Public Art in Chicago

Ask Please!!!

2009-11-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

UPDATE Now I got a reply back with an apology, and I am happy!
The images have now been deleted ..
Well, I got the screen capture of the "now deleted" posts on CLTV, that I have posted below .. scroll to the bottom of this article..

Original Post:
This time it is Chicagoland TV..
using images without seeking permission and/or any authorization...

Check out:
# Stump Tim & Tonya: Rosenberg Fountain..
Posted by Tonya Francisco on June 18, 2009 9:52 AM
# Stump Tim & Tonya: Bronze Cow ..
Posted by Tonya Francisco on June 11, 2009 9:49 AM
# Stump Tim & Tonya: Batcolum..
Posted by Tonya Francisco on May 29, 2009 10:41 AM

Here's my original..
# Rosenberg Fountain..
# Bronze Cow..
# Batcolumn..

What's amusing is that even my copyright signature is present on the Rosenberg Fountain images... Although clearly deleted in the Bronze Cow and the Batcolumn images. The deliberate removal of the copyright signature from the images is even more of an offensive act and absolutely unethical.

I regularly receive emails seeking permission to use my images, ... mostly by students and I have allowed almost all of them ... It feels good, when the images are used constructively ... So please feel free to ask! I do reply!

Click on the image for enlarged view ...

Living 2007 .. & ..Growing 2008

2009-11-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

Bryn Mawr and Lake Shore Drive Underpass Bricolage
Living 2007.. North wall of the underpass
Growing 2008.. South wall of the underpass
Artists: Tracy Van Duinen and Todd Osborne.. with collborative efforts of more than 400 participants.
Each one is 185 feet long and about 15 feet tall ..

Living 2007.. reflects the history of Edgewater community..
Growing 2008.. emphasizes Edgewater community’s hope for the future..

For more on..
# Growing 2008..click here..
# Living 2007.. click here..

# For more murals..click here..

Growing 2008

2009-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Growing 2008..
Location: Bryn Mawr and Lakeshore Drive Bricolage
Artists: Tracy Van Duinen and Todd Osborne
Growing 2008.. emphasizes Edgewater community’s hope for the future..
REF: Chicago Public Art Group..

The mural titled "Living 2007" is on the north wall of the underpass.. and mural titled "Growing 2008" is on the south wall of the underpass..
For more on..
# Living 2007..&..Growing 2008..click here..
# Living 2007.. click here..

Click on any image for enlarged view..

Living 2007

2009-11-24T07:48:00.000-08:00

Living 2007..
Location: Bryn Mawr and Lakeshore Drive Underdrive Bricolage
Artists: Tracy Van Duinen and Todd Osborne
It celebrates the history of Edgewater Community..
REF: Chicago Public Art Group..

The mural titled "Living 2007" is on the north wall of the underpass.. and mural titled "Growing 2008" is on the south wall of the underpass..
For more on..
# Living 2007..&..Growing 2008..click here..
# Growing 2008.. click here..

Click on any image for enlarged view..

Contemplation Point...

2009-11-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

Contemplation Point
Location: Edgewater Beach ..
On my trip to the Bryn Mawr district, which was basically to see the murals Living 2007 & Growing 2008.. I wandered in the nearby area of Edgewater beach .. Here I came across some stone chairs arranged in an interesting circular form, with a marker which read "Contemplation Point". I found it a very restful and peaceful place and really a contemplation point.. I wish I was there earlier to see the autumn foliage.. Being a sculpture/public art chaser, there is no greater pleasure in discovering art at unexpected places..

Chicago Landmark Monuments and Sites

2009-11-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

In my blog "Chicago Architecture and Cityscape", I've been covering Chicago Landmarks... and most of them are buildings and districts... However not all are buildings and districts .. Some monuments, memorials and historical sites have also been designated as Chicago Landmarks ..

# Abraham Lincoln Momument
# Heald Square Monument
# Victory Monument
# Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain
# Site of Fort Dearborn
# Site of the Sauganash Hotel/Wigwam
# Site of origin of the Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871
# Site of Heymarket Tragedy of May 4, 1886
# Site of the First Self-Sustaining Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction of December 2, 1942

Abraham Lincoln Momument ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: December 12, 2001 ..
This monument to America’s sixteenth president .. It is the work of two nationally-important American designers, sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and architect Stanford White .. Several phases from Lincoln's speeches have been inscribed at the base of the monument, like "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on."
# For more on .. Abraham Lincoln Monument.. click here..

