Lincoln Park Public Art Coming Down May 15

Time's running out to appreciate (or not) the public art that has lived in our community for the last year. New works are scheduled to arrive at the end of this month. I want to get a final look at all the works before they go. (See previous posts here.)

Below is Margaret McMahon's sculpture entitled "Forms of Nature." The promotional material says it is made of "fondu concrete."



I appreciated this piece more and more every time I drove by. (And, that's mainly how you view it. It's located at the busy corners of Stockton and Fullerton.) The piece quietly insists that you stop overlooking the figures as you might real people whom you pass by everyday. They appear to be two people in need, but are they? The seated woman suggests a ghostly, indigent woman. The standing man seems haunted but possibly well-off. Both suggest they're a bit lost in isolation, regardless of their status.

I couldn't capture it in this photo, but the piece is situated right before a bus stop. So, everyday loads of people pass by. I'd like to think the sculpture's presence reminds them to remember others or helps them feel less isolated, too. I also like that "Forms of Nature" has a suggestion of a traditional or formal design to it, which reverberates nicely with some of the older man-on-horse statues around the park.

Here is Michael Brown's "Differentiation." (It's limestone.)



I think the title saves it. It gives me something to explore in the piece. I might have walked on by otherwise.

And, poor Plamen Yordanov. His bronze piece, "Double Mobius Strip," didn't last through the year. It's got a giant dent in it. Not sure if that's an accident or vandalism, but, it kind of ruins the piece.