Public Art in Chicago: 2023

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Chicago - Near North Side / Pioneer Court / Bust of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable - by Erik Blome

Jean-Baptiste Pointe SuSable

Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable

Sculptor: Erik Blome

Installed: 2009

Location: Pioneer Court

Chicago North / Northwestern University / Block Museum Campus Art Walk

Curved Form (1961) - Barbara Hepworth

Northwestern University - Block Museum Campus Art Walk

Chicago North / The Young Lincoln (1945) - by Charles Keck

The Young Lincoln - by Charles Keck

1945

Bronze / 13-foot tall

Location: Senn (Nicholas) Park /

Triangular corner between N. Ridge Ave., N Clark Street and W. Thorndale Ave.

The Chicago Park District website informs... Keck's family donated the Young Lincoln to the G.A.R. collection of Chicago Public Library, which is now the Chicago Cultural Center. In 1997, the Chicago Public Library loaned the monument to the Chicago Park District to allow its installation in Senn Park on the city's North Side.

The Chicago Lincoln (1956) - by Avard Fairbanks

The Chicago Lincoln - by Avard Fairbanks

1956 / Bronze

Location: Lincoln Square / Lawrence and Western Avenue

Monument was erected by the Illinois Lincoln Memorial Committee

Chicago South - Bronzeville / Ida B. Wells ‘Light of Truth’ Monument (2021) - by Richard Hunt

Ida B. Wells Monuemnt with sculptor Richard Hunt

Above Image: Ida B. Wells Monument with sculptor Richard Hunt

Ida B Wells 'Light of Truth' Monument - by Richard Hunt

Unveiled: 2021

Location 37th & Langley Blvd, Chicago

Bronzeville neighborhood

Chicago Riverwalk / Constellation (2020) - by Santiago Calatrava

Constellation - by Santiago Calatrava

Installed: 2020

Painted aluminum with steel reinforcement / 29' H x 29' W

Location: River Point Park / 444 W. Lake Street

Funded by the real estate investment, development and management firm Hines.

Above Image: BOTS with sculptor David Weeks of the David Weeks Studio

The BOTS - by David Weeks Studio

Installed: 2018

These are larger version of the wildly successful desktop puzzle toy - cubebot.

Painted aluminum / Standing figure is 23' tall.

Fabricated at the Vector Custom Fabricating

Location: Marriott Marquis bldg. (near McCormick Place)

at 2121 S Prairie Ave. Chicago, IL.

Red Lily Tree of Liberty (2022) - by Ruth Aizuss Migdal

Above Image: Ruth Aizuss Migdal on her 90th Birthday.

Red Lily Tree of Liberty - by Ruth Aizuss Migdal

Installed: August 17, 2022,

marking the 90th birthday of the sculptor Ruth Aizuss Migdal!

Painted aluminum / 17' x 7' x 7'

Location: Plaza of Chicago Architecture Center / 111 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago

Brought by the CSE (Chicago Sculptor Exhibit)

Phoenix Rising - by Lucy Slivinski

2018

Intersection of Sheridan Road, Broadway, and Montrose Avenue

50 x 50 Neighborhood Arts Project

Ward 46 / Alderman James Cappleman

Phoenix Rising is a symbol of rebirth. Using recycled materials, Slivinski gathered scrap materials from a nearby Chicago Transit Authority Red Line improvements project site. To contribute to the work, Alderman Cappleman’s office organized Uptown neighbors to donate bicycles, pipes, and other scrap metal. The artwork stands as a welcoming beacon and marks the entry to Uptown at its southern boundary.

Loop Da Loop - by John Adduci

2018

“The Gateway to the Loop” micropark

State Street median at Lake Street

50 x 50 Neighborhood Arts Project

Ward 42 / Alderman Brendan Reilly

Loop Da Loop is a site-specific sculpture that draws inspiration from its location below the State and Lake elevated train station. Made of aluminum that echoes the material Adduci and structure of the metal elevated tracks, the sculpture intertwines this iconic symbol with a typographical “C” to represent Chicago.

