public art

Public art in the Loop

/ Greg / 2 Comments

On an almost unbelievably perfect early April day in Chicago (clear skies, temperature over 20C), I strapped on my super comfy walking shoes for an urban hike to explore public art near and inside “the Loop”.   That’s an area in downtown that’s contained within the elevated train that runs through the heart of Chicago.  In the city’s wisdom, there’s an abundance of public art to give life to an area rife with office buildings and miles upon miles of concrete.

Just east of the loop is Millennium Park, home to some of the most iconic of Chicago’s public art, and the first stop on my self-guided tour.  The first piece I took in was “Crown Fountain”.  It consists of two large skyscraper shaped structures with images of Chicago natives projected on them.   Sadly, the fountains spewing from the mouths of the projected images weren’t operational on my visit, but the art is striking nonetheless:

Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa

Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa

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Public art in Philadelphia

/ Greg / 3 Comments

On this trip to Philadelphia, I decided to skip going to one of the traditional art museums in the city for a bit of a different experience.  The city has something called the “Museum Without Walls” which is a program of the public art around Philly.  There’s an iPhone app with commentary and maps for all of the city’s public art installations.  With some great weather days, I got a healthy dose of fresh air and interesting art while walking off those delicious cheesesteaks.  Here are some of my favourite pieces from the city center area.

Across from the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Lenfest Plaza is “Paint Torch” by Claes Oldenburg.  I really liked Oldenburg’s installations I’ve seen in Denver and Seattle so was excited to see this one before heading into my conference across the street:

Paint Torch

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Vancouver public art

/ Greg / 1 Comment

Vancouver is rich in public art.  Eight days in the city (with a few of those for professional commitments) only allowed me to scratch the surface and take in a few pieces.  What I did see made me smile, and in a few cases made me reflect.  Here are a few highlights.

Probably the piece I was most interested in seeing was the Terry Fox Memorial outside of BC Place Stadium.  Like many Canadians of my generation, he was a hero to me.  His resiliency, determination and sheer stubbornness in the face of immense obstacles, let alone his athletic achievement (the equivalent of running a marathon a day for 143 consecutive days), inspired awe.  Seeing this memorial in Vancouver was a highlight of the trip for me:

Terry Fox Memorial

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Got Drunk, Fell Down (no, not me)

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A brief pause from travel writing for kudos to my hometown of Halifax. Two interesting pieces of public art were recently installed on the waterfront, and I’m kind of in love with them. In the foreground below is “Got Drunk, Fell Down” (the lamp that has fallen down and its friend looking down on it with some concern) and in the background is “Fountain” (the lamp post that looks like it is relieving itself into our harbour), both by Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg who are former NSCAD students. On a perfectly crisp spring afternoon, people were walking among the lamp posts, taking pictures and enjoying the installation. Here’s hoping there’s more public art coming to our fine town:

Art on Halifax Waterfront

Public art in the Distillery District

/ Greg / 1 Comment

On my recent trips, I’ve taken a shine to seeking out public art installations.  On a quiet Sunday morning walk with my sister down to the Distillery District in search of an excellent coffee at Balzac’s, we came across a few interesting works.

This one, “Still Dancing” by Dennis Oppenheim, was right outside the coffee shop in the main square of the district and is a pretty clear nod to the brewing/distilling history of this area.  This installation is quite large with the top of the copper apparatus reaching almost 40 feet tall.

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I love the Big Blue Bear

/ Greg / 2 Comments

Living, as it is, in a city with little to no public art, I sometimes get a little giddy at the effusive displays of creativity in public spaces in the places to which I travel.  With limited time to fully explore Denver, I still managed to come across a number of really interesting pieces of public art.

First, the striking “The Yearling” by Donald Lipski outside of their public library downtown.  Indeed, a horse standing atop of a chair.  Love this:

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