Review by Choice Review
Gilfoyle's informative, beautifully illustrated book traces the planning and development of Chicago's Millennium Park, located in the northwest corner of the city's historic Grant Park, fronting on Michigan Avenue. Developed from 1997 to 2004, the park includes important works of civic sculpture, such as Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor; the Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the Lurie Garden by Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd. with Piet Oudolf; and a band shell by architect Frank Gehry. The park is a collaborative public and private venture; Chicago paid for infrastructure while private donations from wealthy Chicago families paid for individual works of art and architecture. Gilfoyle (Loyola Univ. Chicago), an urban historian, focuses as much on park patronage, politics, and cultural context as on the formal qualities of its art and architecture. Especially intriguing are his discussions about roles of individual patrons in not only funding projects but also choosing artists and architects to carry them out. Each chapter provides thorough discussion of behind-the-scenes events as well as public involvement. Gilfoyle consistently analyzes how closely individual works of art followed or did not follow the park's initial master plan (by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill). ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through professionals. J. W. Stamper University of Notre Dame
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review