Sections:

Article

RAHMWATCH: Mayor of Chicago celebrates 'public art' with self serving press release and photos.... including one of Rahm as Jack in 'Lord of the Flies'...

The photo with this article is not a "Trick" from a "Trick or Treat" before Halloween. On September 29, 2014, the mayor of America's third largest city, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, distributed, via the "Mayor's Press Office", a press release (see immediately below) and three photographs. The materials included the photograph here, with the suggested caption: "Photo Captions: Mayor Emanuel Joins Members of Arts Community on Tour Of Newly Installed Public Art Along Lakefront. Photo Credit: Brooke Collins // City of Chicago."

The photo above was provided to the media by Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago in a press packet issued by "The Mayor's Press Office" on October 29, 2014. The press release suggested the following caption: "Photo Captions: Mayor Emanuel Joins Members of Arts Community on Tour Of Newly Installed Public Art Along Lakefront. Photo Credit: Brooke Collins // City of Chicago."Here is the press release, complete, which was provided to the press at public expense two days before Halloween:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 29, 2014

CONTACT:

Mayor�s Press Office

312.744.3334

press@cityofchicago.org

Chicago Park District

Jessica Maxey-Faulkner

312.742.4786

jessica.maxey-faulkner@chicagoparkdistrict.com MAYOR EMANUEL JOINS MEMBERS OF ARTS COMMUNITY ON TOUR OF NEWLY INSTALLED PUBLIC ART ALONG LAKEFRONT

Tours five sculptures along lakefront from 48th Street to Adler Planetarium

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Park District General Superintendent Mike Kelly, James Rondeau, the curator of the Art Institute of Chicago, artist Robert Lowe and members of the arts community today toured five sculptures that have been recently installed in public areas along the lakefront.

�Public art installations allow Chicagoans to be active participants in arts and culture, and as part of the Chicago Cultural Plan, we�ve made progress on a number of fronts to bring the arts directly to Chicago neighborhoods,� said Mayor Emanuel. �From Sculpture on the Boulevards to art installations on the lake front to more than 1,000 events through Night out in the Parks, we�re embracing the City�s thriving arts community and making it more accessible to all residents in neighborhoods throughout the City.�

These public art installations are part of Mayor Emanuel�s efforts to bring public art directly to Chicago neighborhoods and fits into his citywide vision for art and culture, as outlined under the Chicago Cultural Plan. The temporary art installations will be on display for one year.

�The Chicago Park District is pleased to provide access to art and culture in its parks,� said Superintendent Kelly. �Public art serves as a vehicle for community engagement, and creates a positive impact on park users.�

The group first viewed three sculptures by Alice Aycock. Painted aluminum sculptures Twin Vortexes and Spin the Spin have been installed on Lake Shore Drive bike path at 47th and 48th streets. A third reinforced fiberglass sculpture, Waltzing Matilda, has been installed on Lake Shore Drive bike path at 46th street. The artist describes these sculptures as the movement of wind energy, and all three were previously displayed on Park Avenue in New York City.

The group then traveled to the Museum Park Campus at the intersection of McFetridge and Museum Drive near Soldier Field to view artist Robert Lobe�s sculpture, entitled Nature�s Clock. The artist described his piece to the group; this sculpture fits a set of boulder and tree forms snugly into the lawn like a forest in the garden. Trees in the piece cross as if hands on a clock suggest that time is ticking. Another installation by Robert Lobe is Eastern Hophornbeam, which is located at Diversey Harbor Inlet North, but was not part of the tour . The artist describes the sculpture�s embracing limbs as �lovers in the forest.�

For the final stop, the group visited Adler Planetarium to view Ai Wewei�s sculpture, entitled Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads. In this piece, the Chinese contemporary artist has reinterpreted the twelve bronze animal heads representing the traditional Chinese zodiac that once adorned the famed fountain-clock of the Yuanming Yuan, an imperial retreat in Beijing. It is the centerpiece of a global, multi-year touring exhibition that is being presented in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Each artist donated their artwork for display and the Park District covered the installation costs.

For more information, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or call 312.742.PLAY, 312.747.2001 (TTY).

###

For more information about the Chicago Park District�s more than 8,100 acres of parkland, more than 580 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, nine museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, nearly 50 nature areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertaining programs, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY or 312/747.2001 (TTY). Want to share your talent? Volunteer in the parks by calling, 312/742.PLAY.

Photo Captions: Mayor Emanuel Joins Members of Arts Community on Tour Of Newly Installed Public Art Along Lakefront

Photo Credit: Brooke Collins // City of Chicago



Comments:

Add your own comment (all fields are necessary)

Substance readers:

You must give your first name and last name under "Name" when you post a comment at substancenews.net. We are not operating a blog and do not allow anonymous or pseudonymous comments. Our readers deserve to know who is commenting, just as they deserve to know the source of our news reports and analysis.

Please respect this, and also provide us with an accurate e-mail address.

Thank you,

The Editors of Substance

Your Name

Your Email

What's your comment about?

Your Comment

Please answer this to prove you're not a robot:

2 + 3 =