Public Art in Chicago: October 2009

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Pioneer Court: Temporary Exhibit [The legendary Angel Wings of Victoria's Secret]

Here's some free publicity for Victoria's Secret .. How can one not notice these bright pink wings, especially when one has seen [in virtual and print media] Heidi Klum strutting down the runway in these !
Yes these are the legendary Angel Wings of Victoria's Secret!
It's first ever exhibition ... at Pioneer Court .... made famous when supermodel Heidi Klum wore it in Miami fashion Show, 2008. At 10 feet these are the second largest wings she ever wore, the largest were 12 feet!

# For more on the Pioneer Court.. click here..

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Funding of Public Art in Chicago

[I] Public funding of public art in Chicago..
- City of Chicago's Percent-for-Art Program ..
- State of Illinois, Capital Development Board's Art-in-Architecture Program ..
- U.S. General Services Administration [GAS] Art-in-Architecture Program ..
# Part I: Public funding of public funding.. click here ..

[II] Private funding of public art..
Many of the public art pieces are privately funded .. through trust funds and gifts by philanthropists.. and some are privately owned ..
- One familiar name is B.F.Ferguson Monument Fund, which has sponsored many public art pieces in Chicago ..
- Gift by philanthropists like Kate Sturges Buckingham, Eli Bates, John Crerar, Lambert Tree, Pritzker family.. among others..
- Some are community based organizations..
- Some are area based organizations..
- Some are gifts by artists..
- Some are privately owned..

# Part II: Private funding of public art.. click here ..
# Part III: Private funding of public art.. click here ..

Funding of Public Art - I

This glass mosaic "Rora" is by Ginny Sykes, who was commissioned by the city under it's Percentage-for-Art Program

After recently hearing the oft-quoted "follow the money" phrase in one of the comedy serials, I thought about dabbling a bit on the money trail for public art ..
Funding of Public Art .. in Chicago ..
# Part I: Public funding of public art
# Part II: Private funding of public art
# Part III: Private funding of public art

Part I: Public funding of public art ..
# City of Chicago Public Art Collection ..
# State of Illinois, Capital Development Board's Art-in-Architecture Program ..
# U.S. General Services Administration [GAS] Art-in-Architecture Program ..

City of Chicago Public Art Collection ..
In 1978, the City Council of the City of Chicago passed a Percent-for-Art ordinance that requires 1.33% of the construction or renovation budget for city owned buildings be set aside for artwork on the premises. It maybe commission or purchase of artworks for those buildings. Later that year the Chicago Public Art Program was established to implement the city's Percent-for-Art Ordinance. This program has funded many of the public art pieces in Chicago ..
However, the city of Chicago public art collection is much larger than art pieces created or acquired under Percentage-for-Art Program ... Obviously many art pieces belongs to the city from before the program was created .. and the city's art collection includes many gifts to the city's art collection ....
The City of Chicago Public Art Collection includes ..
# Riverwalk Gateway - by Ellen Lanyon
# Chicago Rising from the Lake - by Milton Horn
# Paris metro entryway - by Hector Guimard
# Crossing - by Hubertus von der Goltz
# Reading Cones - by Richard Serra
# Rosenberg Fountain - by Franz Machtl
# Replica of colossal Olemec Head # 8
# Rora - by Ginny Sykes..
# Many art pieces at the Harold Washington Library Center was funded through the City’s Percent-for-Art Program.

State of Illinois, Capital Development Board's Art-in-Architecture Program ..
The Illinois Art-in-Architecture program was created in 1977 .. It's Capital Development Board spends one-half of one percent of the construction appropriation on the acquisition of artwork for new and renovated buildings that are open to the general public.
# Freeform - by Richard Hunt
# Monument with standing beast - by Jean Dubuffet
# Symbiotic Parralax - by Terrence Karpowicz
# Illinois River Landscape - by Richard Hunt..

