Enjoy Outdoor Art This Spring

We’ve finally thawed out and welcomed spring and it’s time to get out and enjoy those lovely mild-weather days! Those who love art and also love the outdoors can combine the two on an adventure in the Chicago Southland.

Richard Haas Murals 

The Village of Homewood is where you will find the largest collection in the world of illusion murals by world-renowned painter Richard Haas. Initiated in the early 1980s, this mural project grew to a total of 15 murals placed throughout the charming downtown area. These unique murals have a 3-D effect that make you feel like you’re really in the scene. Check out the online brochure for a map to help you make your way around and check them all off your list.

Illinois Lincoln Highway Murals  

Along the 179-mile Illinois Lincoln Highway, you will find over 30 interpretive gazebos and murals that help tell the story of America's First Coast-to-Coast Road, which opened in 1913. Seven of those murals were completed locally in 2012 along the 25-mile stretch that extends from Sauk Village into Frankfort.

Created as a project by The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Lincoln Highway, the murals celebrate the local and national history of this early highway.

Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park 

Located on the campus of Governors State University in University Park, this outdoor sculpture garden will impress visitors to this 100-acre prairie park. “The Nate,” as it has become known, has been recognized as the Best Sculpture Park in America by USA Today’s Reader’s Choice Awards.

There’s no admission fee to this one-of-a-kind sculpture collection and its doors never close. Highlights include several important landscape-based sculptures created by distinguished late-20th Century American sculptors and a number of works representing Chicago-based artists, plus sculptors from France and Mexico.

The newest installation is “Running Table” by Dan Peterman, a 100-foot table that doubles as a gathering space.

Flossmoor Sculpture Project and Garden and Sculpture Park 

Introduced in 1998 by the Flossmoor Public Art Commission and the Village of Flossmoor, this award-winning sculpture garden project was the first of its kind in the Chicago area. It features world-class works of art installed in the village square area, along residential streets and in the Flossmoor Garden and Sculpture Park.

A dozen permanent pieces remain in the collection with others in the rotational collection for two to three years. Noted Chicago landscape architect Peter Lindsay Schaudt designed the garden and park.

Sculpture Collection in Palos Heights 

You’ll find a collection of public sculptures in locations around the Village of Palos Heights, with about 20 in total, including some at Lake Katherine Nature Center. 

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