"12151791"

"12151791" - by Amy Larimer and Peter Bernheim ...
Location: McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum ...

The sculpture is named after the date the First Amendment was ratified. The two-story piece is made up of 800 cascading steel plates ... and each of these plates is inscribed with quotes of individuals who shaped the history of our freedom ... These hovering metal pieces are supported by a series of structural chords and each chord represents a segment of time. So the sculpture "12151791" is a suspended timeline, a chronicle of individuals' contribution to decades of democracy and freedom ...

This piece was selected from 700 entries made ... in an international juried art competetion held in the year 2005.




Click on the image for enlarged view ...

Chicago - Near North Side / Nathan Hale - by Bela Lyon Pratt

Nathan Hale 

Nathan Hale

Sculptor: Bela Lyon Pratt 

Location: Michigan Avenue Nathan Hale Court

His famous lines ..

" I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" ..

Festival Season is here ...

click on the image for enlarged view ...

It's nice to see festival decorations all around ...
I'm not too sure what this structure is called ... Its in the Equitable Plaza, south of Tribune Tower ...

Temporary Exhibition / Pioneer Court / Moose - by Joan Kearney

Moose - by John Kearney

Installed: 2003 ...

Description: Welded Steel Sculpture ... Chrome bumpers ...

8'9" X 4' X 9' ...

Location: Pioneer Court ... south of Chicago Tribune building ..

Dawn Shadow ... Public Art???

click on the image for enlarged view ...

Dawn Shadow by Louise Nevelson
Location: 200 W. Madison Ave ..

Few days back I went to take photographs of this sculpture Dawn Shadow ... I approached the person on the reception desk to take permission to take it's photographs ... I was told that photography is not allowed!!!!

hmmm... I fail to understand why photography of a huge sculpture, which is said to be a part of Chicago "Public" Art collection is not allowed???? I think more and more people should be aware of these art pieces if they are part of public art collection of the city of Chicago.

Check out ... Louise Nevelson (Dawn Shadows) ...

Chicago Riverwalk / Riverwalk Gateway - by Ellen Lanyon

Chicago Riverwalk Gateway

Riverwalk Gateway 

Artist: Ellen Lanyon 

Architect: The trellised, cast-concrete walkway,

 is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

 Description: Ceramic mural tiles.

 Location: Under Lakeshore Drive, south bank of Chicago River.

Chicago Riverwalk / Riverwalk Gateway - II [North Wall] - by Ellen Lanyon

Continued from the above post: Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Riverwalk Gateway - by Ellen Lanyon 

Architect: The trellised, cast-concrete walkway, is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

 Description: Ceramic mural tiles. 

Location: Under Lakeshore Drive, south bank of Chicago River. 

Riverwalk Gateway - III [South Wall] - by Ellen Lanyon

Continued from the above post Riverwalk Gateway..click here.. 

Riverwalk Gateway - by Artist: Ellen Lanyon 

Architect: The trellised, cast-concrete walkway, is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Description: Ceramic mural tiles

Location: Under Lakeshore Drive, south bank of Chicago River

There are twelve panels on each side of the wall.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals- I: Exploration] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Murals-I Exploration 1673: Guided by the Kaskaskia Indians, Pere Jacques Marquette - a Jesuit missionary, and Louis Jolliet - an explorer, arrive at the portage to Lake Michigan. Jolliet envisioned a waterway that would provide clear passage to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi. 

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals-II: Fort Dearborn] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway.. Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Murals-II: Fort Dearborn 1803: Fort Dearborn was built by the order of the Secretary of War, General Henry Dearborn. It was destroyed in the War of 1812. 

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals-III : The New City] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Murals-III: The New City.. 

1830: James Thompson's plat for Chicago's first real estate development. 

1833: Chicago was incorporated as a village after new developers acquired five million acres of land from the Potawatomi. 

1837: Chicago was incorporated as a city. 

1834: The first draw bridge was built at Dearborn Street. Made of logs, it was often in need of repair and in 1839 was destroyed by irate citizens even though the City Council had already ordered its demolition. 

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals-IV: The Float Bridge and I & M Canal] - by Ellen Lanyon..

Riverwalk Gateway Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Murals-IV: The Float Bridge and I & M Canal.. 

 1840: The Clark Street Bridge was the first of its kind to be built. By 1848 three more were added at Wells, Randolph and Kinzie Streets. All were destroyed by the Great Flood of 1849.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals V: Three Swing Bridges] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway.. Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Mural-V: Three Swing Bridges.. 

1850: All bridges which replaced those destroyed by the Great Food were wood swing bridges. Three were built over the south branch of the river at Lake, Randolph and Madison streets.

1856: The first iron swing bridge was built at Rush Street.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals VI: The Great Fire] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway..
Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..
Mural VI: The Great Fire..
1871: The Chicago Fire began on the southwest side of the city. Due to high winds, it swept through the entire area and to the north side. A miraculous number of citizens survived due to the bridges which allowed them to flee to safety. Many bridges were destroyed in the fire and were replaced by larger and stronger swing bridges. The Water Tower, one of the only structures to survive the Chicago Fire, has become a symbol of the "I Will" spirit that was needed to recover and to rebuild an even greater city.



Inset..
The new water works was designed by Ellis Chesbrough in 1869. The intake crib off shore in Lake Michigan supplied water via pipes to the Pumping Station and the Water Tower on Michigan Avenue.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals VII: Three Bridges] - by Ellen Lanyon

Three Bridges

Riverwalk Gateway..
Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..
Murals VII: Three Bridges ..

