9 Comments so far ↓

• Dave // Aug 29, 2007 at 10:21 am

  Biking is the way to go, god bless

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• RachelleB // Aug 29, 2007 at 11:57 am

  Chris F. tracked down the artist. It’s John Kearney. A bio here says -

  Mr. Kearney, now age 74, is a prolific sculptor, painter, and silver/goldsmith who continues to create sculptures that adorn many public spaces around Chicago. His many outdoor creations have included a chromium plated bull elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo, two goats at the corner of Clark and Deming Street, a gorilla hanging out for 20 years in front of the Uptown Hull House, an 18-foot tyrannosaurus rex at the Academy of Science, a life-size giraffe at the Museum of Science and Industry, a trio of deer at the Amoco Building terrace, two horses in the 1800 block of Sedgwick, and most recently the Tin Man in Oz Park. His sculptures can also be found at the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon, IL, the Detroit Children’s Museum, and the Ulrich Museum of Wichita State University. His “Chromosaurs” (a t-rex and triceratops, and stegosaurus – weighing a total of eight tons) landed at the Dallas Museum of Natural History in 1998. He also has two bronzes at the Museum of Contemporary Art and two bronzes at the south entrance of the Field Museum. Mr. Kearney studied at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI (1945-48), at the Universita per Stranjeri in Perugia, Italy (1963), at Belles Artes, Rome (1963-64), received a Fulbright Award to Italy (1963-64), an Italian Government Grant to Italy (1963-64), and was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome (1985, 1992 and 1998). He has been sculpting painting, designing and teaching at the Contemporary Arts Workshop in Lincoln Park for over 35 years. Mr. Kearney reminds us, with an ever-dwindling supply of materials, “Over the years, bumpers have gotten sparse, now they’re all rubber.” Will Kearney ever retire? It depends, says the grandfather of five, “I don’t know whether I’m going to run out of bumpers or steam first!”

  It’s funny because I just photographed his moose statue from about 20 different angles for a photography class assignment. I also went past his tinman sculpture in Oz Park on the way to work yesterday.

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• Joanna // Aug 29, 2007 at 3:08 pm

  I know that at least one Project Runway star has posed in front of it.
  http://santinorice.com/2006/03/special-edition-santino-vs-lacko-shirt.html

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• Clint Ecker // Aug 29, 2007 at 5:41 pm

  I take similar routes as you! I take the lakefront trail quite often (and it’s quite nice!) but sometimes I take Clark all the way down and yesterday I took Wells to Lincoln to Ashland, etc.

  I saw a lady snapping photos on her bike tonight on Wells just past Chicago. That wasn’t you was it?

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• JP // Aug 29, 2007 at 6:45 pm

  I subletted an apartment for the summer on Elaine Place where the giraffe is located off of Roscoe. I had just moved to Chicago and was studying for the bard exam. There is another sculpture animal located north of the giraffe at the other end of Elaine Place. I loved walking by them each day. : )

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• RachelleB // Aug 30, 2007 at 3:52 pm

  clint – that wasn’t me. i didnt bike yesterday.

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• Susan M. // Sep 4, 2007 at 11:18 am

  Rachelle, Remember the book A Million Little Pieces by James Frey who was shockingly, publicly, spurned by the Oprah herself? He talks about living in Chicago in the book AND he says that he lives on the street where there are giraffe sculptures on either side of the street. Looks like you were in his old hood!

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• rachelleb.com » Blog Archive » Jean Kearney’s Moose // Jan 8, 2008 at 11:31 am

  [...] on Roscoe Street when I saw those giraffe sculptures composed of car bumpers by John Kearney? He had this moose on display on Michigan Avenue over the [...]

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• jeff // Aug 15, 2008 at 9:43 am

  hi. I found the site because i was looking for info on the statues as well. Visiting Chicago this weekend and was trying to place them. I stuck around and read for a while. Thanks

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