Chicago Park District Launches Monument Response Project with Two Site-Responsive Temporary Public Art Installation Openings on April 8

Artists Sonja Henderson, Sadie Woods, and Hector Gonzalez will host activations at Lincoln Park’s General Philip Henry Sheridan and A Signal of Peace monuments

Chicago, IL — The Chicago Park District announces the official launch of the Monument Response Project initiative to create site-responsive installations and performances at selected monuments in parks across the city. The initiative seeks to reimagine public narratives that reflect Chicago’s diverse histories and cultures. By fostering community engagement and creative dialogue, the project advances public art that critically examines contested legacies and encourages more inclusive forms of commemoration within Chicago’s parks and their communities.

On April 8, the public is invited to the opening of two new responsive installations reimagined by local artists Sonja Henderson, Sadie Woods, and Hector Gonzalez at the sites of the General Philip Henry Sheridan and A Signal of Peace monuments located in Lincoln Park. These artists were selected through a formal Request for Proposal process led by the Chicago Park District.

“The Monuments Response Project is our chance to reimagine public art spaces, transforming honored history through a thoughtful, inclusive lens,” said Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. “We are excited to invite new artistic perspectives to create site-responsive installations, sparking new dialogue and public interest in our monument and memorial collection.”

Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
TIERRA NUESTRA by Hector Gonzalez
Location: A Signal of Peace- East of N. Lake Shore Drive north of Diversey Harbor
Join us for an artist talk, an Aztec Ceremonial Dance Offering by Aztec Dance Chicago and Rudy Sosa, a Grass Dance Grounds Blessing by Negwes White, and a community gathering. Reservations are recommended.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
We Still Here by Sonja Henderson and Sadie Woods 
Location: General Philip Henry Sheridan Monument- 2045 N. Lincoln Park West
Join us for ephemeral sonic art installation by Sadie Woods, ceremonial procession led by Zahra Baker, 4 directions salutation and land consecration by Alfonso “Piloto” Nieves-Ruiz and sacred herb smudging by Sonja Henderson, performance by Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle, and breathwork ritual by Toni Asante Lightfoot. Reservations are recommended.

Over the two-year exhibition, these projects will present multiple public programs, performances, and educational events engaging thousands of Chicago residents and visitors. Through partnerships with cultural institutions and community organizations, the installations will expand dialogue around monuments, historical memory, and cultural representation while modeling new approaches to public art in public spaces.

This initiative stems from the Chicago Monuments Project (CMP), a collaboration between the Chicago Park District, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and Chicago Public Schools. An advisory committee of community leaders, artists, and scholars was formed to identify inequities in the City's monument and memorials collection, particularly regarding representation for women, Native peoples, and communities of color.  A total of 19 contested park monuments were identified in the Chicago Monuments Project Report released in 2022. The District’s first two response pieces are the permanent installation Coiled Serpent Mound in Horner Park and Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum’s temporary installation at Grant Park's General John Alexander Logan Monument in 2024.

We Still Here: A Site-Responsive Temporal Public Art Installation by Sonja Henderson and Sadie Woods

We Still Here is a site-specific temporal public art installation presented through the Monument Response Project. The work honors the enduring histories and living cultures of Indigenous peoples through an ecological lens centered on Turtle Island—also known as America—with particular focus on the American bison and its essential role in the ecosystems of the Great Plains, often referred to as bison country.

Collaboratively created by artists Sonja Henderson and Sadie Woods, We Still Here serves as a powerful declaration of presence, memory, and self-determination. Installed at the equestrian General Philip Henry Sheridan Monument located at Lake Shore Drive and Belmont Avenue, the project recontextualizes one of Chicago’s most prominent monuments. Sheridan’s widely cited statements reflected ideologies of his time, including scorched-earth military campaigns and the deliberate decimation of bison populations as a means of subjugating Indigenous nations. By placing this installation at the base of his statue, We Still Here invites viewers to critically engage with dominant narratives of power, heroism, and public memory.