Heald Square Monument ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 15, 1971 ..
The location of the monument was named for Capt. Nathan Heald, commander of Fort Dearborn from 1810-1812 .. The sculpture shows George Washington, with two principal financers of the American Revolution Robert Morris and Haym Salomon .. Noted sculptor Lorado Taft began the design and it was finished by his associate, Leonard Crunelle ..
# For more on .. Heald Square Monument.. click here ..

Victory Monument
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998 ..
This structure was erected to honor the meritorious achievements of the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African-American unit that served in France during World War I as part of the 370th U.S. Infantry, also known as Eighth Regiment Armory .. The sculptor was Leonard Crunelle ..
# For more on .. Victory Monument .. click here..

Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: August 30, 2000 ..
Kate Sturges Buckingham, a philanthropist and art patron donated the fountain in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham .. Fountain's designer Edward H. Bennett, along with Daniel Burnham, co-authored the "Plan of Chicago" in 1909 ... Burnham and Bennett created a working document giving substance to the City Beautiful philosophy ..
# For more on .. Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain .. click here..

Site of Fort Dearborn ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 15, 1971 ..
The fort, was named for U.S. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, who served as the country's major western military garrison until August 1812, when it was destroyed following an Indian uprising. A second fort, erected on the same site in 1816, was demolished in 1856.
# For more on ..the site of Fort Dearborn .. click here ..

Site of the Sauganash Hotel/Wigwam
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: November 6, 2002 ..
It was at the Sauganash Hotel in 1833 that the newly-formed Town of Chicago voted to elect its first town trustees and where many of the town meetings occurred. During a brief period in 1837 when the building was not in operation as a hotel, it served as Chicago's first theater. The Sauganash Hotel remained in almost continuous operation until it burned down in 1851.
The Wigwam, constructed on the same site nine years later, was home to the 1860 Republican National Convention. It was at this historic convention that Abraham Lincoln was nominated as the Republican candidate for president. His nomination and eventual election as the nation's 16th President triggered a series of dramatic events surrounding the abolition of slavery and the secession of several southern states, ultimately culminating in the Civil War.
# For more on .. the site of Sauganash Hotel / Wigwam .. click here ..

Site of origin of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 15, 1971 ..
The Great Fire of Chicago, that lasted 2 days [8- 10 October 1871] … began at this site .. It destroyed about 4 square miles of the city; killed about 250 people, made 100,000 homeless. It leveled about a third of the city; destroying about 17,450 buildings. It destroyed about the entire core downtown of Chicago and most of the North side. Property losses are estimated at $200 million.
# For more on.. Site of origin of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.. click here..

Site of Haymarket Tragedy ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: March 25, 1992 ..
A decade of strife between labor and industry culminated here in a confrontation that resulted in the tragic death of both workers and policemen ..
# For on on .. Heymarket Momorial.. click here...

Site of the First Self-Sustaining Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: October 27, 1971 ..
The location commemorates the exact location where the Manhattan Project team devised the first nuclear reactor to produce the first self-sustaining controlled nuclear reaction. It was erected for and dedicated at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the splitting of the atom on the grounds by Enrico Fermi in December 2, 1942. Thus, it was dedicated at precisely 3:36 p.m. on December 2, 1967 ...
# For more on .. the site of world's first nuclear reactor Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1).. click here ...

Site of origin of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871

2009-11-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

Site of origin of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ..
Address: Dekoven and Jefferson Streets
Fire started on October 8, 1871 ..
Since 1956, Chicago Fire Academy, a training facility for Chicago firefighters has been located here ..
The "site of the origin of the Great Chicago Fire" was designated a Chicago Landmark: September 15, 1971 ..

Pillar of Fire ..
In 1961, a bronze sculpture of stylized flames entitled "Pillar of Fire" was erected at the point of origin of Chicago fire ..
Sculptor: Egon Weiner ..

At the base of the sculpture " Pillar of Fire" is written:
Here began the Chicago Fire of 1871 ..

The plaque reads ..
Chicago Landmark ..
Site of the origin of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ..
The great Chicago fire began October 8, 1871, in the O'Leary barn on DeKoven Street. Fanned by a strong wind, in a city largely built of wood structures, the blaze raged for nearly 30 hours. Flames spread so far as Fullerton Avenue, before finally dying out in the early morning rain, October 10. Almost everything in the path of the fire had been destroyed.
Designated a Chicago Landmark on September 15, 1971 ..
by the City Council of Chicago
Richard J. Daley, Mayor
Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks.

