The “Great Ideas of Humanity: One of a Series” exhibit, a collaboration between the Chicago Cultural Center and the Chicago Design Museum, is described as a “visual response from a variety of artists on the idea of great design and creativity in history.”
Artwork lines a hallway in the Chicago Cultural Center, visually interpreting quotations from famous people. For example, Cushing, featuring Sojourner Truth’s affirmation “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!” is arranged upside down in a visual pun.
Another artwork, created by Matthew Terdich, visualizes Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” through a large red eye. A quote from Marian Wright Edelman is illustrated with two large, pointed fingers to say plainly that if people want to see change in the world, they must do it themselves.
“Great Ideas of Humanity,” which is an update of a similar exhibit from the mid-20th Century, includes contextual placards that describe the history of the original campaign and how the project has been redefined.