U.S. General Administration Services [GAS] Art-in-Architecture Program ..
GAS is a federal agency responsible for the construction and maintenance of United States Government property. Under it's Art-in-Architecture Program, GAS reserves one-half of one percent of the estimated construction cost of each new federal building to commission project artists.
# Batcolum - by Claes Oldenburg
# The Town-Ho's Story .. by Frank Stella
# Ruins - III - by Nita Sunderland
# The Flamingo - by Alexander Calder.

Funding of Public Art - II

Buckingham Fountain .. A gift of Kate Sturges Buckingham, to the people of Chicago, in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham ..

This is Part-II of series funding of public art in Chicago ..
# Part I: Public funding of public art .. click here ..
# Part II: Private funding of public art .. click here ..
# Part III: Private funding of public art .. click here ..

By Public Art, we mean any art piece that is exhibited in a public space and is accessible to all .. However, not all public art pieces are publicly financed .. Some are gifts by art patrons to the people of Chicago .. These may be gift by individuals or gift by communities .. Here I bring out some gifts by individuals ..

B. F. Ferguson Monument Fund ..
It has funded some of the most notable public monuments and sculptures in Chicago .. The Fund is named after Benjamin Franklin Ferguson [1839 - 1905] who was respected lumber business man of Chicago .. When he died in 1905, through his will, he left $1 million of charitable trust fund to the Art Institute of Chicago, to be known as the B. F. Ferguson Fund .. This fund was to be ..

"entirely and exclusively expended by it under the direction of its Board of Trustees in the erection and maintenance of enduring statuary and monuments, in the whole or in part of stone, granite or bronze, in the parks, along the boulevards or in other public places, within the city of Chicago, Illinois, commemorating worthy men or women of America or important events of American history. The plans or designs for such statuary or monuments and the location of the same shall be determined by the Board of Trustees of such Institute. "

Some of the monuments and sculptures funded by the B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund ..
# Fountain of the Great Lakes [1913] [the first Ferguson Monument Fund sculpture].. by Lorado Taft..
# Statue of Republic [1918] .. by Daniel Chester French..
# Fountain of Time [1922].. by Lorado Taft..
# Spirit of Music [1923].. by Albin Polasek..
# The Bowman and The Spearman [1928].. by Ivan Mestrovic..
# Defense & Regeneration [1928] by Henry Hering..
# Fountain of the Tritons [1931].. by Carl Milles..
# Nuclear Energy at Pile-1 (CP-1) [1967].. by Sir Henry Moore..
# Man enters Cosmos [1980].. by Sir Henry Moore..
# The Logan Square Monument
# I Have A Dream - by Abbott Pattison

Gift of Kate Sturges Buckingham ..
# Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain..
# Alexander Hamilton Memorial .. by Eliel Saarinen..

Gift of Eli Bates ..
Eli Bates, was a pioneer in the lumber business in Chicago. He died in 1881 and in his will, he designated funds to create two sculptures:
# Abraham Lincoln Monument .. by Augustus Saint-Gaudens ....
# Eli Bates Fountain / "Storks at Play" .. by Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Gift of John Crerar ..
John Crerar (1827-1889) was a wealthy industrialist and businessman from Chicago, whose investments were primarily in the railroad industry. He is also well known for his philanthropic efforts. He left $100,000 for a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln .. The John Crerar Trust Fund commissioned Augustus Saint Gaudens for the work ..
# Lincoln Statue .. by Augustus Saint-Gaudens..

Gift of Mrs. Henry Field ..
# The Lions .. by Edward Kemeys ..

Gift of Judge Lambert Tree ..
Judge Lambert Tree (1832-1910) was a Chicago Circuit Court judge. He who achieved fame by presiding over the indictment, trial, and conviction of corrupt City Council members. A patron of the arts, Judge and his wife had an artists studio constructed "Tree Studios" to provide low cost housing and space for artists , now designated a Chicago Landmark. He also donated the statue of Robert Cavalier de LaSalle to the Lincoln Park ..
# LaSalle Monument.. by Count Jacques de La Laing..

