It’s always free. It’s often fascinating. And, chances are, it’s not like anything back home. It is public art.
The travel experts at The GO Group, the world’s largest ground transportation company, suggest seeking out new and interesting installations when you are out of town. Here are a few recommendations.
Chicago
Forget “The Bean,” this city’s newest public art is a 26-foot-tall statue of Marilyn Monroe, depicting the scene in “The Seven-Year Itch” where a gust of air from a subway grate lifts her skirt. Created by Seward Johnson, the piece is on display in Pioneer Court (the 400 block of North Michigan Avenue on the east side) through the spring of 2012.
Washington, DC
Take a metro ride out to Takoma Park to view a newly-installed mosaic mural by Sam Gilliam titled “From a Model to a Rainbow.” The 14 ft. by 39 ft. multi-colored ceramic and glass tile work is mounted on aluminum panels. It is installed in the station underpass.
New York
Fans of Sol LeWitt’s two-dimensional work, will be excited to see 27 of his three-dimensional pieces, which he called “Structures,” on view until December 3 at City Hall Park in lower Manhattan. The pieces were constructed over 40 years.
Milwaukee
IN:SITE, which produces temporary public art shows throughout Milwaukee Country, opened “Art On and Off Capitol,” June 25. The show, scattered around the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, features nine artists and a wide variety of media.
Toronto
“Still Dancing”, by conceptual artist Dennis Oppenheim is located in Toronto’s Mill Square. The piece incorporates a 38-foot chimney-like structure, circular glass discs, a stainless steel spiral and something that looks like a giant whisk. The whole piece is flooded with colored lights, operating in multiple directions.
Los Angeles
You’ll want to make a night time visit to “Urban Light” in the courtyard outside LACMA (Los Angeles Country Museum of Art) at 5905 W. Wilshire. Chris Burden’s spectacular forest of street lights, incorporating more than 200 restored cast iron lamp posts, is lit from dusk to dawn.
Contact: Dyana Flanigan