Lea Pinsky and Dustin Harris have turned their hometown of Evanston into a vibrant outdoor art gallery, coordinating more than 30 murals throughout the Chicago suburb over the past decade. As leaders of Art Encounter, which operates from an office in Evanston's Noyes Cultural Arts Center, the duo has made the northern suburb a destination for street art by bringing exceptional muralists from across the country to paint on schools, viaducts, and pedestrian walkways.
"We're curating an art show all over Evanston," says Pinsky, who serves as executive director of Art Encounter. When someone in Evanston wants a new mural painted on the side of a school, along a viaduct, or under pedestrians' feet, Pinsky and Harris usually get the call. However, turning artistic visions into reality requires extensive planning and coordination.
For each ambitious project from non-profits, civic groups, schools, and business districts, Pinsky and Harris spend approximately a year handling the complex logistics. They carefully match artists from their extensive network to specific locations, ensuring proper permits are obtained, necessary approvals are secured, and scheduling and budget requirements are met. Only after all these details are ironed out can the muralist begin painting.
Both Evanston natives, Pinsky and Harris returned to their roots in 2012 after spending years in Rogers Park, where they initiated the Mile of Murals project along the CTA railroad tracks embankment. This earlier experience helped them build relationships with artists they continue to commission today, while also creating murals of their own.
"Our murals are gorgeous and impactful," Harris explains. "And provocative," Pinsky adds, emphasizing their commitment to bringing high-quality public art to the community. The artists who contribute to Evanston's streets, alleys, and underpasses travel from as far as Los Angeles, New York, and Detroit, though most are from Evanston or Chicago.
The duo has collaborated with some of Chicago's best-known street artists, including Max Sansing, Rahmaan Statik, Mario Mena, Damon Lamar Reed, Sholo Beverly, and Cheri Lee Charlton. Their artwork now graces some of Evanston's most prominent locations, creating visual landmarks throughout the city.
One of their highest-profile projects involved coordinating a mural as the gateway to Evanston's new Lorraine H. Morton City Hall and adjacent Metra station. For this significant commission, they selected Sansing, whose work can be found around Evanston, Chicago, and internationally. Sansing expanded upon a mural he began in 2022, transforming the ramp to the Metra train station platform into cake layers of multicolored, abstract, spray-painted artwork and adding a profile of Morton, the city's former longtime mayor for whom the building is named.
Additional notable projects include a ground mural by Miguel A. Del Real on the busy pedestrian plaza at Orrington Avenue and Davis Street, which Pinsky and Harris coordinated to enhance the urban landscape. They have also orchestrated murals by Mena at Chute Middle School, Jess Patterson and Reed at Dawes Elementary School, Statik at Oakton Elementary School, and Molly Zakrajsek at Evanston Township High School, among many other educational institutions.
"These murals make an impact on people's lives," Harris reflects on their extensive body of work. "Public art has a place that can comfort people." Through their dedicated efforts over more than a decade, Pinsky and Harris have successfully transformed Evanston into a showcase for public art, creating a lasting cultural legacy that continues to inspire residents and visitors alike.
