Photography by Sandy Steinbrecher North of the Margaret Burroughs Beach, a Caracol-inspired gathering space with a Mesoamerican hop scotch game is be part of a new trail in the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. This is one of five sites installed in by teams of artists and community-based organizations whose designs are inspired both by local ecology, as well as the heritage of communities adjacent to the south lakefront. Moving along the trail, just past the 31st Harbor, an intertwined monarch butterfly sculpture crowns a hill, this design will be circled with common milkweed. West of Lake Shore Drive on 31st Street, south on the trail, a Scholar's rock sits in a grove of mature oak trees; have a seat and imagine the sounds of traffic as waves from an ocean, urban nature at its best. Crossing 39th street/Oakwood, on the west side of Lake Shore Drive, designed for growth every year, sculpted willow branches take organic shapes. The woodchip trail continues, a fallen tree hugs a bird sculpture born from the Sankofa symbol, a soulful reflection on nature. The Gathering Spaces, part of the Roots & Routes Initiative, were curated by a volunteer committee comprised of arts professionals and community leaders. For more information on the Burnham Wildlife Corridor & Roots & Routes: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/research/area/keller-science-action-center/science-action-chicago/roots-routes-initiative

1. Photographs by Sandra Steinbrecher
Burnham Wildlife Corridor
Gathering Spaces
Along Chicago’s South Lakefront

2. Burnham Wildlife Corridor
Gathering Spaces
Along Chicago’s South Lakefront
Wandering along the wood-chipped paths of
the Burnham Wildlife Corridor (BWC), visitors
encounter native plants and wildlife in a variety
of natural ecosystems. Unexpectedly, something
unique emerges from the landscape: a spiral
table, a ring of interlocking butterfly wings,
a philosopher’s stone, a collection of woven
willow forms, a painted bird with mosaic wings.
These are the Burnham Wildlife Corridor Gath-
ering Spaces, a series of artistic installations
interspersed throughout the BWC that reflect
the nature and culture of the area and serve as
assembly grounds, resting areas, and places of
contemplation.
The project is the result of a collaboration
among the Chicago Park District, The Field
Museum and community partners to improve
the quality of life for Chicago residents through
deepening connections to nature in the city. The
five Gathering Spaces were designed, created,
and activated by teams of local artists and com-
munity-based organizations from the nearby
neighborhoods of Bronzeville, Chinatown, and
Pilsen. The spaces pay homage to and respect
their surroundings by utilizing natural materials
such as wood, stone, and native plants.
A 100-acre ribbon of meandering urban wilder-
ness, the BWC is the longest and largest expanse
of Chicago Park District Natural Area along
Chicago’s south lakefront. It stretches from
McCormick Place on the north to 47th Street
on the south. The BWC’s native ecosystems—
including prairie, savanna, and woodland—provide
healthy, diverse habitats for migratory birds and
other wildlife and offer opportunities for visitors
to connect to the natural world.
The success of the Gathering Spaces is palpable,
measured in the collective energy of the partners
in this artistic and socially responsive placemaking
effort. Going forward, activation of the Gathering
Spaces through opportunities that celebrate the
ecological context and cultural significance of the
Burnham Wildlife Corridor will shape its legacy.
The Gathering Spaces were designed and
created over a period of two years. They were
photographed by Sandra Steinbrecher between
March and June 2016.
“The modern naturalist must realize that in some of its branches his profession, while more than
ever a science, has also become an art.” — Theodore Roosevelt

3. Map of Burnham Wildlife
Corridor Gathering Spaces
Caracol
East of Lake Shore Drive at 26th Street
La Ronda Parakata
East of Lake Shore Drive at 34th Street
Set in Stone
West of Lake Shore Drive at 33rd Street
Sounding Bronzeville
West of Lake Shore Drive at 40th Street
Sankofa for the Earth
West of Lake Shore Drive at 42nd Street
31st St. Harbor
LakeShoreDr.
S.LakeParkAve.
McCormick
Bird Sanctuary
Margaret
T. Burroughs
Beach and Park
ME27th St.
Oakwood
Beach
Burnham
Nature
Sanctuary
S.LakeParkAve.
MEKenwood
31st St.
39th St.
39
47
47th St.
43rd St.
35th St.35

4. Drawing on rich connections from the natural
world and cultural symbolism, Caracol (“snail”
and “shell” in Spanish) represents the immi-
grant’s desire to belong while maintaining the
core of memory and identity. Snails perform a
critical role in the food chain, breaking down
plant matter and aiding in the nitrification of the
soil. Likewise, immigrants’ economic and cultural
contributions enrich and revitalize the host soci-
ety. Caracol´s spiral-shaped structure suggests
ongoing movement from the core to a widening
exterior—from the familiar to the unknown. The
installation includes a table that can function as
a work or picnic table and as a painting surface
for a series of murals. Activation of the space
features the interplay of language and images,
stage performance, and a hopscotch game that
uses Mesoamerican numbers.
Lead artists
Georgina Valverde, Diana Solis, and
José Terrazas
Community Partner
Contratiempo (Pilsen)
Caracol

