By Emily Harrington
I don’t know how many times I’ve drove by the paper carrier that stands outside The News-Gazette building or the woman who stands at a bus stop on Fox Drive. These people (or animals) become such fixtures in our day-to-day dealings. Without their silent, comforting presence, our drives would be so dull.
There are many “who’s that?” type moments sporadically planted throughout Champaign-Urbana in the form of statues. It wasn’t until I started researching this article that I realized just how many statues there are in C-U. A LOT.
A statue is a carved or cast person or animal that is usually life size or larger. This genre differs from sculptures because they tend to be more realistic, while a sculpture is mainly abstract. This is my attempt at categorizing the sometime uncategorizable.
Take a moment to appreciate the artwork that makes C-U unique. We’ve mapped out some of the statues in provide images on our Art in Chambana Pinterest Board.
Champaign
- What? Copper/steel “Kesis” Native American chief
Where? Curtis Orchard on South Duncan Road - What? Bronze “Brothers” three boys
Where? Prairie Farm on West Kirby Avenue - What? Metal lady waiting for bus
Where? Fox Drive - What? Bronze Harold “Red” Grange
Where? West side of Memorial Stadium on South First Street - What? Metal boy and dog and man and horse
Where? North side of West Side Park on West Church Street - What? Metal “Prayer for Rain” Native American and animals on top of fountain
Where? Middle of West Side Park - What? Bronze “Read All About It” young paper carrier
Where? The News-Gazette on East Main Street - What? Bronze Roger Ebert
Where? The Virginia Theater entrance on West Park Avenue - What? Bronze “Circle of Friends” girl reading
Where? Corner of Neil and Park Streets
Urbana
- What? Bronze/ironwood “Lincoln”
Where? Alice Campbell Alumni Center entrance on South Lincoln Avenue - What? Bronze Alma Mater
Where? Corner of Green and Wright Streets - What? Bronze “Computing a Future” aka “Grainger Bob”
Where? Grainger Library south entrance on West Springfield Avenue
If you are out-and-about, or want to make a game of it, take some time to admire the larger-than-life artwork that exists outside in our community. Add to your checklist, the sculptures to admire, too.
What did we miss? Tell us what public artwork you admire in the community in the comments below.
Emily Harrington is a Chambana townie that left her 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job to be a 24/7 mom to a dreamy son. Still interested in writing, Emily uses some of naptime to practice her passion and keep her mind right. Emily is a happy wife with a happy life because she fell for a fellow townie. Oh, and let’s not forget her other son, a degenerate canine named Heppenheimer.