EDGEBROOK — Chicago has a new bear.
Brook the Edgebrook Bear is bright red, made of fiberglass and as sturdy as a linebacker. The statue is part of a team of forest critters that have taken up residence in the Northwest Side neighborhood.
The nonprofit Everyday Edgebrook installed Bear and eight other colorful woodland sculptures in February. Brook stands at the intersection of North Kinzua and West Devon avenues, near the Edgebrook Metra station. Farther down Kinzua, in the boulevard alongside the parking lot, there is a buck, a wolf, a bunny, a frog and two mushroom statues.
Two more statues, a bunny and a deer, sit along Central Avenue.
“The goal was to really to tie the nature preserve to the Edgebrook businesses,” said Laura Guenther, president of Everyday Edgebrook. “We wanted something appealing that would bring people into the neighborhood.”
Everyday Edgebrook, which works to support local businesses by increasing foot traffic and hosting events, has been beautifying the neighborhood for a decade. The group maintains planters outside businesses and strings up outdoor lights during the holidays.
About five years ago, Edgebrook leased Eddie the Owl through the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit. Eddie was a hit, but it had to be returned after the one-year lease was up.
Everyday Edgebrook decided to pursue more permanent public art, so its members reached out to Orlandi Statuary in Logan Square.
Guenther said the group chose woodland creatures because of the nearby forest preserves. They opted for bright primary colors to mirror the palette of the Edgebrook Gateway Mural, which is nearby at West Devon and North Central avenues. The same bright colors can be seen in the mural that stretches along the path under the Metra tracks at Lehigh, Hiawatha and Kinzua avenues.
“We want to brand the neighborhood as kind of an arts district,” Guenther said.
The nine statues cost about $7,000. Brook the Bear’s name was decided in a naming competition held on the Everyday Edgebrook Facebook page in early April.
“She seems to be the one that catches most people’s attention as they’re walking or driving by,” Guenther said. “Right after we put her in, I saw people taking photos with her.”
Guenther said Everyday Edgebrook plans on installing small plaques in front of each statue. She said the plaques could feature a continuing story that helps visitors get to know the neighborhood.
Edgebrook can be “a challenging place to run a business because of the train and because it’s so close to the suburbs,” Guenther said. “We’re just trying to do what we can to make the area more appealing.
“We want to encourage people to come into the neighborhood and come walk around.”
Take a look at some of the new critters:
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