“We Still Here is a collaborative sound and sculpture that gives reverence to the autochthonous people of this continent, land and region. The sacred Bison Horns are a remembrance, an homage to Prairie flora, fauna, and People-- who carry stories and lineage through rebirth, regeneration, and ritual. The sacred Bison Horns are a symbol revealing that-- We Still Here-- created with handmade ceramic skulls, bones, beads, tableaus, artifacts and low-relief objects,” said Sonja Henderson.

“This project is especially meaningful to me as a return, in part, to my upbringing between Lakeview/Lincoln Park and Humboldt Park—communities shaped by diasporas from Borikén and the American South, representing diverse nations and tribes. This lived experience is the point of departure for my approach, rooted in my familial lineage and cultural heritage as a Chicagoan. The work is grounded in an ecological lens, acknowledging the impact of the decimation of the American bison while also affirming the life of the animals, land, and people who have long coexisted across these landscapes,” said Sadie Woods.

The installation features two 16-foot-long, 4-foot-high sacred bison horns constructed from steel rod, arching around the south-facing plinth of the statue. Within the horns are high-fire porcelain and stoneware cast bison skulls and bone curtain, representations of Prairie flora and fauna, and cenotaph objects honoring wildlife. Alcoves throughout the installation display curated historic imagery from archives of Prairieland ecosystems and temporal soundscape, creating a multisensory and dialogic experience rooted in storytelling, placemaking, and civic engagement—a central metaphor for prairieland preservation and survival.

We Still Here recognizes histories essential to Chicago neighborhoods like Lakeview, shaped by communities rooted in diverse tribes and nations, and cultural heritage as the point of departure for the installation. It affirms that these collective histories are not relics of the past but are living within the present and future. By engaging the equestrian statue of General Sheridan—a symbol of victor’s history set in bison country and linked to both the Civil War and the Indian Wars—the installation also reflects Sheridan's role in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, where military strategies were employed in westward expansion. We Still Here makes visible what has been rendered invisible and opens space for reflection on how public monuments shape collective memory, particularly when erected on repurposed tribal lands.

TIERRA NUESTRA: A Site-Specific Public Art Installation by Hector Gonzalez

TIERRA NUESTRA is a temporary public art installation by Chicago artist Hector Gonzalez created in dialogue with A Signal of Peace (1890). The work introduces a contemporary rider of Native Mexican and mixed Native American heritage standing atop a single horse, forming a powerful response to questions of history, belonging, visibility, and cultural memory.

As the second-largest racial group in Chicago, Mexican Americans have long contributed to the city’s culture, labor, and life. Yet the story, especially the part that connects Native Mexican American people to Native America through history and geography, has been overlooked or ignored. Before borders split the land, Native peoples—including those from regions that became the USA—moved freely. Many Mexican Americans are descended from those people, yet we are not taught that history connects Native Mexicans and Native Americans within North America. Leaving some Mexicans to feel they do not belong neither here nor there. This piece reclaims that missing narrative and invites viewers to consider, “What if we have always known who we were?”

Finished in a rich patina that harmonizes with the historic monument, the installation also includes two wooden benches positioned in front of the sculpture, each crafted from a single slab of wood. The tops of the benches feature Native American and Native Mexican-inspired serape designs with the words “Seguimos Aquí” (We Are Still Here) woven into the patterned textile surface, creating a welcoming space for gathering, reflection, and shared presence.

TIERRA NUESTRA creates a space for dialogue—between past and future, city and nature, visibility and invisibility. It stands as an offering to Chicago and to this country that supports the freedom to question, reflect, and seek peace within oneself and our shared history. It invites the people of Chicago— and beyond—to reconsider what American history might look like when all of its voices are truly heard. “This work is a symbol of peace: a peace discovered through learning my own story, and one I now hope to offer to others,” said Hector Gonzalez.

This initiative is also part of Chicago’s Parks, America’s Stage, Chicago Park District's series of programs and events that commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary. As part of this series, the Chicago Park District will activate select park monuments and host programs and events that reflect on the history of our country. These opportunities align with the District’s commitment to advancing equity, justice and inclusivity in Chicago parks and communities.

In addition, these public art installations are highlighted among on-site installations and public art initiatives that are part of Chicago’s premier art showcase EXPO CHICAGO Contemporary Art Fair, taking place on April 9–12, 2026.