If you have had your driver’s license for any length of time, you know that potholes are one of the worst things out on the roads today. Sometimes you are lucky enough to be able to avoid them, but most of the time you see it just a little bit too late and end up hitting it head on, giving you and your car quite the jolt. This is even worse if you live in a heavily populated area like Chicago, where even when you see a pothole, there is nowhere to go but right into it. Well recently, an artist named Jim Bachor got fed up with the potholes in Chicago and decided to do something about them. Check out what he did to make a difference in his city below.
Jim Bachor lives in Chicago, and has become increasingly fed up with the number of potholes that are filling the streets around him.
For the third year in a row, he’s decided to fix the problem himself. He does this by filling them himself with themed mosaics.
Each year he changes the theme of his pothole street art.
One year it was mosaic words and phrases, the next year it was flowers, but this year it’s different types of ice cream.
This year he’ll create 10 mosaics that are all based on ice cream. They range from Popsicles to ice cream sandwiches and everything in between. He’s titled this year’s artwork Treats In The Street.
This last winter was one of the harshest winters in Chicago within the last 30 years. Because of this harsh winter, there are an estimated 600,000 potholes that need to be filled.
Because of this, some streets are hard to drive on and residents are increasingly frustrated.
It has gotten so bad that Chicago has created a dedicated Pothole Tracker, which shows residents which potholes, have been patched up within the last seven days. The Department of Transportation is in charge of updating this website.
The fact that there are so many potholes is what got Jim Bachor motivated to do something about this never-ending issue.
What inspired him to make a change were his trips to Italy during the 1990s. He visited Italy and viewed a lot of the ancient art that was on display.
He’d been creating mosaic artwork for many years, but when he saw the potholes he knew that it’d be a perfect match.
Some of the potholes have artwork, while others have just the word pothole designed into the ground.
Some of his other pieces include the phone number of a nearby auto repair shop.
The city has received 1100 claims stating that cars have been damaged due to the increasing number of potholes
Each pothole street art piece costs about $50.00 to make, but they do take a lot of time to design, prepare, and install.
These patches aren’t meant to be permanent. They are more temporary, but they definitely bring the issue to light.
Jim Bachor does keep a list of the addresses where he installed this street art, along with photos that he’s taken.
He is opening an exhibition of mosaic art at the Packer Schop Gallery, which will be titled Jentaculum.
Jim Bachor has even been commissioned to do these types of street art in different countries, such as Finland.
He plans on doing at least three more mosaics during the spring, and will continue to add them as long as the weather cooperates.
More info: Jim Bachor
It’s always amazing to see residents of big cities come together to fix an issue. While he may be doing this pothole street art on his own, he’s raising awareness about the issue, while also filling his city with beautiful artwork. It’s always a great feeling to know that you are doing some kind of good with your talents.