One of the odder pieces of public art in Chicago are the Crown Fountain, located smack in the middle of downtown and an anchor point of Millennium Park.  Two giant square columns, built of what looks like glass bricks, face one another across a stone courtyard.  Different faces appear on the sides that face each other, and a stream of water flows out of the mouths and fill the center courtyard so people can dance around in the water.

I’m not actually sure what to think about them.  They’ve been there for a few years now, and are, I suppose, a fixture of the city.  They’re certainly eye-catching.  They’re right along Michigan Avenue, north of the Art Institute and catty-corner to the Chicago Cultural Center (which is the building with the columns behind the fountain in the above picture).

The city has many art installations thanks to our previous mayor, Richard M. Daley.  The entirety of Millennium Park was built under his administration, and the new Maggie Daley Park was recently completed and opened to the public.  I’m not sure what I feel about the face fountains, but I like the fact that they have pictures of all different kinds of people, from kids to senior citizens, and all different ethnic backgrounds.  While it may not precisely be my cup of tea art-wise, it’s something to talk about in the city and it attracts tourists from all over – which you can also see from the above picture.

Thank you for joining us for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave us a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

The theme at Noony’s blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join her as she explores Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

Noony’s theme on Knoontime Knitting – One Writer’s Journey Into 3-D craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.

The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12^th to the 17^th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from Noon & Wilder; the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

Our friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and we’ll add you!):

• Darla M. Sands, Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
• Kari Trenten, The Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration

Write on, and Happy Blogging!