Location:
1221 N Sacramento Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
Location Notes:
Jens Jensen Formal Garden
Located Within:
Humboldt Park Formal Gardens
Installation Duration:
May 2017 - May 2018
Artist:
Andrea Jablonski and Laura Miracle
Medium:
Concrete, rebar
Year Created:
2017
Features:
Outdoor, Temporary, Sculpture
Description
Andrea Jablonski and Laura Miracle’s collaborative work is defined and inspired by spaces where the lines between 'natural' and 'man-made' are blurred. Guardians of the Green was inspired by the importance of public green spaces for birds of all species.
Humboldt Park is host to more than 65 species of birds, from woodpeckers to flycatchers, warblers to waxwings. But of all those, the common crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) stood out with its resilience, its adaptability, and its tendency to build nests with whatever local material is most abundant: native grasses, wire coat hangers, or cigarette butts. Often considered ominous, we find comfort in its presence.
The Humboldt Park Formal Garden was designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen (1860-1951) in 1908. Jensen was one of America’s most influential landscape architects, best known for his role in developing the Prairie Style of Landscape design. The garden was conceived of as a space for members of the Humboldt Park community to gather and enjoy the outdoors.
In 2015, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Parks Foundation, and a group of neighbors that have become the Jens Jensen Formal Garden Working group came together to revitalize and restore the garden. As part of these revitalization efforts, the Chicago Park District, in partnership with Fieldwork and the Jensen Formal Garden Working Group, has selected four Chicago artists to create site-specific, temporary public art installations for the garden. The final installations are visually and conceptually linked to the history and design of the garden and to the work of Jens Jensen.