Chicago North / Ashland (2017) - by Erik Peterson

Ashland - by Erik Peterson

2017

Thorndale Avenue, between Sheridan Road and Lane Beach

Commission by the 50 x 50 Neighborhood Arts Project

Ward 48 / Alderman Harry Osterman

Ashland is a both a sculpture and a utilitarian piece of urban furniture installed within a median at the eastern end of Thorndale Avenue, where the city meets the lake. It was constructed from the wood of blighted ash trees affected by the emerald ash borer and removed from Rutherford Sayre Park on Chicago’s northwest side. It allows people to sit, relax and contemplate, taking in the view of the water and park.

Letter to Bessie Coleman - by Architreasures with Bernard Williams

2017

Chicago Park District / Burnham Park at 39th street

Commission by the 50 x 50 Neighborhood Arts Project

Ward 4 / Alderman Sophia King

Created by Bernard Williams in collaboration with Architreasures, an art-based community development organization, this painted steel sculpture honors Bessie Coleman, the first woman of African American and Native American descent to become a licensed aviator.

Quantum Hope - by Nicole Neck

2017

Location: Taylor street & Ogden Avenue

Commission by the 50x50 Neighborhood Arts Project

Ward 28 / Alderman Jason Ervin

Quantum Hope channels the basic principle of kinetic energy into a site-specific work. Installed within sight of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, and Stroger Hospital, the sculpture expresses sentiments of recovery, aspiration, and positive energy between these facilities.

Chicago South / Olive-Harvey College / Conveyor (2020) - by Barbara Cooper

Conveyor - by Barbara Cooper

2020

Wood -white oak veneer and perforated steel

122' x 5' x 7'

Location: Olive-Harvey College, Chicago

Commissioned by the Illinois CDB Art in Architecture program.

Windhover - by Robert Murray

1970 / Installed: 1976

Corten steel / Painted blue

Location: Hinsdale Junior High School

Funded by the citizens of School District 181 and

a grant from National Education Association.

Untitled - by Peter Voulkos

Also known as Miss Nitro

1973

Location: Highland Park, Laurel Park

Funded by grant from the NEA's Art in Public Places program and publicly raised funds.

(NEA - National Endowment for the Arts)

Silver Oak - by Barry Tinsley

1983

Stainless Steel / 17.6' H x 43' W x 24' D

Location: Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL

Commissioned by the Illinois CDB Art in Architecture program.

Chicago West / Play (1969) - by Richard Hunt

Play - by Richard Hunt

1967-69

Corten Steel / 12-foot square

Location: John J. Madden Mental Health Center

1200 S 1st Ave, Hines, IL 60141

Play was Richard Hunt's first major public commissions.

Walter Netsh, an artist from Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) commissioned Richard Hunt in 1967 to create this sculpture for the John J. Madden Mental Health Center.

Chicago South / Chicago State University / I have A Dream (1978) - by Abbott Pattison

I have A Dream - by Abbott Pattison

1978

Location: Chicago State University

B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund

Building and Growing - by Richard Hunt

2012

Welded stainless steel

Location: Chicago State University (CSU)

Commissioned by the Illinois CDB Art in Architecture program.

Chicago South / From Here to There (1975) - by Richard Hunt

From Here to There - by Richard Hunt

1975 / Bronze

Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center

4314 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago

Gwendolyn Brooks - The Oracle of Bronzeville

- by Margot McMahon

2018

A bronze sculptural bust is accompanied by a porch modeled after the poet's childhood writing spot, a path of stepping-stones that are etched with quotations from Annie Allen and a stone circle.

Location: Gwendolyn Brooks Park / 4542 S Greenwood Avenue, Chicago

The Brooks Park was formerly known as the Hyacinth Park and is located in the Kenwood community. It was renamed as Gwindolyn Brooks in 2004 as part of an effort by the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners to recognize the contributions of Chicago women. The park is less than a mile away from her childhood home at 4332 S Champlain.

