Giant busts of iconic artists take over College of DuPage

The College of DuPage is celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary with a towering artistic tribute.

The campus, located about 23 miles west of Chicago in Glen Ellyn, is now hosting a walkable new exhibition that features 10 sculptures depicting influential artists from American history. They include Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Norman Rockwell and more. Each of the plywood creations is seven to 10 feet tall.

The gigantic figures, painted by Chicago-area artists Judith Mayer and Rich Lo, will be on display along one of the walking trails adjacent to the McAninch Art Center and the Cleve Carney Museum of Art until Oct. 18.

CCMA curator Justin Witte said during a preview of the exhibition that he and other arts leaders at the college pursued the project, called “Walking With Giants,” after discussing ways to celebrate the country’s birthday.

But Witte wanted to go beyond highlighting different artists from U.S. history: “What if they actually inhabited the landscape of campus as these giant figures?” he said.

Witte envisioned the large heads peering up over the sprawling college grounds, gazing beyond its vast hills and wildflowers, or glancing from behind buildings.

Witte said the MCA and CCMA thought it was important that the figures represented in the sculptures came from a diversity of practices and backgrounds.

Country icon Parton grins a short distance away from playwright and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, while Rockwell can be spotted gazing through the trees in ballerina Misty Copeland’s direction.

“I’m excited that there are still curators and institutions that are putting forth the idea that America is made up of all kinds of different people and that they should be represented,” the artist Mayer said. “If you look at bronze and stone monuments, a lot of them are [for] white men.”

Mayer and Lo were selected to design the figures after the College of DuPage community voted on who they’d like to see in the project. A survey was sent to the MAC’s email list, prompting more than 1,000 responses from students, alumni and neighbors.

The MAC and CCMA took care of cutting and installing the plywood bases to shape. Mayer and Lo were each given a list of people to paint and two weeks to complete them.“The list that they gave me got me really excited,” Mayer said. “I got some great people to illustrate and three of them were women. I don’t often get to illustrate women for things, so that was a nice perk.”

In addition to Parton, Mayer designed and painted the sculptures of R&B and soul singer Franklin and painter Georgia O’Keeffe in her own style, influenced by pop art, mid-century modern and Bauhaus techniques, featuring bold, flat colors and minimalist touches.

Mayer, a creative director, designer and illustrator, typically works with brands, nonprofits, and marketing. But a large part of her practice includes public art, she said. Her Basquiat sculpture is the first that visitors will encounter at the entrance of the MAC building at 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn.

Mayer and Lo worked separately on their sculptures, and their approaches to the figures were just as different. Whereas Mayer dutifully dedicated two days to each head, Lo relied on his “free-spirited” approach and didn’t set any strict rules for himself.

“I wanted to redefine how you look at a portrait,” he said. For his five sculptures, Lo wanted to “take risks” and introduce interesting colors and textures into the figures, such as the red and blue streaks in “Star Wars” score composer John Williams’ beard.

Lo illustrates children’s books, designs murals and produces a variety of fine art. Each of his projects is distinct from the last. “I believe that there’s so much more to give instead of putting myself into a corner,” he said.

Lo, who was born in Canton, China, moved to the U.S. with his family as a child. They settled in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. Their family left China with only a few suitcases in hand, and Lo’s father was leaving behind a successful career as an opera composer.

“The minute [my father] stepped foot in America, he lost everything,” Lo said. “And with that in mind, I want to continue his dream as a professional artist.”

Lo was tasked with painting his interpretation of Bob Fosse, a renowned choreographer who redefined 20th-century jazz dance and helped make “jazz hands” a Broadway staple. He’s also the man behind the acclaimed 1975 musical, “Chicago.”

Fosse’s is the only sculpture that goes beyond a bust. Lo included his signature white gloves and black bowler hat. That was done intentionally, Witte said, as some younger generations might not recognize Fosse at first.

Lo also painted 20th-century composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The sculptures of Williams and Franklin can be found near the Lakeside Pavilion, where a free summer concert series kicks off on July 8.

Lo said having his work on display at the College of DuPage feels validating, especially as an immigrant and lifelong artist.

“That’s something that a working-class artist would never dream of having,” he said. “That’s what public art does for you.”