Six new public art installations have popped up in Wicker Park and Bucktown as part of this year’s Chicago Sculpture Exhibit. Sponsored and funded by Wicker Park Bucktown Special Service Area #33 (WPB SSA #33), the neighborhoods’ business improvement district, the sculptures are located at major public intersections and were created by national and local artists Sunghee Min, Christopher Newman, Benjamin Pierce, Charles Pilkey, Fisher Stolz and Jaci Willis.
(l-r): Charles Pilkey’s Enigma, Christopher Newman’s Totem V, and Fisher Stolz’s Raptor. Photos by Garrett Karp for Wicker Park Bucktown SSA #33.
“We are proud to bring these new major artworks to Wicker Park and Bucktown to encourage people to get outside and safely explore our neighborhoods,” said WPB SSA #33 Commission Chair David Ginople. “Especially in the winter months, we hope residents will safely patronize neighborhood businesses and restaurants, as nearly all of them are offering curbside pickup and takeout options. And along the way, people can check out these new sculptures that celebrate the artistic history of Wicker Park and Bucktown.”
The sculptures will remain in place through summer 2021. Titles and locations of the sculptures are:
· Sunghee Min, Cube Red, 1701 W. North Ave. (Paulina St. and North Ave.)
· Christopher Newman, Totem V, at 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave. (Milwaukee Ave. and Damen Ave.)
· Benjamin Pierce, Through, at 1486 N. Milwaukee Ave. (Honore St. and Milwaukee Ave.)
· Charles Pilkey, Enigma, at 1833 W. North Ave. (Honore St. and North Ave.)
· Fisher Stolz, Raptor, at 1900 N. Ashland Ave. (Corland St. and Ashland Ave.)
· Jaci Willis, Dream Traveler, 1825 W. North Ave. (Honore St. and North Ave.)
The Chicago Sculpture Exhibit (CSE) is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to bring art to the neighborhoods. CSE exhibits large-scale public art on a temporary basis, with sculptures displayed in the public way throughout Chicago neighborhoods, allowing people to encounter art without going to a museum. For more information, visit www.chicagosculptureexhibit.org.
Wicker Park Bucktown Special Service Area #33 (WPB SSA #33) is the business improvement district for the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods. It is administered by the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce and guided by a volunteer commission of local business owners, property owners, and residents. As one of Chicago’s 50+ taxpayer-funded SSAs, WPB provides supplemental services and programs to promote prosperity and maintain clean, attractive, and competitive commercial districts and unique qualities of life of the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods. For more information, visit www.wickerparkbucktown.org.