One can walk into the hall of the Chicago Fire Academy and talk to the extremely friendly staff here .. take as photographs of the hall .. AND also see the site of Mrs O'Leary's Home, which is marked with a plaque ..

The plaque reads ..
Mrs. O'Leary's Home
On this site stood home and barn of Mrs. O'Leary where the Chicago fire of 1871 started. Although there are many versions of the story of its origin, the real cause of the fire has never been determined.
Erected by Chicago's Charter Jubilee
Authenticated by Chicago Historical Society 1937...

Hubbard Street Murals

2009-11-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hubbard Street Murals ..
These murals are painted on the concrete train embankments on Hubbard Street between Ogden and Desplaines Avenues ..

The murals were originally painted during the 1970s ... In 1971, Ricardo Alonzo, an Art Institute graduate received permission from Northwest Railway to paint murals on one mile stretch of embankment running from Ogden Avenue and Halsted on Hubbard Street. The project lasted 8 years, and involved over 500 people from throughout Chicagoland, before eventually losing funding in 1979. Over time, they became to be known as "Hubbard Street Murals" ...

In 2000, the Union Pacific Railroad made the decision to begin repairing and reinforcing the aging concrete train embankment, and in the process destroyed much of the original art work ... Conscious of the importance of the murals they began looking for people to stage another public works project at the site. "City at Work" was started by Karen Smith and Fred Montano to do just that. They organized volunteers for the Hubbard Street Mural project [HSMP] to restore some panels and bring new artwork to the refurbished embankment. The new murals maintain some of the original themes: wildlife, endangered species, ethnicity, and Chicago history ...

Since there are many images, I am posting them in a series:
# Hubbard Street Murals - II [Between N. Milwaukee Street and N. Peoria Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - III [Between N. Peoria Street and N. Carpenter Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - IV [Between N. Carpenter Street and N. May Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - V [Between N. May Street and N. Racine Avenue]
# Hubbard Street Murals - VI [Between N. Racine Avenue and N. Ogden Avenue]...

REFERENCES:
# The Hubbard Street Murals .. click here ..
# The Hubbard Street Mural project .. click here ..

Hubbard Street Murals - II

2009-11-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Hubbard Street Murals - III

2009-11-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hubbard Street Murals - IV

2009-11-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

Hubbard Street Murals - V

2009-11-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hubbard Street Murals - V
Between N. May Street and N. Racine Avenue ..
Click on any image for enlarged view ...

# The Magnificent Mile -by Daniel Cascardo and the Dearborn Painters [2004]
# Endangered Birds - by Ricki Hill, with assistance from Wes [2004]
# Adam the PO'd Dusky Salamander, et al - by Christopher Jones [2004]
# Flutter bys - by Kimberly Smith-Gnat [2004]
# Spiral Rose - by Bern Haggard [2003]
# Fred's Polar Bears - by Christina Body and Meridee Hodges [2004]
# Matriarchs - by Monica Brown with assistance from Ron Fielding [2004]

Check out other posts on Hubbard Street Murals ..
# Hubbard Street Murals - I
# Hubbard Street Murals - II [Between N. Milwaukee Street and N. Peoria Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - III [Between N. Peoria Street and N. Carpenter Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - IV [Between N. Carpenter Street and N. May Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - V [Between N. May Street and N. Racine Avenue]
# Hubbard Street Murals - VI [Between N. Racine Avenue and N. Ogden Avenue]...

Hubbard Street Murals - VI

2009-11-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hubbard Street Murals - VI ...
Between N. Racine Avenue and N. Ogden Avenue ..
Click on any image for enlarged view ...

# Recessive Genes - by Monica Brown [2003], with assistance from Ron Fielding
# Chicago Wildlife - by Johannes Plagemann [2003]

# Fantastic Chicago Botanical Gardens - by Daniel Cascardo and the Dearborn Painters [2003]
# Tiger Eyes - by Meridee Hodges, with assistance from Freddie, Luis, Noe and Jimmy Montano [2003]

# Frog - by Jim York [2003]
# Birdseye View - by Patti Reese [2003]

# Grow Peace - by Daniel Cascardo, with assistance from Pete Cramblit [2003]
# Dodo on a Blueberry Hill - by Vesna Lazar [2003]

# City Cow - by Leslie Berish [2003]
# The Turtles - Various community volunteers, led by Jessie Smith-Larson and Caryn Mitchell [2002]

Check out other posts on Hubbard Street Murals ..
# Hubbard Street Murals - I
# Hubbard Street Murals - II [Between N. Milwaukee Street and N. Peoria Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - III [Between N. Peoria Street and N. Carpenter Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - IV [Between N. Carpenter Street and N. May Street]
# Hubbard Street Murals - V [Between N. May Street and N. Racine Avenue]
# Hubbard Street Murals - VI [Between N. Racine Avenue and N. Ogden Avenue]...