In the late 1890s, swing bridges were replaced by new bridges that were designed to accommodate the larger ships using the river.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals VIII: The Columbian Exposition] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway...
Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..
Mural VIII: The Columbian Exposition..

1893: The World's Columbian Exposition, considered the greatest world's fair in history, was located on a 686-acre wasteland that was transformed by America's finest architects, landscape designers, and artists into a wonderful city of neoclassical palaces set amidst canals, lagoons, and lawns. Jackson Park, the Museum of Science and Industry and a smaller reproduction of "The Republic" statue are south side landmarks that are among the legacies of the wondrous "White City." The fair attracted twenty-eight million people, the equivalent of forty-five percent of the nation's population in 1893.

On Chicago Day, October 9, 1893, more than 760,000 visitors jammed the grounds to mark the anniversary of the Chicago Fire.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals IX: Reversal of the Waters] - by Ellen Lanyon..

Riverwalk Gateway..
Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..
Mural IX: Reversal of the Waters..

1889: The Sanitary District of Chicago (in 1989 renamed The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago) was established and a plan was implemented to improve the city's sewage disposal system by reversing the flow of the Chicago river to carry waste water away from Lake Michigan, the source of the city's drinking water.
1892: Steam shovels were used to dig the Sanitary and Ship Canal, and rail cars carried earth out up the steep incline. Running parallel to the old Illinois & Michigan Canal, the Sanitary and Ship Canal was much wider and deeper and allowed for the necessary increase in the flowage of water out of Lake Michigan. The Sanitary and Ship Canal also allowed larger commercial vessels to travel to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.
1900: When completed, the reversal of the Chicago river was recognized as a great wonder of the modern engineering world.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals X: The Michigan Avenue Bridge] - by Ellen Lanyon..

Riverwalk Gateway..
Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..
Mural X: The Michigan Avenue Bridge..

1920: As the first double-deck trunnion bascule style bridge, the Michigan Avenue Bridge was the first to accommodate two levels of traffic. The Chicago river was teeming with commercial ships and excursion boats. The Wrigley building, built between 1921 and 1924, and Tribune Tower, dedicated in 1925, became two important Chicago landmarks and formed a gateway to the avenue known as the Magnificent Mile.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals XI: Grant Park and the Burnham Plan] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway..
Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..
Mural XI: Grant Park and the Burnham Plan..

Daniel Burnham created a grand design which protected Chicago's lakefront from the industrial development typical of other waterfront cities of the world.
1909: The Burnham Plan called for parks, monuments and museums along Lake Michigan. 1926: Buckingham Fountain had been completed, and the Burnham Plan for Grant Park was well established.

Insets
Postcards show the Field Museum of Natural History, built between 1911 and 1919, followed by the John G. Shedd Aquarium in 1929, and the Adler Planetarium in 1931. Today, these three major sites in Grant Park comprise the Museum Campus..

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals XII: A Century of Progress]

Riverwalk Gateway..
Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..
Murals XII: A Century of Progress..

1933: A Century of Progress was a world's fair which celebrated the city's 100th anniversary. Science and industry were the theme of this international fair, and the pavilions were prime examples of art deco architecture. The famous Skyride was then the tallest man-man structure west of Manhattan. The Enchanted Island eventually became Meigs Field.

Inset..
The Transporation Building, the "Streets of Paris" featuring Sally Rand and her fan dance, the Illinois Building and an Arabian Village..

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals XIII: The South Branch] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riveralk Gateway.. Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here..

 

Mural XIII - The South Branch.. 

The rejuvenation of the Chicago River may be seen along its South Branch near 18th street, where old railroad bridges and the new Chinatown contrast against the skyline of River City and Sears Tower. A wood duck commemorates the return of wildlife to the city. Postcards above illustrate four industries that make use of the waterway.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals XIV: The North Branch] - by Ellen Lanyon

Riverwalk Gateway Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Mural XIV - The North Branch.. 

Chicago's Riverview was a world-famous amusement park that predated Disneyland and Great America. This popular city attraction, which existed between 1904 and 1967, featured such attractions as the Aladdin's Castle fun house and The Bobs roller coaster. In the distance, the John Hancock Building towers over the Belmont Street Bridge and marinas. 

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals XV: The Main Branch] - by Ellen Lanyon..

Riverwalk Gateway.. Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Mural XIV - The Main Branch.. 

2000: Boating along the main branch of the Chicago River where pleasure craft and tour boats, the pollution control boat, and water taxis ply the river near Marina City and the Dearborn Street Bridge. Also shown are Chicago's untitled sculpture by Pablo Picasso and a bit of Chicago winter. Insets show the Marshall Field's clock on State Street, a river view, the Art Institute lion and the Loop elevated.

Riverwalk Gateway [Murals XVI: The Riverwalk] - by Ellen Lanyon..

Riverwalk Gateway.. Continued from the post, Riverwalk Gateway.. click here.. 

Mural: XVI - The Riverwalk.. 

2000: Chicago's Riverwalk Master Plan fosters recreational use of the river and the nurturing of such attractions as riverwalk cafes and tour boats. Recreational activities include the return of canoes, gondolas, river bikes and other pleasure craft. With a cleaner river has come the return of bass and other game fish attracting sport fishing and fish derbies. 

Y-symbol at Riverwalk Gateway..

Y-symbol at Riverwalk Gateway..
For more on..
# Y-symbol, click here..
# Riverwalk Gateway, by Ellen Lanyon.. click here..