Chicago - SouthWest Side / Midway International Airpoort / Flight Forms - by Richard Hunt

Flight Forms - by Richard Hunt

2001

Stainless steel / 35 ft H

Location: Chicago Midway International Airport

Commissioned by the City of Chicago Percent for Art program.

Richard Hunt’s Flight Forms unites a variety of forms in an upward-sweeping composition that suggests the defiance of gravity and the dynamism and wonder of flight. The sculpture’s grand scale balances the scale and character of the airport’s architecture. It is highly visible to passing motorists and provides an engaging experience for pedestrians.

Source: City of Chicago Public Art website

Chicago - Northwest Side / O'Hare International Airport / The Runners - by Prof. Theodoros Papagiannis..

The Runners - by Prof. Theodoros Papagiannis

Runners - by Theodoros Papagiannis

Dedicated: 2011

40 feet long x18 feet height

10 individual runner statues.

Each of the first 5 Runners is about 6,000 pounds (3 tons), and

each of the later empty ones is about 12,000 pounds (5-6 tons).

Location: O'Hare International Airport

The sculpture is donated by the Athens Committee

of the Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI)

The sculpture is part of Chicago Gateway Green's

International Sculpture Program

Chicago - Northwest Side / Blue Geisha (1985) - by Jerry Peart

Blue Geisha - by Jerry Peart

1985

Painted aluminum / 39' x 24' x 22' / 9 tons

Location: 8750-8770 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago

Commissioned by Chicago's Miglin-Beitler Developments. It was a private commission, and the sculpture is located on private property.

The same developers had earlier commissioned Louise Nevelson's "Dawn Shadows" at the Madison Plaza I. Later the development firm Metropolitan Structures commissioned Jerry Peart for Splash (1987) at the Illinois Center complex. The sculpture Splash is now relocated at the Trickster Gallery in Schaumburg.

Serenity - by Ruth Duckworth

2005

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU),

5500 N. St. Louis Ave., Chicago, IL 60625

Commissioned by the Illinois CDB Art in Architecture program.

The sculpture was installed when the artist was 96 years old. "Duckworth's sculptures have smooth and elongated silhouettes with slight details to insinuate the face and limbs."

Ruth Duckworth (1919-2009)

She was born in Hamburg, Germany. She fled her German homeland to escape Nazi oppressions. She studied art in England. She came to Chicago in 1964 to teach at the University of Chicago and remained in the city after retiring from the university in 1977.

Duckworth died in Chicago at the age of 90 on October 19, 2009. She spent 45 years of her life in Chicago. In two consecutive years Chicago lost two of the early modernist women sculptors. Geraldine McCullough passed away in 2008 at the age of 91. Ruth Duckworth passed away in 2009 at the age of 90.

Chicago - Near South Side / Stained Glass (2004) - by Mike Hill

Stained Glass - by Mike Hill

Installed: 2004

Steel, glass and concrete / H 9 ft. x W 15 ft. x D 15 ft.

Location: 1st District Police Station

1715 S. State St., Chicago

Commissioned by the City of Chicago Percent for Art program.

Chicago artist Mike Hill designed Stained Glass to relate to the architectural scale and elements of the 1st District Police Station and to reference the familiar checkered band motif of the police uniform cap. Four tinted architectural glass block and cast steel panels are located at the four corners of a plaza paved in cast steel and concrete. A concrete bench is located at the center of the installation. The steel blocks and paving tiles were fabricated from scrap steel, the by-product of illegal firearms confiscated and destroyed by the Chicago Police Department. The artist chose this material to symbolize one of the shared concerns of police officers; specifically, approaching any situation in which one might be threatened by firearms. The steel is transformed here to create a contemplative space that honors those who protect the community.

Source: City of Chicago Public Art website

Riverview - by Jerry Peart

Installed: 1980

Painted aluminum / H 17 ft.

Location: 19th District Police Station

2452 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago

Commissioned by the City of Chicago Percent for Art program.

