left: Detail of tiles running the length of the spiral to the center,
telling the story of Lucy's life in Chicago in three languages.
Spiraling from the center out, asking a series of questions that parallel her experiences such as, "Have you ever been evicted from your home? Do you have a home? Or do you consider having a home a luxury?"
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from Marjorie Woodruff.
above: View of SPIRAL installation
SPIRAL: The Life of Lucy E. Parsons in Chicago, 1873-1942 | Wicker Park, Chicago Park District
above: Conversation box detail, back and front views. Top photo, Lucy as a young woman.
Bottom photo, Lucy as a elder woman.
A Brief History of the SPIRAL Project
by Jeff Huebner
The community public-art installation SPIRAL: The Life of Lucy E. Parsons
in Chicago, 1873-1942, was sited on Chicago Park District property in the northwest corner of Wicker Park and was dedicated May 5, 1995.
At the time, it was one of only two monuments in the parks system
honoring a woman, and the only one honoring a labor activist and anarchist. Lucy Ella Gonzalez Parsons, of mixed African American,
Mexican, andNative American descent, was the wife of Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons, who, like other 1886-87 Haymarket figures, maintained historical associations with the Wicker Park neighborhood.
more...
right: Bench detail.
Two-year project extended to nine years.
1425 N. Damen Avenue
Installation in wood, ceramic tiles,
metal mesh, and boulders.
Donation to the Chicago Park District 1997
