Collectible Walking Map

We are in the last 2 weeks of the exhibition and are offering FREE on a first come first served basis our collectible walking map signed by one of the artists in the exhibit.  Please email us and we will send it by regular mail.
Thanks for all the support and stay tuned for our announcement of the 2012 exhibit!

Flashback to 2005: Artwork that's no work

Artwork that's no work

The outdoor sculptures on the Navy Pier Walk are accessible and fun -- and no one will yell at you for climbing on them.

June 17, 2005|By Doug George, Tribune staff writer

If you think art's boring, if the whole "you're not supposed to get it" thing that modern art seems to exude frankly gives you a headache, then Navy Pier has an art show for you.

"Navy Pier Walk 2005" is an outdoor sculpture exhibit on the front lawn of the pier through Oct. 31, consisting of nine works from local and international artists. (That word "works" just made you roll your eyes, didn't it?) It's part of an annual Pier Walk show put on by the non-profit group 3-D Chicago that in past years has put on exhibits that included giant shoes and a Trojan piggybank. The show is on the smaller side this year but no less fun for it.

FOR THE RECORD - This story contains corrected material, published June 21, 2005.

Fun is the whole point, says curator Peter Schjeldahl, an art critic from New Yorker magazine, reprising his 2004 role and selecting the pieces that went in.

His biggest criterion was that the sculptures be fun to look at. (Another important requirement is that the sculptures be able to withstand high winds.)

"There's no secret agenda," Schjeldahl says. "Does art need to `improve' people? No, I don't think it does."
Has he succeeded? No one is a more qualified judge than you.

There's no particular order in which to do the walk, and the discreet blue signs with titles and the name of the artist can be a little hard to locate. We've created a tourist map of the Pier Walk, including (when available) the official artist statement behind each piece and our own thoughts.

FORKS, CHEESE, HANGERS
Jim Benedict (2005, Iowa). Galvanized steel shapes of the letters "F," "C," "H," juxtaposed with a big fork, a piece of cheese and clothes hangers.
STATEMENT: "Blunt collection of familiar and elementary objects. Collectively these objects form a whimsical train that contradicts the
inherent industrial qualities of galvanized steel."
OTT: Fun and grabs your attention. It makes you wonder why forks, why cheese, why hangers, though--and the answer is no reason.

SHAPE SHIFTERS II
Coral Lambert (2005, Louisiana). Cast aluminum and iron, forming two "shells" that open to reveal a red ball.
STATEMENT: "Central to my work is the exploration of the phenomenal and metaphysical presence of objects. My work investigates these dualities, such as the perceived ethereal in the physical and how it can be expressed through sculpture."
ON THE TOWN: Huh? The most "arty" piece in the bunch.

MALEDUCATI (the name of this artwork as published has been corrected in this text)
Ralph Provisero (2004, Florida).
A work in steel, maple and chewing gum.
STATEMENT: "Composed of scarred and battered wooden shop tables from my former junior high school. The subject of education, poor behavior and all its adjuncts are addressed."
OTT: One of our favorites. The authentic tables used in the sculpture seem infused with 1,000 stories, not to mention pieces of chewing gum. And their arrangement at odd angles in the air reduces their large size to something almost weightless.

MANDATORY DOGS
Ben Woitena (2005, Texas)
Painted steel frames form a picture with dogs in it.
STATEMENT: "My purpose lies between the structural concerns of sculpture, and the visual properties of drawing and painting thereby creating a third essence.
OTT: Took us a while to see the big "dog" in the overall frame and we puzzled about the style. Is it Southwestern? Asian? "The show needed this there," Schjeldahl says. "It's so pictorial." People know when they see it that they're looking at it from the front.

