Grant Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Bicentennial Memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 12, 2024
1. Bicentennial Memorial Marker
By Isamu Noguchi
Commissioned by the trustees of the B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund
Dedicated November 30, 1976
Erected 1976 by Trustees of the B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund.
Topics and series. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the The Spirit of 76, Americas Bicentennial Celebration series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1976.
Location. 41° 52.775′ N, 87° 37.261′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Grant Park. It is on Columbus Drive south of Monroe Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is next to two related art installations on the eastern side of the campus of the Art Institute of Chicago. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60603, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker and memorial is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Diane Simpson: Good for Future (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Maggie C. Daley Park (about 500 feet away); Historic Michigan Boulevard (approx. 0.2 miles away); Parkways Foundation (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chicago Route 66 / Ruta 66 de Chicago
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Franz West (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . .
1. In Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic | Artwork. A brief history of this art installation from the Chicago Park District
Excerpt: The horizontal expanse has a constant cascading waterfall representing an underground spring. Noguchi referenced this natural metaphor, stating, 'Every bit of nature that we can bring back into our cities is good But we can bring only equivalents. So part of my work is like the capillary action of a tree, with water rising up inside. As it overflows, adhering to the serrated grey and pick stone, there is the suggestion of a complete natural cycle.'(Submitted on December 13, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund Records. From the Smithsonian Institutions
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 12, 2024
2. Bicentennial Memorial
The marker is visible in front of the art installations on the eastern edge of the Art Institute campus.
Excerpt: "The B. F. Ferguson Monument Fund was established with funds bequeathed by Chicago lumber merchant and philanthropist Benjamin F. Ferguson, who died in 1905. Money from the fund is spent at the discretion of the Board of Trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago to erect and maintain public monuments in Chicago to commemorate individuals and historic events."(Submitted on December 13, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
3. Isamu Noguchi biography. From the website of the Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, in Long Island City, New York
Excerpt: "When Noguchis mother Lιonie Gilmour met his father, she was a young writer and editor living in New York City. Gilmour was a white American of mostly Irish descent born in Brooklyn. His father Yonejiro Noguchi, an itinerant Japanese poet, was Asian. Noguchi was born in Los Angeles, but moved to Japan with his mother at the age of two and lived there until the age of thirteen. In the summer of 1918, Noguchi returned alone to the United States to attend high school in Rolling Prairie and then La Porte, Indiana, adding yet another layer to an increasingly complex identity. (He proudly identified as a 'Hoosier' for the rest of his life.)"(Submitted on December 13, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 12, 2024
3. Bicentennial Memorial
Additional commentary.
1. About the Marker
This submission has been included in the database as part of The Spirit of 76, Americas Bicentennial Celebration series.
— Submitted December 13, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 13, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 225 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 13, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
