Scala Screening

Join us for a screening of

Scala: The story behind Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan's monumental public art piece at University of Illinois Chicago

A film by DHPixels, Produced by Builder Growth

Screening followed by a conversation with the artists, moderated by Lorelei Stewart director and chief curator of UIC Gallery 400

• Free admission
• RSVP encouraged via Eventbrite to help us plan seating
• 21+ to drink; cash bar available throughout the evening

In 2022, artists Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan were commissioned to create Scala, a monumental, 160‑foot-long sculptural installation for the Computer Design and Research Learning Center at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Composed of more than 17,000 pounds of custom-crafted poplar wood, Scala suspends hundreds of octagonal modules from a historic Walter Netsch–designed brick wall—an artwork that is equal parts vision, collaboration, and serious engineering.

Filmed by Andrew Harris (DH Pixels) and produced by Builder/Growth, the documentary follows the project from commission to completion: early concept drawings, fabrication at Navillus Woodworks, structural problem‑solving with Bob Magruder (Goodfriend Magruder CMD), the precision of installation with Methods & Materials, and the moment the finished work is revealed inside UIC’s soaring atrium. Along the way, the film foregrounds themes of belonging, vernacular Caribbean architecture, labor, and trust.

About the Artists:
Edra Soto is a Puerto Rican-born artist and educator whose work explores diasporic identity and colonialism through architectural interventions. Her work is held in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, among others.

Dan Sullivan is a Chicago-based designer, fabricator, and musician, and the founder of Navillus Woodworks. Working out of Dock 6 Collective, he creates custom furniture and architectural elements while maintaining an active music practice as Nad Navillus.