RECEPTOR
Tamsie Ringler (2004, Oregon). Concrete cast into an 11-ton cone, using a sawdust hopper and agricultural drain tile.
STATEMENT: "Perhaps the first time I remember truly seeing something was when I looked into an iris. It was so beautiful, I wanted to live inside it. " The pattern in the concrete suggests the flower, as well as mimics the anatomical part of the human eye" In sculpture, vision is so important."
OTT: A slam-dunk, the crowd favorite. Everyone who passes by jumps inside the cone or shouts through its mouthpiece.

55 x 2
Kay Rosen (2005, Indiana) Letters painted on the concrete sidewalk and arranged like Scrabble pieces.
STATEMENT: None
OTT: You immediately begin trying to form words, like a game. The painted words on the "board" are all palindromes, the same spelled backward and forward. It's fun, it's thoughtful and you get to walk on it, Schjeldahl says.

MERCURY
Franz West (2004, Austria). Two oversized, tubular pieces of lacquered aluminum and stainless steel.
STATEMENT: None
ON THE TOWN: Fun and goofy looking, but these things are supposed to be the stars of the show and we just weren't that captivated. Why two, for example, and why are they separated? Show organizer Joseph Tabet gets at their appeal with a story from the day they were installed: A family with a toddler was among the first to see them, he says, and the little boy ambled right up to one of them, locking it in an embrace and turning back to his parents. "His face lit up," Tabet says. "He was saying, `I get this. This is mine.'"

PILLOW
Zoran Mojsilov (2005, Minnesota). Granite boulder carved to fit in the clinches of steel wrappers.
STATEMENT: "A cross between the animate and inanimate. It juggles mass and volume as if it were just fluffed up."
OTT: Mesmerizing and difficult to pry your eyes from once you begin to look. Schjeldahl says he likes "Pillow" because "it makes something hard look like something soft."

FOR THE RECORD - This story contains corrected material, published June 21, 2005.

UNTITLED

Ulrich Ruckriem (2003, Germany). Four massive rows of pink Rosa Porinjo granite, cut from a single stone and arranged like benches on the grass.
STATEMENT: "My basic principle is: I start from an idea and from the material. It is not fixed which of the two comes in the first place. For me, sculpture begins before design."
OTT: Gets our award for "Easiest to forget It's Art." The facing benches make a nice place to sit. From a distance it looks like a thing, Schjeldahl observes, and when you come over you find out it's a place. You enter this quiet place and the rest of the city gets shut out. We like it.
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VISITING NAVY PIER
For more information about "Navy Pier Walk 2005," call 312-595-5019 or visit www.pierwalk.com. The organization plans to have regular walking tours of the site during the summer. The pier is located at 600 E. Grand Ave. Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Admission is free.
By car: Take Lake Shore Drive to the Grand Avenue exit from the north or the Illinois
Street exit from the south. Follow signs to the on-site parking. Rates are hourly beginning at $14, or a flat rate of $22 on weekends.
From downtown: A free Navy Pier trolley provides transportation from remote parking lots and State Street.
By the CTA: Several bus routes serve Navy Pier, including the No. 29 (State Street), the No. 65 (Grand Avenue), and the No. 56 (Milwaukee Avenue).

Last 4 weeks of the show

Hey we are down to the last 4 weeks of the show. Come and check it out and get a free walking map at the front desk.
We are planning next year's show and have a huge announcement to make in October. Please check back!

Cast of MTV's 'The Buried Life' to complete a mural for Navy Pier Walk

On Tuesday, July 26^th, the cast of MTV’s "The Buried Life" will check off #61 from their bucket list, “Paint a Mural,” in partnership with Orbit Gum and Keep America Beautiful.
The TBL cast will be on-site at Navy Pier to paint this giant 8 foot x 16 foot mural, which will be part of the Navy Pier Walk 2011 Art Exhibition for the duration of the summer.

http://www.chicagonow.com/chi-lebrity-fashion-beauty/2011/07/cast-of-mtvs-the-buried-life-to-appear-at-navy-pier/

Navy Pier Walk 2011

Navy Pier Walk 2011 (7-4-11 To 9-20-11)
Navy Pier, Chicago
A curated site-specific exhibition of public art.
Please leave comments at end.

