Chicago Ground Cover

by Dan Peterman

 

The open-air dance floor at Chicago SummerDance, made from recycled plastic, was created by Chicago artist Dan Peterman. The dance floor, titled Chicago Ground Cover, was first installed in 1997 at the original Chicago SummerDance site in Grant Park along Michigan Avenue at Washington Street (now Millennium Park). Originally 2,500 square feet, it was first expanded to 3,500 square feet in 1999. It was more recently expanded to 4,600 square feet to accommodate the increasing number of Chicago SummerDance visitors.

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, artist Dan Peterman's specialty includes making art out of recycled plastic, producing mottled grey or green bricks and timbers that he uses to fabricate tables, benches, parquet floors and storage boxes. Peterman received his MFA from the University of Chicago in 1986, and has remained in the area, "crafting a unique vision and esthetic centered on alternative processes of use and reuse" (Susan Snodgrass, Art in America, 2005).