CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Is it art, or is it graffiti vandalism? The city has created a way to differentiate between the two.
There have been a couple of instances where city workers thought an authorized mural on the side of a building was graffiti and removed it. That prompted a new city law setting up a new mural registry.
Mayor Emanuel and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced Monday the launch of the City of Chicago Mural Registry. The registry will be used as public a resource tool that will help communities identify, explore and preserve murals in Chicago's 77 neighborhoods.
Property owners and organizations will be able to register the art, so graffiti blasters from the city don't mistakenly remove it. The city is big on public art. In 2017, the city of Chicago celebrated the "Year of Public Art" which resulted in hundreds of new works of public art throughout the city.
There are more than 500 works of art, from sculptures to paintings, in over 150 city facilities from police stations to CTA station, all apart of Chicago's Public Art Collection.
Artists, organizations and property owners are encouraged to register completed murals by submitting an application. For the registration criteria and application, visit chicago.gov/muralregistry.
The idea for the registry was prompted after a city crew removed a mural from the CTA’s Paulina Brown Line stop, following a report that is was graffiti.