Bike Racks Become Art at Playground for Everyone

Submitted by the Elmhurst Park District.

Elmhurst, IL - When the Playground for Everyone at Butterfield Park opens in mid-2016, the playground won’t be the only eye-catching element on display.

Thanks to Elmhurst College art students and their instructor, Dustan Creech, the park will be the proud home of sculptural bike racks designed and built by students in the ART 235 Sculpture Studio course offered on campus.

Creech has had the idea of incorporating public art projects into his course since 2009. Students would “design, propose and ultimately build” bike racks as part of the course. Creech felt the project would be “an incredible experience for students to learn the process involved in preparing a professional proposal for a public work of art.”

Speaking about the project, Creech said, “These real-life experiences are priceless, and provide a wealth of knowledge about the lives and careers of professional artists.”

In the summer of 2015, Creech and Desiree Chen, the Elmhurst College Director of Communications and Public Affairs, met with Elmhurst Park District staff and discussed the idea, with Creech proposing the project for Butterfield Park.

Park District staff were thrilled with the idea. As one of the larger parks in Elmhurst and the future home of the Playground for Everyone, Butterfield Park was a perfect location to highlight the impact public art and creativity can have on a community.

Student proposals for the bike racks were submitted during the fall of 2015 to Park District staff, and student Jocelyne Mandujano’s design of children holding hands was the selected winner.

The image of children holding hands is appropriate for the Playground for Everyone because it symbolizes the idea that all children are welcome to play, just as the playground provides the opportunity for them to do so. The playground will be one of a limited number of inclusive playgrounds in the area, meant for children of all abilities.

For many children with disabilities it will be one of the only places in their lives where they can swing, slide and climb side-by-side with their friends. Creech’s students will soon begin working on a scale model of Mandujano’s design, with the actual bike rack set to be constructed in spring 2016.

For more information about the Playground for Everyone, please visit www.epd.org.

The Elmhurst Park District is an Illinois Distinguished Agency dedicated to promoting “lifetime enjoyment” by providing a variety of parks, recreation facilities, and affordable programs in the Elmhurst community. For more information on the Elmhurst Park District call (630) 993-8900 or visit epd.org.

Photo: Student models are on display at Elmhurst College’s Frick Center. Mandujano’s design is the one of children holding hands in the upper right corner.