Anjulie Rao, author at Chicago Reader

In the background stands Chicago's skyline, in the foreground is a patch of prairie with a red sign that reads: Who found Chicago? and a red fence.

Discover Chicago’s layered history

by Anjulie Rao November 28, 2023November 28, 2023

Early one morning I stood on what might be the last undeveloped piece of land in the Loop’s radius. The site of the forthcoming DuSable Park is, currently, a soil mound bursting with prairie life located where the Chicago River punctures Lake Michigan’s mouth. This, says architect Ryan Gann, who is working with Ross Barney […]

The four collective members stand in an empty gallery at the Chicago Cultural Center. All are dressed in dark colors and are smiling. The room has low light and huge windows.

Arts & Culture

Biennial as experimentation

by Anjulie Rao September 20, 2023October 16, 2023

In 2017, a barge drifted along the Chicago River. It wasn’t carrying the usual Ozinga concrete or gravel; instead it floated a museum. Produced by the Floating Museum, an interdisciplinary collective comprised of architect Andrew Schachman, artists Faheem Majeed and Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, and poet avery r. young, the museum barge showcased artwork from dozens of […]

Black and white photograph of the glass facade of Chicago's Chinatown library.

Book Review

Rethinking equity in the built environment

by Anjulie Rao November 22, 2022November 22, 2022

The house next door to mine was torn down. My neighbors don’t quite remember the year, but the resident local historian, Maurice, who has lived on the block since the late 60s, was shipped off to Vietnam and, upon his return in 1972, the house had vanished. The product of “slum clearance” on Chicago’s west […]