on Sheridan, just north of Devon). Also, any other shops out there? Get in touch!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.thechicagoneighborhoods.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chgohoods/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechicagoneighborhoods/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chgohoods
- Other: http://steveshanabruch.com/
Image Credit:
thechicagoneighborhoods.com
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