We asked readers their favorite public art in Chicago. Here’s what they said, lightly edited for clarity:
“The Haymarket Memorial on Des Plaines Street, between Randolph and Lake. I try to lay flowers at it on May Day. I’m proud working class and a Chicago native and I know where I stand, relative to present events, and what I’ll fight for.”
— Adam Agosto, Belmont Cragin
“Orange Line in the ’90s. I’d ride it into the Loop, headphones on, watching the graffiti fly past. Crews reppin’, names on rooftops, tags on brick walls. The pieces rolled by like a mixtape in motion. All heart, no permission.”
— Henry Ramirez
“Anything by Richard Hunt. His passing struck a sad chord for me. No more uplifting and hopeful sculptures to grace the world.”
— Laura Gawrusik
“Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest fountains in the world, and quite an art piece. It has become the front door of the city, and is one of the most pleasant places for a stroll to admire its classic artistry and the Loop skyline. A bonus if a breeze comes up is to get misted on a hot summer day.”
— Roger Deschner
“The Bob Newhart sculpture at the end of Navy Pier. It brings back great memories of ‘The Bob Newhart Show,’ and you can sit next to him and feel as if his psychologist character, Dr. Bob Hartley, is counseling you.”
— Paul Lockwood, Woodstock
“Humboldt Park’s ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ mural commemorates the site where Frank Baum wrote ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in 1899. Hector Duarte’s beautiful tile mosiac at the corner of Wabansia & Humboldt Blvd. combines themes from Baum’s book along with the local struggle to preserve affordable housing. The surrounding sidewalks have been recreated as the Yellow Brick Road and the site has rightfully become an internationally-celebrated destination.”
— Michael Burton
“The statues that included horses such as the Gen. Grant and Gen. Sheridan statues in Lincoln Park and the Native Americans on Ida B. Wells Drive between Michigan Avenue and East Congress Plaza Drive.”
— Reid Mackin, Rogers Park
“Marc Chagall’s ‘Four Seasons’ by Chase Tower at Dearborn and Monroe. I love the tiny mosaic tiles merging into images of life and nature on this huge piece you can walk around to explore. It’s so colorful and joyful and right in the middle of our beautiful city. … It’s closed during renovations at the tower.”
— MJ Hampel
“The Buddha heads south of Diversey on Lake Shore Drive that were installed as part of ‘Ten Thousand Ripples.’ I half-expect fully formed Buddhas to emerge from the ground every time I run by them.”
— Jonathan Copulsky