The site of the North Side Police Center was formerly occupied by the historic Riverview Amusement Park, for which many Chicagoans share a fond nostalgia, and from which Jerry Peart derived the name of this sculpture. Riverview was fabricated from rolled aluminum plate that the artist cut and welded in his Chicago studio. Next, the sculpture was assembled on-site. The work, a vigorous combination of curvilinear forms, is painted with vivid enamel colors. Riverview’s bright colors and the open sweep of its circular arc are reminiscent of the carnival rides that preceded the sculpture.

Source: City of Chicago Public Art website

Photos taken on Nov 22, 2019

Jetty - by Barry Tinsley

1980 / Cor-Ten steel / H 48 ft. x W 12 ft. x D 15 ft.

Location: 24th District Police Station

6464 N. Clark St., Chicago

City of Chicago Percent for Art program

Barry Tinsley’s Jetty is made from plates of Cor-Ten steel welded into a variety of volumetric forms that are fastened together by welding and brackets. It was assembled on-site at the Rogers Park District Police Station and dedicated in January 1980. Because of the intense urban nature of the site, Tinsley designed an innovative, non-objective work, oriented close to the ground to give its viewers a sense of visual order and their own human scale.

Source: City of Chicago Public Art website

Photos taken: October 8, 2019

Untitled - by Amir Nour

1980 / Cold rolled steel

Location: 4th District Police Station

225 E. 103rd street, Chicago

Commissioned by the City of Chicago Percent-for-Art program.

Amir Nour’s untitled sculpture comprises a series of five semi-spherical forms, scaled to a six-foot diameter. The steel components seem to rely on one another for balance and, in their linear arrangement, suggest movement along the southeast corner of the police facility.

Source: City of Chicago Public Art website

Rescue - by Jill Parker

1980 / Wall relief

Location: Chicago Fire Dept. Engine 95

4001 W. West End Ave., Chicago

Commissioned by the City of Chicago Percent for Art program.

Pyrix - by Bruce White

1981

Enameled aluminum / 24 ft H x 32 ft W

Location: 4th District Fire Station

4900 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago

Commissioned by the City of Chicago Percent for Art program.

"Illinois sculptor Bruce White has long been fascinated by astronomy. His PYXIS abstract sculpture shares the name of a constellation of stars in our solar system. Its vertical orientation and striking architectural scale draw the eye upward, past the building façade, and provide a dynamic link between the building, the ground and the sky. The sculpture’s clean lines and smooth blue enameled surface create a bold accent against the deep red painted steel exterior of the fire station."

Source: City of Chicago Public Art website

Spiral Rain Form - by David Morris

Originally known as Spiral Vortex

Installed: 1981 / Refurbished in 2018

Stainless Steel / 23' high

Location: 3rd District Police Station

7040 S Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago

City of Chicago Percent for Art program

Refurbished in 2017 under the 50 x 50 Neighborhood Arts project.

Stepped Arch - by Linda Howard

1982

Aluminum / H 197 in. x W 89 in. x D 72 in

Location: Chicago Fire Station 108

4625 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

Commissioned by the City of Chicago Percent for Art program.

Chicago South / Steel Garden (2013) - by Richard Hunt

Steel Garden - by Richard Hunt

2013 / Welded Stainless Steel

Location: Rainbow Beach Park, 79th & South Lake Shore Drive

Chicago Portage - by Ferdinand Rebechini

1990 / Corten steel

Location: 4800 S Harlem Ave, Forest View, IL 60402

Located at the National Portage Historic Site

Explorers Marquette and Joliet first crossed the Chicago Portage in 1673. The statue depicts that event. It was designed and executed by Ferdinand Rebechini (1923-2003), a Chicago area artist.

The Chicago Portage was a significant factor in the development of United States interior. The Chicago Portage is the low and short divide between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River systems. It has been described as one the keys to the continent. Explorers Marquette and Joliet first crossed the Chicago Portage in 1673. One of the most important travel routes of the mid-century, the portage was significant factor in the development of United States interiors.

Tribute to the Past - by Roman Villarreal

2015

Location: Steelworkers Park

87th street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

Drexel Fountain - by Henry Manger

1881-82 / Restored

Bronze

Believed to be one of the earliest monuments in the city.

