Awnings turn into art and light up the night

The awning business has been good to Ann and Ed Hunzinger, fourth-generation owners of the Evanston Awning Co., Evanston, Ill. The Hunzingers have been good for the industry in turn, serving in leadership roles in the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association and the Midwest Fabric Products Association. The next generation of Hunzingers in the business (sons Eric, Daryl and Aaron) bid to continue the tradition, with a twist. Using leftover scrap steel and Sunbrella® fabric from Evanston Awning, Aaron Hunzinger fabricates one-of-a-kind art lamps under his own AHdidit brand.

Aaron Hunzinger made his first lamp in 2006 and has created more than 50 to date, including table lamps, sconces and tall floor lamps. Galleries have discovered the unique and colorful AHdidit shapes and moods, including the Lemon Street Art Gallery in Kenosha, Wisc., and Simply Chicago Art, a thriving collective of artists. “I hand-built a replica of a Gibson Explorer guitar dubbed ‘Orion,’” says Hunzinger. “I used materials such as steel, Sunbrella fabric, copper, Plexiglas, carbon fiber and roughly 16 feet of LEDs to light it up.” Eclectic Design Source, Libertyville, Ill., offers several of the AHdidit lamps for sale.