Chicago Scenic Studios Blog

Hats off to our partners in the debut of the latest FRIENDS™ Experience, “The One in Chicago” – which is up and running to rave reviews in downtown Chicago. 

The DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago is featuring “The March”, an immersive and fascinating virtual reality experience created by TIME Studios and a host of other partners—including Chicago Scenic Studios.

Chicago Scenic is working differently these days – and only part of that is about pandemic safety protocols, social distancing, masks, and hand sanitizer. We’ve stepped up all of those and more, of course, and consistent with CDC guidelines to protect employees, clients, and guests.

Quiet on the set!

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews, our company newsletter! In this issue:

- WGN America’s News Nation 

- Back to Work—and Working Differently

- “The March” in Virtual Reality

- In the News: Ninja’s Red Bull Gaming Studio

- Richard Mahaney Joins Chicago Scenic 

Chicago Scenic looks with pride to the launch of News Nation, the new Prime-Time national newscast from WGN America, which debuts on September 1, 2020.

Our friends at the Mascot Hall of Fame (MHOF) have four new hall of famers.

We join with people everywhere in anger, sadness, and other emotions in response to the shocking deaths of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and many other Black men and women that have accelerated the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Museums everywhere are dealing with COVID-19 challenges and are inviting visitors to view their exhibitions online until the current shutdown allows them to reopen. 

Dear Clients, Partners, and Friends —

Every day brings new updates and messages related to Covid-19, no doubt your inbox is as full as ours. And we bet you’re as busy as we are in managing the huge impact on your business and personal affairs. We hope that you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy.

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews, our company newsletter! In this issue:

- Nike’s Chicago-Style Diner
- Friends 25 Pop-Up
- Candytopia
- Chicago Scenic in 2020

There’s big news in the world of sports (and fake fur): four new professional mascots have been elected to the Mascot Hall of Fame (MHOF) in Whiting, IN.

This is the first of a series of periodic posts that draws from our recent publication 40/40: Excellent Ideas Over 40 Years—wisdom culled from four decades as one of America’s premiere scenic fabrication firms. Look for more of these over time—we hope you’ll find something to use in your work.

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews, our company newsletter! In this issue:

- Ninja's Red Bull Gaming Studio
- Wired to Wear
- ASRC IlluminationSpace
- Harvest to Home
- WWII Submarine Memorial

We’re heading to Grand Rapids to present a session at the Association of Midwest Museums conference on the design and execution challenges in creating the American Writers Museum (AWM), an award-winning Chicago museum that opened in May 2017.

We’re packing our Museum trade show trunks and soon heading north to the 2019 ASTC Conference in Toronto, September 21-24 at the Ontario Science Centre.

Chicago Scenic is a custom design and construction firm so nearly everything that we create is original. While that’s pretty cool, it also presents its own set of challenges.

Every once in a while, we like to take a quick behind-the-scenes look at a department – its challenges, its products, its rewards.

Chicago Scenic is working on our 4^th Escape Room environment design for Royal Caribbean International and we need testers for the interactive prototypes that are a key part of the high-tech, immersive environments.

We are happy to share good news: Two recent team projects have won major industry awards – the  Nike/Momentum Worldwide corporate event environment and the Minnesota Vikings Entertainment Network Studio with Provost Studio.

Chicago’s American Writers Museum, a popular two-year-old attraction on the city’s famous Michigan Avenue, is prepping its June debut, “Tools of the Trade”, the Museum’s newest temporary exhibit design that displays writers’ tools, from inkwells to typewriters.

What if museums and other cultural institutions offered a no fuss/no muss solution for visitors of any age or technical know-how to record their personal histories, memories, and experiences?

How About You? Chicago Scenic is on the road again for museum trade shows!

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews, our company newsletter! In this issue:

-The Crowd Goes Wild for Mascot Hall of Fame

- Chicago Brewseum Taps Chicago Scenic’s Museum Expertise at the Field Museum

- CMOO is—uh—Moooving!

- 40 Years: Insights and Ideas

Something caught our eye recently – an article in The Atlantic magazine – about an organization called Women Who Weld, which is focused on recruiting more women into the welding profession.

If you’re charged with managing corporate events and the event design and construction teams that create them, you’ll identify with some of the major challenges our team tackled during a recent collaboration with Momentum Worldwide for the Nike project, Just Do It HQ at the Church.

Set design and construction in your future?

It’s that time of the year again: the annual Conference and StageExpo put on by the Association for Performing Arts & Entertainment Professionals – the organization widely known as USITT.

In a time when many individuals and groups look to make their voices heard, here’s an effort we can really get behind: Museum Advocacy Day, which is coming up fast on February 25 – 26.

A hearty congratulations to all of our fellow collaborators on the team that helped create one of the most unique museum experiences around: the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting Indiana. And hats off to Whiting and Mayor Joe Stahura, who was the main driver in luring the museum to anchor the city’s resurgent lakefront zone.

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews, our company newsletter! In this issue:

- Nike Basketball Transforms a Chicago Church into a Cultural Hub for Basketball

- Northwestern University’s New Welsh-Ryan Arena is a Slam Dunk

- Remembrance of Mark Goeke

- 2019 Calendar

We honor the memory of a longtime collaborator – and say a sad goodbye – to our colleague Mark Goeke, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this week.