8. “La Ronda” refers to the circular structure of
this gathering space and “Parakata” means
butterfly in the Purépecha language (an indig-
enous culture from the northwestern region of
Mexico). The monarch butterfly is an important
symbol to the Purépecha. Monarchs historically
arrive in Mexico during the Day of the Dead
celebrations in November. Some believe that
the butterflies are the souls of the deceased
returning to earth. The butterflies of La Ronda
Parakata are simultaneously headed toward the
sky and bound to the earth, symbolic of both
the monarch’s migratory pattern of leaving and
returning and the Latino immigrant experience
in Chicago. This Gathering Space resembles a
sacred site in Patzcuaro, Michoacán where the
annual Noche de Muertos (Day of the Dead)
celebration takes place—on the side of a hill,
overlooking a lake.
Lead artists
Hector Duarte and Alfonso “Piloto” Nieves
Community Partner
Casa Michoacán (Pilsen)
La Ronda Parakata

12. This Gathering Space project interprets a
traditional Chinese “scholar’s rock” by carving,
molding, and fabricating a sculpture that emu-
lates the magnificence felt when viewing these
rocks. The scholar’s rock sculpture is placed
at the center of a tranquil rock garden with
hand-carved ash benches for viewing and
contemplation. The setting acts to invite the
community in and to quiet the mind. Scholar’s
rocks are often oddly shaped, sometimes bor-
dering on the grotesque. They represent natural
strength and mythical interpretation—show-
ing the ravages and beauty of nature through
surface texture, pocks and perforations. The
scholar’s rock invites visitors to acquire wisdom
through a contemplative viewing experience.
Lead artists
Andy Bellomo and Anna Murphy
Community Partner
Chinese-American Museum of Chicago
(Chinatown)
Set In Stone

16. This site includes several organic sculptural
forms woven from native willow branches that
rise from the ground in different heights and
shapes. Some of these forms serve as seating,
and some have “sound ports” or “nesting ports”.
These openings allow for visibility through the
forms as well as opportunities for specific audial
experiences between people and the natural
space. This piece commemorates and remem-
bers the strength and resilience of thousands of
African Americans who made the journey from
the South seeking better opportunities North
during the Great Migration.
Lead artists
Fo Wilson, Norman Teague, and Chris Buchakjian
Architects:
Monica Chadha and Mike Newman
Landscape Architects:
Nilay Mistry and Nathan Wright
Willow Furniture Maker and Consultant:
Dave Chapman
Community Partner
Bronzeville Community Development Partnership
(Bronzeville)
Sounding Bronzeville

20. This project features a “Sankofa” bird made from
mixed-media and recycled materials. In Africa, a
bird looking backwards over its tail represents
the Sankofa symbol, which means “go back and
fetch it.” It is an understanding that our past
holds important information to move us forward
in life. There is a mosaic on the exterior of the
bird and a mural on the interior representing
Bronzeville history. QR codes integrated into the
mural allow visitors with smartphones to access
information about the images on the Sankofa,
Bronzeville, the Chicago Park District and the
Field Museum.
Lead artists
Arlene Turner Crawford, Dorian Sylvain, and
Raymond Thomas
Master Carpenters:
BK Ellison and Kendall Glover
Community Partner
South Side Community Art Center (Bronzeville)
Sankofa for the Earth

24. BWC Partners
Acknowledgments
The Chicago Park District’s mission is to
enhance the quality of life in Chicago as the
leading provider of recreation and leisure oppor-
tunities; to provide safe, inviting, and beautifully
maintained parks and facilities, and to create a
customer-focused and responsive park system
that prioritizes the needs of children and families.
The Field Museum fuels a journey of discovery
across time to enable solutions for a brighter
future rich in nature and culture.
Roots and Routes is a collaborative project
aimed at creating and sustaining the longest
stretch of lakefront natural area within the
Chicago Park District system, the Burnham
Wildlife Corridor, in order to maximize benefits
for neighboring communities and nature.
The South Side Community Art Center preserves,
conserves, and promotes the legacy and future of
African American art and artists, while educating
the community on the value of art and culture.
Located in Bronzeville, the facility is the oldest
African American art center in the country.
The Chinese-American Museum promotes the
culture and history of Chinese-Americans in the
Midwest through exhibitions, education and research.
Contratiempo preserves and highlights the cultural
identity and contributions of the Spanish-speaking
Latino population in the United States.
Casa Michoacán promotes cultural, social, and
sporting activities with the Mexican immigrant
community, specifically from the western central
state of Michoacán, with a transnational vision.
The Bronzeville Community Development
Partnership focuses on information technology,
heritage tourism, hospitality workforce develop-
ment as well as training, preservation and
sustainability in Bronzeville.
City of Chicago
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor
Chicago Park District
Michael P. Kelly,
General Superintendent / CEO
Cathy Breitenbach, Director,
Cultural and Natural Resources
Naureen Rana, Project Manager,
Cultural and Natural Resources
Michael Dimitroff, Manager of Art Initiatives,
Cultural and Natural Resources
To support the Burnham Wildlife Corridor,
visit the Chicago Parks Foundation, the Field
Museum and the Chicago Park District websites.
The Field Museum
Mark Bouman, Chicago Region Program Director,
Keller Science Action Center
Jacob Campbell, Environmental Social Scientist,
Keller Science Action Center
Aasia Castaneda, Community Environmental Engage-
ment Coordinator, Keller Science Action Center
Additional Thanks
Matt Freer
Jason Steger
Carolina Macias
Tess Landon
The Gathering Spaces Curatorial Committee
Amber M. Castaneda, video documentation
of the Gathering Spaces Project
Isaiah Ballinger
Mario Longoni
Mike Brown
Photos copyright © 2017 by Sandra Steinbrecher. All rights reserved.
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