Flossmoor has long been a center of public art, as one can see by driving around the village, noticing the many sculptures.
There are 12 in the permanent collection and seven in the rotating collection.
Maintaining and obtaining all that public art costs money, and the Flossmoor Public Art Commission, which oversees the collection, could use some help. So they’re turning to something they know well, auctioning art created for just that purpose.
Nancy Burrows, co-chair of the public arts commission, touched on why this month’s art auction has a key role.
Some public art collections she’s seen in other towns look weathered because of lack of upkeep, and she doesn’t want Flossmoor to fall into that trap.
“It’s quite a balancing act,” Burrows said.
Hence, the Garden Art Auction.
“Public art is an important part of Flossmoor’s identity and brand,” she said. “However, it is not funded by the village. The village provides incredible support for the program but the funding is through donations.”
Pieces of art designed by local artists — including one by Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson — will be auctioned this month to raise funding to support the permanent and rotating exhibits.
You can find and bid on artwork by visiting www.ArtFlossmoor.com. Click on “garden art” and then on “garden art online auction.”
There, you will find 34 pieces of art on which to bid. They range from small to large, all with a garden art theme. There’s even art you can sit on. Burrows created 16 items for the auction.
“We wanted a theme that worked with the outdoor idea of sculpture. So, we thought that garden art would be a good way to publicize who we are and what we do,” Burrows said.
Many of the pieces sit on stakes, so they can be placed in a garden or yard.
“We even have one piece donated and created by Jason Verbeek, one of the artists in our rotation,” she said. He now has two sculptures in that rotation.
Verbeek donated “Rock Dancer” to the auction. And as of June 27, that has received the highest bid of any piece at $650.
“The other piece that is getting a lot of play is a downtown scene painted on an Adirondack chair that the mayor, Michelle Nelson, built and painted. She’s very talented,” Burrows said.
The green Adirondack chair Nelson built from scratch had the second-highest bid at $350 as of June 27.
“I enjoy building stuff in my spare time,” said Nelson, a civil engineer by trade. “My chair is painted Flossmoor green. I matched it to the village’s logo color. An Adirondack chair is a little plain, so I painted a scene of our downtown area because it’s so beautiful.”
Downtown architecture, sculptures, flowers “for our green commission,” and “the LGBTQ flag for how welcoming and inclusive we are here in town” are incorporated in the scene.
In a clever touch, the hands of the clock in her painting read 7:24. Why so specific?
“In military time, that’s 19:24, the date of our establishment. It’s our 100-year anniversary,” Nelson said.
Nelson spent about 20 hours building and painting the chair. She added a sealcoat to protect it from the weather.
Flossmoor, the mayor said, is keen on art “because public art sparks conversation and interest.”
“Residents really appreciate the value and beauty it brings to the community. And art does have a wow factor,” said Nelson, who was elected mayor in 2021. “We are blessed with an incredible art commission with a wide range of expertise. We are so lucky the (seven) commissioners volunteer their time to bring in these beautiful pieces.”
The public art program in Flossmoor was established in 1998 through private donations and an Illinois FIRST grant.
The village added new sculptures to its permanent collection of public art this spring, and it incorporated a new sculpture into its rotational collection.
A 9-foot bronze sculpture called “Paradise” by the late artist Hubert Phipps that evokes the landscape of America’s West was installed at the west end of Flossmoor in Ballantrae Park, 1404 Lanark Ave.
In May, Chicago-based artist William O’Brien came to the village to place three related sculptures together at the southeast corner of Flossmoor Park, at Brassie Avenue and Flossmoor Road.
Burrows said the art commission hopes to raise $6,000 to $10,000 via the auction, which is accepting bids through July 25. They’re also open to adding more items to sell.
“If more pieces come in, we are accepting them to add to the auction,” Burrows said.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
