art, culture, parks
A new sculpture to add to my favorites list. Magdalena Abakanowicz' "Agora" or meeting place is a riveting assemblage of iron figures recently installed at the southern-most edge of Grant Park, at the confluence of Roosevelt Rd and Michigan Av.
I went to explore on a cold sunny day and 
because of this I was alone at the site but I felt observed because of the crowd already assembled. I've noted real people coming for a closer view in recent weeks and this day there were tracks in the snow so it's clear the city has a welcome addition.
If you're lucky enough to be there when the sun is out you'll enjoy the interplay of light and shadows but a somber day will have its' own allure.
What does it mean? Different things to different people, so visit and let me know what you think.
An old favorite of mine but virtually ignored except for art historians is the 
magnificent statue of Abraham Lincoln at the south end of Lincoln Park, east of the Chicago History Museum and just north of North Avenue at the end of either Dearborn or State, I forget which. It's by the famed sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens who used a life mask of the statesman made in 1860 by Chicago sculptor Leonard Volk in his work.
Walk all around and you'll note that it holds its' integrity from all angles. The statue was completed in 1887. The enormous chair adds to the monumentality of the work. You'll have fun finding it because it's more or less hidden away. So much so that an occasional homeless person finds refuge on the bench area that surrounds The Great Emancipator.