The legendary Angel Wings of Victoria's Secret

2009-10-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

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!

Carolus Linnaeus

2009-10-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Carolus Linnaeus ..
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden .. Heritage Garden ..
Sculptor: Robert Berks
Description: Bronze, 1982 ..
A gift from Mrs. Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr.

Carl Linnaeus [1701-1778] was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature, the international system of naming plants and animals that is still in use today. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology.

He is shown reaching eagerly toward the plants in his path with a collector’s enthusiasm. The prominent bird in the sculpture — a golden plover, which can fly for thousands of miles — refers to the many students of Linnaeus who traveled the globe collecting plants for him to name...

Blue Heron

2009-10-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Blue Heron
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden .. Home Landscape Gardens ..
Sculptor: Gregory Glasson
Description: Bronze, 1981 ..
A gift from Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Bent ..

Canade Geese

2009-10-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Canada Geese
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden .. Naturalistic Garden
Sculptors: William Turner and David Turner
Description: Bronze, 1988 ..
A gift from Gordon Bent and family and friends ..

Each bird’s pose is seen daily at sunset as flocks of geese settle in for the evening on the lakes in the garden ..

Click on any image for enlarged view ..

The Sower

2009-10-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Sower ..
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden .. The Esplanade
Sculptor: Albin Polasek
Description: Black bronze, 1915 ..
A gift from the Art Institute of Chicago

At seven feet tall, this classic male figure captivates the viewer with its height, strong gaze and form .. " The Sower celebrates the Garden's historic relationship with the Art Institute while acknowledging the Garden's dedication to spreading the seeds of learning about plants and the natural world ..

The Sower Alcove.
"The world before us,
The world after us,
Our actions foretell
We reap what we sow" ..

Chicago's Stock Exchange Arch & Trading Room

2009-10-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Chicago's Stock Exchange Arch ..
Designed by Louis Sullivan .
The east entrance of the Art Institute of Chicago is marked by the stone arch entrance to the old Chicago Stock Exchange. Designed by Louis Sullivan in 1894, the Exchange was torn down in 1972, but salvaged portions of the original trading room were brought to the Art Institute and reconstructed.

The upper spandrels of the arch are two commemorative medallions, four feet in diameter. The left medallion depicts the house of P.F.W. Peck, the first structure on this site. The right medallion originally carried the legend: "The First Brick Building Built in Chicago Was Built upon This Site". As the Stock Exchange was nearing completion, this was discovered to be untrue, and the right medallion was replaced with the date "1893," the year construction began.
Ref: Chicago Stock Exchange Arch or Louis Sullivan Arch .. click here ..

Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room ..
Reconstruction at the Art Institute of Chicago ..
Original built: 1894
Original demolished: 1972
Reconstructed: 1977 ..
Original architects: Adler & Sullivan, 1894
Reconstruction architects: Vinci & Kenny, 1977 ..

The Chicago Stock Exchange was built by one of the city's most important early architects Louis Sullivan, with his partner, Dankmar Adler, in 1893–94. When the Stock Exchange was demolished in 1972, sections of Sullivan's elaborate stenciled decorations, molded plaster capitals, and art glass were preserved from the Trading Room, the magnificent centerpiece of this 13-story structure. Using these fragments, the Art Institute was able to reconstruct the Trading Room in its new wing in 1976–77.

Form Follows Function - Louis Sullivan ..
"It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic,
Of all things physical and metaphysical,
Of all things human and all things super-human,
Of all true manifestations of the head,
Of the heart, of the soul,
That the life is recognizable in its expression,
That form ever follows function. This is the law" ..

"Forms emerge from forms. All are related, interwoven, intermeshed, interconnected, interblended. They exosmose and endomose. They sway and swirl and mix and drift interminably. They shape, they reform, they dissipate. They respond, correspond, attract, repel, coalesce, disappear, reappear, merge and emerge: slowly or swiftly, gently or with cataclysmic force. And form follows function."

