The Mystery of the Logan Boulevard Sculptures

A few weeks ago, a very large sculpture in the shape of a light bulb appeared along Logan Boulevard, Ever since then, additional sculptures have begun to appear, seemingly overnight. There’s now a sculpture on almost every other block along the boulevard, spanning from Western to Milwaukee. And no one seems to know where they came from.

At Logan and Richmond, this sculpture is a kind of hybrid between vegetation and metal.

At its base, there’s a kind of playful “no touching” sign. Which of course made me immediately go and touch the sculpture.

The same sign is repeated on all four corners of the base.

The sculpture has a layer of earth, tucked behind a series of metal bars on all four sides. There’s a bit of plant/vegetation growing in the soil available.

A little bit of green, peeking out.

On the corner of Washtenaw and Logan, there’s a very tall, all-green sculpture.

It’s base is also pretty impressive – this is not something that could have been easy to set up (let alone transport).

The top kind of reminds me of a flame or torch. It also makes me think of the Illinois Centennial Monument, at the heart of Logan Square proper.

Unlike the other sculpture, this one only has the hint of foliage running top to bottom.

One of the larger and more visible sculptures is the light bulb at Rockwell and Logan. For most drivers who are coming from Western, this is the first piece that catches their eye along the boulevard.

Many of the other sculptures are slightly hidden by the trees near them, but the white of the light bulb is a stark contrast to its green surroundings. This one definitely causes the most double-takes.

A closer look at the base.

The thing itself is pretty massive, and feels pretty solid.

At its base is a single piece of precisely cut stone – not sure what kind of stone, but it’s very smooth to the touch. Again, this is not something that someone just set up on their own, overnight – this must have taken some serious coordination to set up.

At Fairfield and Logan (right near our first apartment in Logan Square), there’s another piece (mosly made of stone).

The very interesting thing with this particular sculpture is that, unlike the others, it actually has a placard with information on it! Listing both the name of the piece, and its creator.

The sculpture is attributed to Mike Brown (unfortunately the website michaelbrownsculpture.com just goes to a generic GoDaddy placeholder site). So there’s a little more info here, but not much in the way of answers.

Edit: The sculpture is attributed to Mike Brown (whose website is at michaeldbrownsculpture.com). Thanks for catching my typo, Michael!

The other side of “Another Thought.”

Near Mozart and Logan. On driving by this, at a distance, I initially thought it was a series of solar panels.

But I was wrong! More stone…

The sculpture’s base – no info or placard, though.

I spoke to a few folks in the area, and no one really seems to know where the sculptures came from. It seems to be a mystery to everyone, residents and passers-by alike.

I’ve sent off an email to Chicago Sculpture International, to see if they can provide any additional clues/context to all the sculptures in the area. Hopefully, we’ll find out a bit more as to where these sculptures came from, and how they wound up here along the boulevard.

Huge thanks to Liz for driving me around, and waiting patiently at each intersection while I hopped out to take some photos.

Related:
A Giant Origami Crane in Logan Square
The Mystery of the Dry Noguchi Fountain, Located Outside the Art Institute of Chicago
Tony Tasset Eye Sculpture: Construction in Pritzer Park