Riverwalk Gateway
A Public Art Installation by Ellen Lanyon
I - Exploration Artwork copyright 2000 Ellen Lanyon
Photos at right and above copyright Gary Taber Photographer
Acknowledgements by Ellen Lanyon
The narratives, which are told through a combination of scenes, vignettes, and objects, begin in 1673 with the explorations of Marquette and Jolliet, followed by a mural with scenes from 1782 of Jean Baptiste DuSable and 1803 when Fort Dearborn was built. Paintings record the development of Chicago's bridges and commemorate landmark events and important sites along the river and the lake, concluding in 2000 with the recreational use of the Chicago river.
Riverwalk Gateway is a history lesson worth seeking out and studying. The sixteen narrative panels may be viewed here through links shown at the left.
The latest addition to Chicago's Riverwalk Master Plan, the Riverwalk Gateway is a joint project of the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Chciago Department of Planning and Development.
Murals:
II - Fort Dearborn
III - The New City
IV - Float Bridge and I & M Canal
V - Three Swing Bridges
VI - The Great Fire
VII - Three Bridges
VIII - Columbian Exposition
IX - Reversal of the Waters
X - Michigan Avenue Bridge
XI - Grant Park and the Burnham Plan
XII - A Century of Progress
XIII - The South Branch
XIV - The North Branch
XV - The Main Branch
XVI - The Riverwalk
All rights reserved
Chicago's largest work of public art to date, Riverwalk Gateway by Ellen Lanyon tells the history of Chicago and its river. The magnificent 336-foot long wall installation consists of sixteen narrative panels and twelve decorative panels. Each panel is six-feet by nine-feet, overglaze painted and fired on ceramic tile.
The murals are installed along the parallel interior walls of a trellised passageway located under Lake Shore Drive on the south bank of the Chicago river. The structure serves as a gateway connecting the Chicago Riverwalk and the lakefront path. It consists of two 168-foot long walls which are connected by graceful steel arches. The arches, complete with marquee lighting, form a lattice roof above a 26-foot wide concrete path.