Funding of Public Art

2009-10-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

This sculpture named "Crossing" is by the German artist Hubertus von der Goltz, 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 .. click here ..
# Part II: Private funding of public art .. click here ..
# Part III: Private funding of public art .. click here ..

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 .. click here ..
# Chicago Rising from the Lake .. by Milton Horn .. click here ..
# Paris metro entryway .. by Hector Guimard .. click here ..
# Crossing .. by Hubertus von der Goltz .. click here ..
# Reading Cones .. by Richard Serra ... click here ..
# Rosenberg Fountain .. by Franz Machtl .. click here .
# Replica of colossal Olemec Head # 8 .. click here ..
# 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 .. click here ..
# Monument with standing beast .. by Jean Dubuffet .. click here ..
# There are many art pieces at James R. Thompson Center funded by the State of Illinois, Capital Development Board's Art-in-Architecture Program ...

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 .. click here ..
# The Town-Ho's Story .. by Frank Stella .. click here ..
# Ruins - III .. by Nita Sunderland .. click here ...
# The Flamingo .. by Alexander Calder..

To continue ..

Funding of Public Art - II

2009-10-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

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 [1939 - 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 .. by Lorado Taft .. click here ..
# Fountain of Time .. by Lorado Taft .. click here ..
# Nuclear Energy at Pile-1 (CP-1).. by Sir Henry Moore .. click here ..
# Man enters Cosmos .. by Sir Henry Moore .. click here ..
# The Bowman and The Spearman .. by Ivan Mestrovic .. click here .
# Spirit of Music .. by Albin Polasek ... click here ..
# *Defense, Regeneration, The Pioneers and The Discoverers ... by Henry Hering and James Earle Fraser [Gift of William Wrigley Jr. to the B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund].. click here ..
# The Logan Square Monument

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

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 .. click here ..

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 .. click here ..

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 .. click here ..

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

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

Funding of Public Art - III

2009-10-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

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 ..

The majestic Grant Park

2009-10-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

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 ..

Footbridge over railway tracks .. and overlooking the East Congress Parkway ..

The footbridge between E Congress Parkway and E Balbo Drive .. It has a [forgotten!] sundial at the entrance ..

REF: City of Chicago's Official Tourism Site .. Grant Park .. click here ..

Gardens in the Grant Park ..

2009-10-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

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 ..

This post is on the various gardens in the Grant Park ..
# Grant Park Formal Garden
# Congress Triangle Garden
# Congress Plaza Gardens
# The Spirit of Music Garden
# Sir Georg Solti Garden
# South President's Court
# North President's Court
# Buckingham Fountain flower gardens
# Rose gardens
# Cancer Survivors Garden

# Grant Park Formal Garden ..
Near Logan Monument ..
Location: S Michigan Ave (100 E) & E Balbo Ave (700 S) .. Chicago, IL 60605 ..

A lovely fountain is the center of this beautiful formal garden. The Logan Monument is situated to the south.

# Congress Trangle Garden ..
Location: Congress Blvd. & Michigan Ave .. Chicago, IL 60604 ..
This garden has the sculpture "Daphne", by Chicago artist Dessa Kirk ..
# For more on .. "Daphne" by Dessa Kirk .. click here ..

# Congress Plaza Gardens ..
Location: Congress Pkwy (500 S) & Michigan Ave. (100 E) ..Chicago, IL 60604 ..
This garden lies on the north and south of the Congress Triangle Garden along Michigan Ave.
It has the famous Equestrian Indian statues "Bowman and Spearman" by Ivan Mestrovic and two Eagle statues by Frederick Cleveland Hibbard ..

# For more on .. Equestrian Indians "Bowman and Spearman" .. by Ivan Mestrovic .. click here ..
# For more on .. "Eagle" statues by Frederick Cleveland Hibbard .. click here ..

# The Spirit of Music Garden ..
Location: Michigan Ave. & Harrison St. ..Chicago, IL 60604 ..
This is another beautiful garden in the Grant Park .. It has the famous Theodore Thomas Memorial / The Spirit of Music sculpture by Albin Polasek ..
# For more on the .. "Spirit of Music" sculpture by Albin Polasek .. click here ..

# Sir Georg Solti Garden ..
This garden has the bust of Sir Georg Solti by sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink ...
# For more on .. "Sir Georg Solti" sculpture by Elizabeth Frink .. click here ..

