Largest Public Art Commission In Wicker Park Bucktown History

CHICAGO, IL — A Chicago artist has received the largest public art commission in the history of the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods. Lynn Basa will create Worker Cottage Parklet, a sculpture that will pay homage to the traditional Chicago “worker cottages” frequently found in working- and middle-class neighborhoods in the nineteenth century. The $80,000 commission was awarded to Basa by Wicker Park Bucktown Special Service Area #33, the neighborhood’s business improvement district, after an extensive call for artists and a jury process led by Chicago art professionals.

Basa’s Worker Cottage Parklet will be installed by July at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Wood Street in the Wicker Park neighborhood.

“Every weekday morning, workers stream along Milwaukee Avenue to downtown Chicago, past many of the same buildings that were there 125 years ago — eyeing the bars, restaurants and shops they’ll visit in the evening as a reward for their labor,” said Basa. “In this way, Chicago workers sustain Milwaukee Avenue as it sustains them.”

Basa has created more than 50 public and private site-specific commissions across the United States.

“We are thrilled to bring Lynn Basa’s work to the Wicker Park neighborhood,” said WPB SSA #33 Arts Committee Chair David James Ginople. “Her Worker Cottage Parklet honors the history of our neighborhood and provides a place for today’s workers and artists to rest and reflect on the vibrant place we call home.”

Basa is the author of The Artist’s Guide to Public Art, and has taught in the sculpture department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Image credits (l-r): Rendering of Lynn Basa’s Worker Cottage Parklet, courtesy of the artist; historic image of a Chicago “worker cottage”