Terry Allen (b. 1943 TX)

"Nice", 1991 Bronze, 32 x 19.5 x 20 inches

Terry Allen (b. 1943 TX)

"Shoe", 1991 Bronze, 32 x 22 x 21 inches

The Art Guys, TX

"FIX - ICE MACHENE", 2011

wood, multiple dimensions

Ronald Bladen (1918-1988, NY)

"Black Lightining (Garden), 1981, Painted Aluminum

8 H x 20 L x 2 D, feet

Ronald Bladen (1918-1988, NY)

"Kama Sutra (Garden), 1977, Painted Aluminum

60 H x 106 L x 96, inches

Ronald Bladen (1918-1988, NY)

"Host of the Elipse (Garden), 1973, Painted Aluminum

multiple dimensions

Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, CA)

"Revolutions Mural", 2011, 10 x 130 feet

Harry Gordon, (NJ)

"Snaphance", 2011, Black granite, 8 x 8 x 4 feet

Ken Little (b. 1947, TX)

"Lookout", 2011, cast iron and steel, led lighting, 9 x 18 x 8 feet 

Peter Reginato (b. 1945, NY)

"Dear Purple", 2011 Painted stainless steel. 89 x 78 x 43 inches

"Hip Shaken Mama", 2010, Painted stainless steel, 86 x 64 x 32 inches

"Drunken Angel", Painted stainless steel, 92 x 79 x 60 inches

"Dear Vincent", Painted stainless steel, 88 x 68 x 47 inches

NAVY PIER WALK 2011 PUBLIC ART PROJECT TRANSFORMS GATEWAY PARK INTO OUTDOOR ART GALLERY

NAVY PIER WALK 2011 PUBLIC ART PROJECT

TRANSFORMS GATEWAY PARK INTO OUTDOOR ART GALLERY

Chicago (July 12, 2011) — More than two dozen eye-catching artistic installations have transformed Navy Pier’s Gateway Park into an outdoor art gallery near Chicago’s lakefront. Navy Pier officials are proud to join renowned Chicago and American contemporary artists in unveiling Navy Pier Walk 2011. This free public art exhibition will be on display through November 6. The largest outdoor installation of its kind in the country, Navy Pier Walk 2011 returns to Chicago after a 5-year hiatus.

Sculptures of various sizes, designs and materials now welcome lakefront and Navy Pier visitors to Gateway Park.  Among the outdoor collection is a large, 14-piece sculpture, that reads, “fix – ice machene,” (note the intentional misspelling) and is spread across one of the park’s largest lawns. 

Another work also capturing the attention and imagination of onlookers is a giant poster mural at the Lake Shore Drive viaduct at Grand Avenue, created by renowned street artist, Shepard Fairey.  The “Revolutions Mural” (“Obey”) consists of album cover-style imagery, measuring 130’ by 10’. Millions of motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians who use the area to travel to and from Navy Pier this summer will see Fairey’s creation.

“I think public art is very important as a way to capture people’s imaginations, and encourage them to see public space as a forum for creative expression,” said artist Shepard Fairey.

“We are excited to have Navy Pier Walk 2011 back at the Pier. This public art will add aesthetic appeal to the beautiful landscape of Gateway Park, enhancing a space seen and visited by so many Chicagoans and visitors from around the world,” said Marilynn Gardner, Navy Pier General Manager. “We invite the public to come view these works as they spend time enjoying Chicago’s downtown lakefront.”

Navy Pier Walk 2011 curator Joseph Tabet hopes the artwork will amuse, engage and inspire passersby.

