MILLENNIUM PARK

Our gallery



Faces of Chicago

The two identical 50-foot towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens, a reference to the traditional use of gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculptured with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out. The collection of faces provides tribute to Chicagoans and was taken from a cross-section of 1,000 residents representing Chicago’s vast demographics in terms of age, gender and ethnicity.

MILLENNIUM PARK

Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and managed by MB Real Estate. The park was originally intended to celebrate the third millennium and is a prominent civic center near the city’s Lake Michigan shoreline that covers a 24.5-acre (99,000 m2) section of northwestern Grant Park. The area was previously occupied by parkland, Illinois Central rail yards, and parking lots.[1] The park, which is bounded by Michigan Avenue, Randolph Street, Columbus Drive and East Monroe Drive, features a variety of public art. As of 2009, Millennium Park trailed only Navy Pier as a Chicago tourist attraction and by 2017 it had become the number one tourist attraction in the Midwestern United States. In 2015, the park became the location of the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting.



Crown Fountain

Designed by Jaume Plensa and built by Krueck + Sexton Architects, Crown Fountain uses numerous design elements including water, light, and glass to create a unique meeting point and reflection space. Though not originally constructed as such, the Fountain has become an interactive summer urban oasis for families and visitors who take refuge in the space during Chicago’s humid summers

IPhotographing Chicago’s Millennium Park was one of the best urban places I’ve had the opportunity to shoot. As part of a planning seminar I attended I had the opportunity to meet the project manager for the development of the park. His story was interesting to say the least, but being able to walk the park with him made the experience even more valuable from both a professional and photographic perspective. Hopefully I’ve done it justice in this gallery.

J. Wayne Oldroyd

Photographer – city planner


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