Above / “Peonies with Cardinal” by artist Angela Graefenhain is sponsored by Gail Niermeyer. Does the cardinal represent the mascot of North Central College or the state bird of seven states, including Illinois?
After months of preparation, downtown Naperville introduced its whimsical and educational sculpture exhibit painted by local artists on June 18. The 2016 version of painted sculptures, a variety of 18 globes, if you will, help tell stories about the world around Naperville.
For instance, did you know that Janor Sports is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer? Or that artist Marianne Lisson Kuhn has created the 185-year history of Naperville in the bowl of a chair? Or that Seven Bridges Golf has been around since 1991?
Click any photo to enlarge. Come downtown to find all 18 sculptures on the sidewalks along Jackson Avenue, Main Street, Jefferson Avenue, Van Buren and Washington Street.
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This summer’s sculptures will be on display until mid-September. Just right for sitting and snapshots, artists have designed sculptures in the shape of “golf ball” chairs and regular “ball chairs.”
Roll into downtown Naperville and get set to wander around, enjoy the painted creations that now dot the landscape in various sidewalk locations, take photos, then venture inside local merchants for shopping and dining.
Sponsored by local businesses and painted by local artists, the chairs are a welcoming sight to all ages.
When PN first heard about the Round Chair sculptures in downtown Naperville, we figured some artist would paint “Life is just a bowl of cherries, so live & laugh at it all.”
While the 18 artists picked 18 different themes than we’d imagined, we did find some humor.
Stop by and see all 18 designs and remember to vote for your favorite chair at www.downtownnaperville.com.
Note: Sitting in the chair is fine (but no standing, climbing, roughhousing, etc.). Photos are fun to collect. The 2016 Round Chair exhibit will remain on display until mid-September. Video monitoring is present.
