Berwyn in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers, 1982

By James Seawright

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 31, 2026

1. Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers, 1982 Marker

Inscription. The artist celebrates the space-age technology of the early 80's by using it to create sculptures that reflect the forms of nature. These flowers "bloom" through computer-controlled programs. Light emitting diodes (LED's) are the means through which the night flowers display their patterns of life, while the movement of the daytime flowers are evoked by the use of plastic discs and automated mechanical devices.

James Seawright, born in 1936 in Jackson, Mississippi, was Director of Visual Arts at Princeton University at the time this work was created. One of the foremost technological artists since the late 60's, some of his major pieces are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the Guggenheim Museum of New York City, the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, the New Jersey State Museum at Trenton, and other museums throughout the world.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1982.

Location. 41° 50.937′ N, 87° 48.169′ W. Marker is in Berwyn, Illinois, in Cook County. It can

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be reached from Harlem Avenue (Illinois Route 43) south of Cermak Road (22nd Street), on the right when traveling north. The marker and accompanying art are in Cermak Plaza, just right of the entrance into Marshalls. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7163 Cermak Road, Berwyn IL 60402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in 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: Veterans Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Chenstochow Holocaust Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Pinsk Holocaust Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Holocaust Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Veterans Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away); Anshe Chodorkov Cemetery

Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers, 1982 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 31, 2026

2. Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers, 1982

(approx. 0.7 miles away); Berwyn Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berwyn.

Regarding Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers, 1982. This James Seawright artwork—its LED functionality, as best as can be determined, apparently out of use for many years—is the last vestige of Cermak Plaza's one-time status as an iconic hub of modern art. Beginning in the 1980s, the shopping center, located at the southwest corner of Harlem Avenue and Cermak Road (22nd Street), became the home to a slew of modern art pieces. Based on archival photo evidence, each included a description on blue signs that are similar to the one next to "Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers."

The most famous work at Cermak Plaza was the "Spindle," which debuted in 1989 and featured a 50-foot spear impaling eight old cars; it made a cameo appearance in the 1992 movie "Wayne's World." The Spindle was removed in 2008 after many years of deterioration, replaced a year later by a new Walgreens. All of the other works were removed due either to similar decay, or during renovations of the shopping center. Only Seawright's "Ever-Blooming

Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers, in front of Marshalls image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 31, 2026

3. Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers, in front of Marshalls

Night and Day Flowers" remains.

Also see . . .
1. About James Seawright. A biography of James Seawright, from his official website. Seawright died at the age of 85 in 2022. (Submitted on January 31, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. What’s the deal with the art at Cermak Plaza?. (Submitted on January 31, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Cermak Plaza image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 31, 2026

4. Cermak Plaza

Ever-Blooming Night and Day Flowers is on the left side of this photo; the Harlem Ave. entrance into Cermak Plaza is on the right.

The Spindle at Cermak Plaza image. Click for full size.

Joe+Jeanette Archie (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons, circa 2007

5. The Spindle at Cermak Plaza

The most famous art piece at Cermak Plaza was the "Spindle," a 50-foot spear impaling eight old cars. Installed in 1989, it made a cameo in the 1992 movie "Wayne's World." Amid deterioration, it was disassembled in 2008, and its former site was converted into a Walgreens.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 31, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 65 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 31, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5. submitted on August 12, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.