State-funded sculpture trail is a celebration of public art on the Northwest Side

Northwest Side residents may see some unique new figures while running errands, shopping or taking a leisurely stroll along North Milwaukee Avenue.

Visit Parkway Bank and you may spot a 13-foot woman in a flowing white dress outside. Catch a bus at Jefferson Park Transit Center and you may notice an 8-foot dragonfly chained to a pile of rocks nearby. Take the kids to play at Wilson Park and you may pass a bright red character frozen mid-run atop a tall white column.

They are three of five new sculptures unveiled Saturday during the inaugural Northwest Art Trail connecting Jefferson Park and Portage Park. Stretching along the 4000 and 5000 blocks of the street, the path also includes five older sculptures, as well as multiple murals, theaters, galleries and other arts organizations. Visitors can access the route at nw-art-trail.com or via the Otocast app, which includes photos and audio commentary from the artists.

The trail was developed by state Sen. Robert Martwick and the Arts Alive Chicago nonprofit, with additional support from the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit. The creation of the new sculptures was funded with a $300,000 capital grant from the state of Illinois.

Martwick joined city officials, artists and community members Saturday to launch the project with a day of tours, performances and activities.

“This art was paid for by government,” Martwick said during the dedication ceremony. “Art is essential.”

The words carried resonance amid nationwide cuts to federal arts funding. Both Martwick and Arts Alive Chicago President Cyd Smillie emphasized the importance of public art, citing its ability to educate, build community and strengthen business development.

“If you can get people to walk down the street and see your storefront, they're more likely to come in and see what you are selling,” Smillie said. “And the sculptures become meeting places. So it was about enhancing the community, with full awareness that we hope to get people who want to have something to look at as they walk from the train station to the Gift Theatre or the Filament Theatre, or even to their dance classes.”

The Northwest Art Trail name was inspired by the Native American portage route between the Chicago and Des Plaines rivers. This history is also honored by one of the older sculptures, “Portage,” located at 4106 N. Milwaukee Ave. Designed by Ted Sitting Crow Garner, the 10-foot aluminum piece depicts a Native American figure transporting a canoe.

Smillie worked with Eric Craig of the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit to select mostly local artists to create the new sculptures on the trail. All of the works utilize steel and incorporate themes of nature, humanity or movement.

“I like the notion that art uplifts,” Smillie said. “I think there's something for everyone who seeks that quality in their everyday art experiences.”

One sculpture, “The Essence of Nature,” depicts two crimson birds perched on a silver tree at 4021 N. Milwaukee Ave. Artist Janet Austin said the birds represent “humankind,” and the tree symbolizes the “nature that supports us.”

Farther north is “Northbound,” Schencheng Xu’s colorful depiction of the annual migration of northbound snow geese. Xu said the title of the piece also reminds him of Shenyang, in northeast China, where he is from. It is also one of Chicago’s Sister Cities.

“My first time landing in Chicago, at O'Hare Airport, I saw the sister city flag and I was so surprised,” said Xu, 56, of Wilmette, who teaches at Northeastern Illinois University. His sculpture also includes a moon, which makes him feel closer to home, he said.

“We live in different parts of the world, but we enjoy the same moon,” he said. “The moon shines upon us anywhere we go.”

Artist Carrie Sparks Fischer also created a sculpture infused with personal meaning. “Lady of the Lake,” in front of Parkway Bank, is dedicated to her “sheroes” or “lady heroes.”

But Fischer said she hopes public art resonates with everyone.

“It is a way for us, without using words, to spark interest in art and to spark a conversation about what the art is about,” said Fischer, 61, who lives in Wisconsin but has a studio in Crystal Lake. “I think it brings everyone together. We want the same common things. How do we go about that?”

Martwick said public art should encourage dialogue “without requiring an argument.”

“Public art challenges us to think without telling us what we should think,” he said. “Art creates not just beautification, but inspiration and emotion, but everyone gets to view it in their own way. And there is no wrong or right.”

But Martwick also said it’s important for artists to have freedom to express themselves, which is why he did not weigh in on the selection of the sculptures.

“I think that art is speech and it should be granted the full protection of free speech,” he said. “The decisions about what art is worthy of display should be the decisions of artists, not politicians.”

Sculptors should also have more opportunities to work, said Ted Sitting Crow Garner, 68, of West Town, who praised the developers of the Northwest Art Trail for hiring and compensating the artists.

He also said he appreciated the opportunity to see more creative pieces in the area.

“It's kind of nice to be able to look at something that's not a right angle.”