Lewis Lazare picked up on this Starbucks press release:
As much as the coffee itself, the employees who serve it are what make the Starbucks experience unique. In an attempt to help customers better understand the real people who wear the Starbucks aprons, the company installed an elaborate multiscreen video wall at its 932 N. Rush store.
The multiple screens will feature changing videos of local Starbucks baristas talking about their lives away from Starbucks, and in some cases, how those lives intersect with their work for the coffee giant. Many of the baristas profiled in the permanent video installation are artists, and they are not shy about expressing both the joys and difficulties of trying to make it as an artist. But all seem convinced Starbucks is there to help them reach their artistic goals.
One demonstration of that commitment is the third annual Starbucks Avant-Grande Partner Art Exhibit, scheduled for Friday at Resolution Digital Studios, 2226 W. Walnut. The exhibit will feature art by Starbucks baristas from the Chicago area.