Chicago has the best museums to get some culture, but what many don’t realize that the city itself is a giant museum with plenty of history and culture to absorb. Nothing demonstrates this better than new Statue Stories.
Chicago’s parks alone contain over 300 fountains, monuments, and sculptures, and 30 of them have come to life with the new Statue Stories program. Visitors and residents can now interact with these iconic statues across the city to get a better perspective on the city’s history, civic pride, and even humor. Playwrights and actors connected to Chicago have created small dialogues for these statues that can be accessed for free by anyone with a mobile device.
When you see a statue with an appropriate tag you scan it with your smartphone, and then you’ll receive a call from the statue with a story. Abraham Lincoln, voiced by John C. Reilly, will tell you about his history with the city. Cloud Gate, voiced by David Schwimmer, will explain why people call it the Bean. The little-known Man with Fish sculpture in front of the Shedd Aquarium, voiced by Steve Carrell, talks about why he holds a fish during Chicago’s cold winter. At Navy Pier, grab a seat with the Bob Newhart statue, voiced by the comedian himself, to talk about what makes Chicago a great city to visit. Many more statues from Humboldt Park to Oz Park have things to say with the help of playwrights associated with the Lookingglass Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Second City, and the Goodman Theatre.
Statue Stories will be running until August 2016 across the city. For a full list of statues and a map make sure to visit statuestorieschicago.com.