We returned to Chicago to create a new travel decal style mural in collaboration w/ the Hyatt Regency downtown. It’s been about a decade since we painted our original “Greetings from Chicago” mural in the Logan Square neighborhood. That was the first one we did on the road in our RV and already feels like a lifetime ago!

Naturally, we end up collaborating with a lot of people in the travel & hospitality industry. It’s an organic fit because our project helps generate tourism and creates a new destination in communities. Many of our favorite projects are with hotels, and we are humbled to have traveled to amazing locations to create our artwork. We value all the hotel brands we choose to work with and appreciate their support over the years.

The Hyatt Regency Chicago, the largest hotel in the city, wanted to celebrate its 50th anniversary and $150 million renovation with a new mural landmark on property. Since we only create one large letter postcard mural per city, we chose our vintage travel decal style for this project. Inspired by designs from Lindgren Turner Co., these decals were sold as souvenirs and traditionally placed on luggage and vehicles. The minimal colors and iconic Americana imagery evoke the spirit of road tripping in the mid-century. We really do miss our time living on the road and thrive on the nostalgia of it.

In this mural, we incorporated imagery from downtown Chicago not included in our original Logan Square mural. The new piece is more old and graphic: the left side has a nod to the Chicago “L” with Sears Tower in the distance, the central image showcases the Chicago River with surrounding skyscrapers, and the right side highlights the iconic lion sculpture in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. This mix of old and new creates a timeless modern piece.

It was the first time we had a literal mural “reveal” since the mural was covered up with a tarp. The Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band performed before the curtain dropped, just as they did at the hotel's inaugural reception 50 years ago. Victor also painted a live “Greetings from Chicago” canvas for guests entering the new Crystal Ballroom during the reception. Finally, the guests were gifted with the mural turned into actual stickers coming full circle from the original decal inspiration for the artwork.

Thank you so much to the team of local artists who assisted with the painting. Humbled and honored to have some Chicago graffiti icons working on this piece. You know who you are! Special thanks to Jeff Mancilla for capturing progress photos and to the amazing team at the Hyatt Regency (Andrea Kasnic , Jon Golem, & Sarah Strum) for ensuring a smooth project. Last but not least, thank you to Montana Cans for the continued support of the Greetings Tour!