The four-sided statue is decorated with Neptune and harvest Goddess figure.

Donated by Drexel brothers - Francis Drexel and Anthony Drexel - in memory of their father Francis M. Drexel, whose life-size sculpture sits atop this fountain.

Bronzeville Solar Pyramid (2017) - by Olusola “Shala.” Akintunde

Bronzeville Solar Pyramid - by Olusola “Shala.” Akintunde

2017

Gallery Guichard, 436 East 47th Street

50 x 50 Neighborhood Arts Project

Ward 3 / Alderman Pat Dowell

Chicago West - Austin / Chieftan Statue - by Geraldine McCullough

Chieftan Statue - by Geraldine McCullough

The 7-foot-tall bronze sculpture portrays Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an African 15th century Benin chieftain. The casting was commissioned to create a symbol of peace following the riots of 1968 after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Location: Peace and Justice Plaza in front of WHA Austin Wellness Center

The Pathfinder (1982) - by Geraldine McCullough

1982

13 feet high / Sheet brass, brass pipe, brushed brass

Location: Village Hall Courtyard, Oak Park, Illinois.

Funds for the sculpture was raised by Oak Park residents

Wicker Park Gurgolye Fountain

Wicker Park - Gurgolye Fountain

Created: 1892

In 1908, it was removed by Jen Jensen,

and was replaced by a wading pool for children.

Replica of the original fountain was installed in 2002

Dedicated by the Mayor on May 11, 2002

Location: Wicker Park

1425 N. Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622

The West Park Commissioners commissioned the original Gurgoyle Fountain in Wicker Park in the mid-1890s. The fountain was created by J.L.Mott Ironwork. The company was later bought by Robinson Iron Company of Alexander City, Alabama. The Robinson Iron firm was able to find some original molds which were used to cast the current Wicker Park Fountain.

It was named Gurgoyle Fountain because of the small gargoyle faces that spouted water.

In 1908, the fountain was remopved and replaced by wading pool for children.

In 2002, a replica of the fountain was installed by Robinson Iron. The replica was cast from the original fountain molds.

Chicago Loop / Printers Row Fountain (1999)

Printer's Row Fountain

Constructed as part of the 1999 Public Fountain Program

Part of a continuing neighborhood beautification effort, the City of Chicago and the Public Building Commission (PBC) teamed up to construct and renovate 18 fountains throughout the city. The city's plazas and radial streets that form triangles are now graced by new fountains, and older fountains were restored or replaced.

Because the fountains are long term community landmarks, the PBC engaged neighborhood organizations, alderman offices, and residents in the planning and design process.

Fountain plazas are enhanced with seating area and planters, so they become a welcoming space for people to gather to read a book , or have lunch or coffee.

Source: PBC website.

Chicago South / Bird of Peace (1963) - by Cosmo Campoli

Bird of Peace (1963) - by Cosmo Campoli

1963

Location: Nichols Park

1355 E. 53rd Street

Temporal with sculptor Mike Baur

Temporal - by Mike Baur

2003

Corten Steel and concrete / 45' tall

Location: Elgin Community College,

1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, IL 601213

Commissioned by Illinois CDB Art in Architecture program.

UIUC [Amplifiers (2014) - by Nicole Beck]

Amplifiers - by Nicole Beck

Dedicated: October 10, 2014

18' x 12' x 6' / Stainless steel, dichroic glass, RBG LEDs and granite.

Location: Electrical and Computer Engineering bldg. at the...

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

Commission by Illinois CDB Art in Architecture program.

Darius Girenas Memorial

Darius-Girenas Memorial

Memorial to honor two Lithuanian- American pilots Captain Stephonas Darius and Lietenant Stacys Girenas, who died during an attempt to fly from New York to Lithuania, upon the threshold of their goal, in 1933.

Sculptor: Raoul Josset

Architect: Charles Koncevez

Installed: 1935

Location: Marquette Park, Chicago

Intersection of W Marquette Rd. & S California Ave.

Commissioned by Lithuanian Americans

Saturday, March 25, 2023

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