Gift by the artist ..
# Untitled .. by Pablo Picasso..
# Miro's Chicago ... by Joan Miro ..
# Large Interior Form .. by Henry Moore..

Privately Owned ..
# Commissioned and owned by Amoco Corporation ..
The "Sounding Sculpture" .. by Harry Bertoia.. Purchased by One Financial Plaza ..
San Marco II .. by Ludovico De Luigi..

Funding of Public Art - III

The Columbus sculpture was a gift to the 1933-34 "Chicago Century of Progress Exposition" from the Italian-American community of Illinois ..

This is Part-III of series funding of public art in Chicago ..
# Part I: Public funding of public art .. click here ..
# Part II: Private funding of public art .. click here ..
# Part III: Private funding of public art .. click here ..

Private funding can be by individuals or by communities .. In Part-II, I listed some gifts by individuals to the people of Chicago .. Here I bring out some gifts by different communities, which may be nationality-based, area-based, or even a business community ..

# Gift of Polish-American Congress and the Copernicus Foundation to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Copernicus ..
Copernicus Monument .. click here ..
# Gift from the Italian-American Community of Illinois ..
Columbus Monument ..
# Gift from a group of Chicagoans of German descent ...
Monument of Johann Christoph Friedrich Schiller, the "prince of poets" .. ..

Area based communities ..
# Lakeshore Sculpture Exhibit [LES] .. Lincoln Park area ..
The Lakefront Sculpture Exhibit is a privately funded, not-for-profit corporation. Sponsors from the community contribute financially, serve on the jury and attend related events.
Each year, there are 20 large-scale sculptures on display throughout the 43rd and 44th Wards, extending from Burton on the south to Irving Park on the north and from the lakefront to Southport. The display is from spring of one year to spring of the next year ... The theme changes each year ... Every piece is available for sale at the conclusion of the show.
Lakeshore Sculpture Exhibit .. click here ..
The official website .. Lakeshore Sculpture Exhibit .. click here ..

# The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association [GNMAA].. .. Near North area ..
GNMAA is a community organization that represents the diverse interests within its geographical boundaries - Randolph Street to North Avenue, Lake Michigan to the North Branch Canal .. It was founded in 1912, as the North Central Business District Association, to plan and promote the development and beautification of Michigan Avenue. The Association's name changed to The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association in 1942 to reflect the neighborhood's physical expansion of retail merchants, banks, real estate firms, office buildings and service organizations on the near north side. Till now, the Association retains its original community spirit as volunteer led committees collaborate to preserve, promote and enhance the neighborhood through urban planning and advocacy, marketing and public relations and member events and programs.
[ Ref: The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association (GNMAA) .. click here .. ]

My concern here is their sponsoring of public art pieces in the Near North area, especially the Magnificent Mile .. Every spring, the Magnificent Mile celebrates the bloom of hundreds of thousands of vibrant tulips. Alongside there are art installations in the flower-beds ... These are temporary and removed in the winter season .. Like this year the theme for the art installations was the "City Beautiful Movement" ..
City Beautiful Art Installations .. click here ..

Monday, October 5, 2009

The majestic Grant Park

North Rose Garden .. in the Grant Park ..

I find Grant Park to be an incredibly fascinating place with a huge collection of beautiful sculptures, fountains, bridges and railway tracks .. In fact I'm never quite satisfied with my coverage of this place .. and I feel it's one of the underrated places of Chicago! The beauty of Michigan Avenue "streetwall" is a lot due to the open space that Grant Park provides .. So here is another attempt to bring out some of the overlooked features of Grant Park .. like the pedestrian crossings, the railway lines underneath, the street lamp posts, balustrade, corbels, the Y-symbols ..

I have put many posts on Grant Park ..
# Public Art in the Grant Park .. click here ....
# Gardens in the Grant Park .. click here ..
# Often overlooked but remarkable features like pedestrian crossings, the railway lines underneath, the street lamp posts, balustrade, corbels, the Y-symbols .. click here ..
# For a brief history of Grant Park .. click here ..