Elmhurst in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Spirit of Bessie Coleman

2025, Painted Steel, 12x5x5 feet.

— Crossings by Bernard Williams; April 25-August 17, 2025 —

Spirit of Bessie Coleman Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 24, 2026

1. Spirit of Bessie Coleman Marker

Inscription. This twelve-foot-tall sculpture honors Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman pilot who broke barriers and paved the way for future generations of Black pilots in the early 20th century. While born in Texas in 1892, Bessie moved to Chicago in 1915, where her desire to fly was born. Escaping discrimination from American aviation schools, she moved to France and obtained her pilot license in 1921. In this work, Williams celebrates Bessie's life through themes and symbolism of mobility in relation to her career in aviation and her ambition that progressed history forward. Bessie Coleman is also celebrated in Williams' new, life-size airplane sculpture, temporarily presented in the Hostetler Gallery inside the Museum.

CROSSINGS is a solo exhibition by acclaimed Chicago-based artist Bernard Williams traversing the Elmhurst Art Museum's campus, with four dynamic sculptures in the park and an airplane sculpture inside the Museum's Hostetler Gallery. The works in CROSSINGS address the concept of mobility-not

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just as physical movement forward, but as the human aspiration to rise to better circumstances.

About Bernard Williams
Williams is a Chicago native celebrated for his public murals, sculptures, and paintings that highlight little-known or forgotten narratives in history. The painter/sculptor has exhibited his artwork both regionally and nationally. His public sculptures and murals are spread throughout the Chicagoland area.

Erected 2025 by Elmhurst Art Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Air & Space • Arts, Letters, Music • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.

Location. 41° 53.908′ N, 87° 56.583′ W. Marker is in Elmhurst, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is on Cottage Hill Avenue west of Adelaide Street. The marker is next to the parking lot in front of the Elmhurst Art Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 150 South Cottage Hill Avenue, Elmhurst IL 60126, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Bessie Coleman sculpture and sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 24, 2026

2. Bessie Coleman sculpture and sign

Elmhurst's public library is in the background on the far left.

this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also 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 territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cowboy Dream (a few steps from this marker); Carl F. Kranz and Elmhurst College (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Galena & Chicago Union R.R. (about 800 feet away); Haumea (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elmhurst Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elmhurst College (approx. 0.2 miles away); Reinhold Niebuhr (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Old Elmhurst Fire Bell (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Elmhurst.

Also see . . .
1. Elmhurst Art Museum: Crossings by Bernard Williams. (Submitted on January 26, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Bernard Williams official site.

Crossings by Bernard Williams image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 24, 2026

3. Crossings by Bernard Williams

The yellow Bessie Coleman sculpture and related marker are to the left; Cowboy Dream (black) and its related sign are to the right. The Elmhurst Art Museum is in the far background.

(Submitted on January 26, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
3. Bessie Coleman biography. (Submitted on January 26, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 45 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 26, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.