Public Art in Chicago
Where Public Places are Art Galleries! This Blog dedicated to the Sculpture Community of Chicago - Past, Present and Future! Please do not use any image without written permission.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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| The Runners - by Prof. Theodoros Papagiannis |
Blue Geisha - by Jerry Peart
1985
Painted aluminum / 39' x 24' x 22' / 9 tons
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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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
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| 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.
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| Temporal with sculptor 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.
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| Peace Triumphant Peace Triumphant - World War I Monument Designed by local sculptor Gilbert Riswold Dedicated: 1925 Location: Scoville Park in Oak Park The monument includes three bronze statues representing the Army, Navy and Air Force, guarding the heroic female figure of Columbia, who serves as a symbol of liberty, social justice and equality. The memorial includes names of 2,446 residents who served in World War I from Oak Park and River Forest. |