“I believe public art exhibitions are an important part of our visual culture.  Through public art, people come together to share different ideas, cultures and aesthetics,” said exhibition curator Joseph Tabet. “As curator, my intention is to have Navy Pier Walk 2011 create personal experiences that address the cultural issues of today.  And, at Navy Pier, I am fortunate to reach people of all ages and backgrounds.  It is a fun exhibition and I hope it is widely enjoyed.”

Navy Pier partnered with the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents (SOAR) to spearhead the outdoor art project, including the Shepard Fairey mural at the Grand Avenue site.

                                                                        ###

List of Navy Pier Walk 2011 Artists and Works:

Terry Allen (b. 1943 TX)

            -“Nice”, 1991, Bronze, 32 x 19.5 x 20 inches

            -“Shoe”, 1991, Bronze, 32 x 22 x 21 inches

The Art Guys, Michael Galbreth (b. 1956, TX) and Jack Massing (b. 1959, TX)

            -“fix - ice machene”, 2011, site-specific multiple dimensions, 14 sculptures,

Ronald Bladen (1918-1988, NYC)

            - Black Lightning (Garden), 1981, Painted aluminum, 8 H x 20 L x 2 D, feet

            - V (Garden), 1973, Painted aluminum, 60 1/2 x 106 x 8 inches, 60 x 106 inches

            - Kama Sutra (Garden), 1977, Painted aluminum, 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 feet

Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, CA)

            - “Revolutions Mural”, 2011, 10’ x 130’

Harry Gordon ( NJ)

            - “Snaphance”, 2011, Black granite, 8 x 8 x 4 feet

Ken Little (b. 1947, TX)

            - “Lookout”, 2011, cast iron and steel, 9 x 18 x 8 feet

Peter Reginato (b. 1945, NYC)

            - “Dear Purple”, 2011, Painted stainless steel, 89 x 78 x 43 inches

            - “Hip Shaken Mama”, 2010, Painted stainless steel, 86 x 64 x 32 inches

            - “Drunken Angel”, 2011, Painted stainless steel, 92 x 79 x 60 inches

            - “Dear Vincent”, 2010, Painted stainless steel, 88 x 68 x 47 inches

NAVY PIER CONTACT: Jon Kaplan, Director of Public Relations, 312.595.5327

Peter Reginato sculptures

Here are images of Peter Reginato's sculptures:

Ronald Bladen Sculptures

Here are more images of the Ronald Bladen Sculptures:

Ronald Bladen - Navy Pier Walk 2011

Below are a few images of the Ronald Bladen sculptures.  Also, here is a statement about his work:

Ronald Bladen may have been one of the founding fathers of Minimalism, as some have called him, but that depends on what you mean by Minimalism.  Bladen (1918-1988) started making simplified, industrial-looking sculptures in the 1960's.  But Minimalism in the most thoroughgoing sense meant more than just extreme formal economy.  At its most radical, Minimalism tried to eliminate any dimension other than that of the immediate, material present, forcing concentration on the physical facts of the object and the space it occupied.  But Bladen, who was born in Vancouver and spent his formative years in San Francisco, where the Abstract Expressionist Clyfford Still was the presiding spiritual force, was too much the romantic poet to be a pure Minimalist.
Ken Johnson, The New York Times, February 19, 1999

Installation of The Art Guys' "FIX ICE-MACHENE"

Here are images of the installation:



More pictures located here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/navypierwalk/

http://TheArtGuys.com/IMAGES/Works/Sculpture/fix_ice_machene.jpg



Ken Little "Lookout!" installation pictures

Here are a couple of pictures of Ken Little's sculpture "Lookout!"

3 Million People to Attend NPW 2011 Opening Weekend

Seriously.  Mr. Brainwash top that!

Artist statements

We will be adding a lot of images and content but here is the first look at the navy pier page.  Installation finished Wednesday June 29th with the last Bladen sculpture.  Great weather, smooth install and awesome result.


http://www.navypier.com/things2do/rides_attract/pier_walk.html

Terry Allen's "Nice" and "Shoe" busts

like Generals watching over the crowds!