I started working at Chicago Scenic in 1978, when we were in that little place on Morgan Street. It was Bob and me and a bunch of other kids hanging around, making a little bit of money. Our focus was on building theater sets. We enjoyed trying to figure stuff out.

Can I recycle my straw?

Under the direction of scenic design company Provost Studio, Chicago Scenic recently fabricated and installed the new broadcast studio for the NFL Minnesota Vikings.

Ahoy there!

Can we leave the caps on bottles?

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews, our company newsletter! 

Thank you to Ryanne Gallagher Johnson and Irish American News for the article about Chicago Scenic Studios!

Thank you to Karl D. Forth and FDMC/Woodworking Network for the article about Chicago Scenic Studios!

Congratulations to William Blair Investments and Provost Studio for winning Set of the Year in the Webcast category!

Did you know that disposable paper coffee cups are not recyclable?

Thank you to Neil Steinberg and the Chicago Sun Times for the article about our owner & president Bob Doepel and Chicago Scenic Studios!

Recently, we built the cloud to accompany the Shambow aka the Shamrock Shake Rainbow for McDonald's.

When you put material in the recycling container it must be Clean, Dry and Empty.

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews our company newsletter! 2018 calendar included!

Thank you to WCIU The Jam Morning Show for featuring us on their Made In Chicago segment!

Watch as we build the set for a Winter Wonderland located in an abandoned mall. Happy Holidays!

Chicago Scenic built and installed a Holiday environment for Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, Nevada. Watch our time-lapse video to see how it was done!

Check out the latest edition of Studio News our company Newsletter!

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews our company newsletter!

Things change.

Bigger, better, and just as convenient.

Stay tuned - we are moving to a new location this summer.

Under the design of Product Architecture and Design, Chicago Scenic completed the 2500 sq. ft. play area for Indian Trails Public Library.

Check out the latest edition of StudioNews our company newsletter!

The brachiosaurus at The Field Museum is one of the biggest sports fans in Chicago.

On Tuesday, March 21, 2017 Chicago Scenic Studios sponsored an American Marketing Association event at 360 Chicago Observation Deck in the John Hancock Building.

Falls from portable ladders (step, straight, combination, and extension) are one of the leading causes of occupational fatalities and injuries.

Chicago Scenic creates environments, corporate lobbies, and trade show booths all year long.  When speaking with our clients about design, some know exactly what they want while others aren’t quite sure where to start.

Check out our latest edition of StudioNews our company Newsletter!

Ever wonder how Detroit's massive Joe Louis Arena gets transformed into a stunning automotive press reveal stage?

According to the National Safety Council, about 70,000 people have disabling head injuries each year.

We would like to welcome Susan E. Fisher to the Chicago Scenic Studios family as our new Sr. Vice President of Business Development.

It was Christmas in November when the Cubs won the World Series. Get an inside look at what it took to put together the Cubs Rally with this article from PLSN.

If you’re lucky enough to score Cubs tickets in the bleachers, be sure to take a look at the Cubs cases we created this year.

We're counting down the days until Open House Chicago descends upon the City once more, when Chicago opens its doors to the public for two days of fun, learning, and exploring. 

With the help of the Field Museum and Chicago Scenic, these six warriors visited nine Chicago sites in just 19 days. 

The time to prepare for a disaster is before one ever happens. Then, if disaster does strike, you'll have a clear plan. Use these helpful resources to put plans in place...in case the worst does happen.

Amidst the bright colors, loud cheers, and millions of smiles at this year's Pride Parade in Chicago, a somber air filled the streets as participants remembered the tragedy in Orlando. Takeda Pharmaceuticals helped bring some hope and peace to the event with their float, which featured an eight-ft-tall origami crane. 

Our sculpting & painting teams have done it again! These larger-than-life bull frogs are perched on bus shelters throughout downtown Chicago. Check 'em out before they're gone! #solutionsthatengage

What ideas do you have about life, work, and everything in between that you're just BURSTING to share with the world?

It's not every day you get to build an over-sized mosquito so lifelike it scares everyone who walks into the dirty booth. Extra special thanks to CLS Vector/Mosquito Control team and Celtic Chicago for helping to bring this guy to life!   #chicagoscenic #solutionsthatengage

Photo Credit: Denise Riesen Photography

When the Association of Children's Museums decides to put on a national conference, you're guaranteed to have some fun. Some of the most creative, young-at-heart, fierce folks in the world meet for just a few days to collaborate on new ideas, discuss trends in the museum industry, and seriously dissect the state of education and community. You're bound to leave feeling refreshed, excited, and a bit sore from laughing so much.

What does a 500-foot long cardboard football look like? 

Read on for an exclusive interview with the brains behind Andy Warfel Design & Creative – learn what his greatest accomplishments have been, where he plans to be in ten years, and his amazing sense of direction!

Please note that since this article was written, Andy has taken up the position of Director of Ideation and Visualization at Production Glue in New York.

Check out Missouri History's latest children's exhibit, History Clubhouse! This time lapse video shows what it takes to install a 5,000 square foot exhibit in just one month!