# South President's Court ..
Location: Columbus Dr.(150 E) & Congress Pkwy (500 S) .. Chicago, IL 60604 .
The South President's Court features the exhibit "Artists And Automobiles" ... a series of sculptures by 5 Chicago artists ... Mary Brogger, Ted Garner, Dessa Kirk, John Mason and Lucy Slivinski.
# For more on "Artsits & Automobiles" by various artists .. click here ..

# North President's Court ..
Location: Congress Pkwy. (500 S) & Columbus Blvd. (150 E) .. Chicago, IL 60604 ..
The North President's Court has the famous sculpture "Sitting Lincoln" by Augustus Saint-Gaudens .. It also has a vegetable and herbs garden ..
# For more on "Sitting Lincoln" by Augustus Saint-Gaudens .. click here ...

# Buckingham Fountain flower gardens ..
Location: Lake Shore Dr. (Hwy 41) & Congress Pkwy(500 S) .. Chicago, IL 60604 ..
There are floral beds around the Buckingham Fountain and also six floral beds are located just east of the famous Buckingham Fountain along Lake Shore Drive.
# For more on .. Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain .. click here ..

Rose Gardens ..
Location: East of S. Columbus Dr. (301 E) north and south of E. Congress Pkwy. (500 S)
Chicago, IL 60605 ..
On the north and south of the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain are the rose gardens .. These rose gardens have four circular fountains with bronze figures installed in the center of each ..
The South Rose Garden has Dove Girl and Turtle Boy ..
The North Rose Garden has Crane Girl and Fisher Boy ...
Sculptor: Leonard Crunelle
# For more on .. Figure Founatins: Dove Girl, Turtle Boy, Crane Girl, Fisher Boy by Leonard Crunelle .. click here ..

# Cancer Survivors Garden ..
Location: Randolph St. & Harbor Dr. ..Chicago, IL 60601 ..
# For more on Cancer Survivors Garden .. click here ...

REF: City of Chicago's Official Tourism Site .. Grant Park .. click here ..

Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District

2009-09-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District

Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District or simply Bronzeville is a historic district in the Douglas community area of South Side of Chicago. It has nine structures that were accorded the Chicago Landmark designation on September 9, 1998.
# Overton Hygienic Building
# Chicago Bee Building
# Wabash Avenue YMCA
# Chicago Defender Building
# Unity Hall
# Eighth Regiment Armory
# Sunset Cafe
# Victory Monument
# Supreme Life Building

This is one of the nation's most significant landmarks of African-American urban history ..
Developed during the first decades of the 20th century, this "city-within-a-city" was home to numerous nationally prominent, African-American owned and operated businesses and cultural institutions .. This district offered a commercial alternative to the race restrictions and indifference that characterized much of the city during the early part of the 20th century. Between 1910 and 1920, during the peak of the "Great Migration," the population of the area increased dramatically when thousands of African-Americans fled the oppression of the south and emigrated to Chicago in search of industrial jobs ..

Some of the public art pieces in the Bronzeville area ..
*I have been to Bronzeville just once, I need to go few more times to cover more places of interest in the area .. so more on Bronzeville to come ..

The Recognition Panels ..
Artist: Mary Brogger
Description: Laser cut steel
Installed: 1996
Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
between 24th and 25th streets ..
# For more on .. The Recognition Panels .. click here ....

Monument to the Great Northern Migration ..
Sculptor: Alison Saar
Description: Bronze .. Height: 15ft
Installed: 1996 ..
Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. at 26 Pl ..
# For more on .. Monument to the Great Northern Migration .. click here ..

Bronzeville Benches ...
24 benches by 13 artists ...
Installed: 1996 ..
Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive ..
between 25th and 35th streets ..
# For more on .. Bronzeville Benches .. click here ..

Bronzeville Street Map .. ..
Address: 35th St and King Dr
By: Gregg LeFevre
Description: 14-foot bronze map,
illustrating Bronzeville’s history ..
# For more on .. Bronzeville Street Map .. click here ..

Victory Monument ..
Address: 35th Street and King Drive
Erected: 1927 by the people of the State of Illinois, represented in the 54th General Assembly ..
Bronze sculptures: Leonard Crunelle
Architect: John A. Nyden
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998 ..
The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places: April 30, 1986 ..
# For more on .. Victory Monument .. click here ..