The Art Guys have arrived

Installation started today:

Peter Schjeldahl - curator Navy Pier Walk 2004

Curating this year's Pierwalk was great fun for me.   I'm not used to operating on the supply side of exhibitions.  I'm often unhappy with how curators install works.  For once, my discontent found a more satisfying outlet than critical prose.  I could communicate it to guys with a crane.  For this thrill, I thank my Mr. Chicago, Joe Tabet; Cranemaster, Pat McDonald; and the crack Pier staff.  Their attentive support - with the occasional murmured, "Mm, you want to do that?" when, upon reflection, I most certainly didn't - gave me a distinct sense of beginners luck.

The grounds in front of the Pier and the spaces at its end, not to speak of a captive audience in the hundreds of thousands, are terrifically congenial to experiments in public sculpture.  I opted early on to avoid the Pier's wondrous promenade, which is a readymade art work in itself that subsumes hot dogs, kiosks, and cruise ships in a crazy gestalt.  Putting an artwork - which, if it cannot generate a zone of silent autonomy around itself, can't do much of anything - out there would be like tossing a kitten into a mosh pit.  But the sites that I was left to work with eased my job as a curator, which was to help art works make the best possible cases for themselves.  It was a matter of shifting something around until, with a click, it belonged.

How, or even whether, in a democracy, serious art can belong in public spaces is a question that I wanted to address.  I've often said that a public sculpture must deflect three questions with which we naturally greet any unexpected object in our vicinity:  "What is that? Why is it there? When will it go away?"  The trick is to arouse, in the unprepared viewer, an immediate response that prevents those deadly queries from kicking in.  The response needn't be positive at first.  It must only be particular, having to do with some specific aspect of the sculpture.  To be avoided, at all cost, is any self-improvement tone, such as implying that a work is good because it's good for us.  Edification is an optional pursuit of private life and not to be inflicted on innocent bystanders.

My criteria for jurying submitted projects - and for enhancing them with invitations to Tony Cragg and Richard Deacon - were, as I stated in an announcement of the show, crowd-friendliness, variety, and surprise.  As it happens, those values preoccupy many contemporary sculptors.  It's not a matter of pandering to vulgar taste - though there's nothing criminal about doing that - but of taking on its own terms the real world in which art, if it is to be more than a glorified hobby, must stake its claims.  When taken outside the shelter of museums and galleries, art doesn't just face different problems.  It is nearly a different enterprise.

It's not for me, as the curator, to judge the success of the works in this show.  I leave that up to the critics who, under the democratic conditions of public art in America, include everybody, I'll only note a common formal dynamic: near and far.  Most of the works deliver some dramatic impact, when seen from a distance, and exert a quieter, more intimate appeal, when approached.  Such doubleness is unusual for public sculpture, which, be it figurative or abstract, has always tended to invest its energies in the distant perspective, without considering the experience of viewers nearby.  This subtle change in sculptors' sensibility has big implications.  It reflects a wise acceptance of the unconquerable variousness of groups and individuals today, which defeats in advance any effort to impose one-size-fits-all meanings.

I love many old heroic sculptures:  generals on horses, and so on.  (Willem de Kooning alerted me to the greatness of Augustus Saint-Gaudens's General Sherman, near the Plaza Hotel:  He got the guy to sit right on the horse, de Kooning said.  "You know how hard that is?")  The closest that we have come lately to such civic idealism is the Vietnam Memorial in Washington:  a symbol of sheer loss, a vortex of grieving.  That exception proves the rule that, in order to justify itself in public, sculpture must now excuse its imposition on viewers in the mass by forming relationships with viewers one by one.  The entailed meaning is apt to be modest:  a touch of grace, a nudge of humor, a whiff of beauty.  The overriding imperative is only to connect. 

Peter Schjeldahl, 2004

Shepard Fairey mural - additional images