Mooove over Cloud Gate. The Bronze Cow has something to say.
The fixture outside the Chicago Cultural Center will be one of four new statues added to the “Statue Stories Chicago” public art project.
Starting on March 15, the Bronze Cow, the towering brachiosaurus guarding the Field Museum, Lake Ontario in the south garden of the Art Institute and the Fountain Girl in Lincoln Park will be seeking your attention.
The project, funded by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, kicked off in August with 30 talking statues, enlisting the voices of “Friends” actor David Schwimmer, “Scandal” creator Shonda Rhimes, Steve Carell and “30 Rock” actor Jack McBrayer among others to speak for the iconic statues found around the city.
To hear from them, use your smartphone to scan the QR Code on the sign next to the talking statue and be prepared for an incoming call.
The latest installment will feature Tony Award winner Brian Dennehy as the voice of the dinosaur. “I love Chicago. It’s got an energy like no other place — and only in Chicago would I be invited to play a dinosaur!” Dennehy said in the news release.
The Bronze Cow will sound like musical theatre star E. Faye Butler, while WGN reporter Ana Belaval will talk for Lake Ontario, the release said. The three monologues were selected from a public writing competition overseen by the Goodman Theatre.
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The monologue for the Fountain, voiced by Chicago high schooler Chloe Grace, was the winning entry in a Chicago Park District’s youth writing competition.
“Most of us hardly notice the statues around us. Statue Stories Chicago aims to change this,” project producer Colette Hiller said in the news release. “They may be cast in stone but their voices have been set free. We have gathered a stellar lineup of writers and actors ready to put themselves in the shoes or in some cases the paws of Chicago’s statues.”
Celebrities lend their voices to city statues
| Statue | Location | Voice | Writer | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Montgomery Ward | Grant Park |
Bill Kurtis |
Sing London |
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| Alexander von Humboldt | Humboldt Park |
Sandra Delgado |
Julia Bachrach |
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| Art Institute Lions | Art Institute of Chicago |
Tracy Letts, left, and Francis Guinan |
Tina Landau |
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| Benito Juarez | Wrigley Building |
Luis Valdez |
Octavio Solis |
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| Benjamin Franklin | Lincoln Park |
Frank Galati |
Molly Regan |
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| Bob Newhart | Navy Pier |
Bob Newhart |
Bob Newhart |
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| Brachiosaurus | Field Museum |
Brian Dennehy |
Competition statue |
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| Bronze Cow | Chicago Cultural Center |
E. Faye Butler |
Competition statue |
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| Miro's Chicago | Chicago Temple |
Shonda Rhimes |
Shonda Rhimes |
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| Cloud Gate | Millennium Park |
David Schwimmer |
David Catlin |
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| Cowardly Lion | Oz Park |
Anthony Fleming III |
Raymond Fox |
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| Dorothy and Toto | Oz Park |
Kim Lawson |
Raymond Fox |
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| Fountain Girl | Lincoln Park |
Chloe Grace, Chicago high schooler |
Competition statue |
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| Fountain of the Great Lakes (Ontario) | Art Institute of Chicago, South Garden |
Ana Belaval |
Competition statue |
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| Heald Square Monument | Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue |
Bob Balaban |
Richard Nelson |
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| Helping Hands | Chicago Women¿s Park |
Amy Morton |
Blue Balliett |
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| Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable | Pioneer Court |
Harry J. Lennix |
Lydia R. Diamond |
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| John Peter Altgeld | Lincoln Park |
Geoffrey Baer |
Sara Paretsky |
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| Leif Ericson | Humboldt Park |
Fred Willard |
John Hartman |
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| Man with Fish | Shedd Aquarium |
Steve Carell |
Chris Redd |
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| Nathan Hale | Tribune Tower |
Jon Michael Hill |
Chris Jones |
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| Nicolaus Copernicus | Near Adler Planetarium |
Johnny Galecki |
David Saltzberg |
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| Paul Laurence Dunbar | Dunbar Park |
Malcolm London |
Malcolm London |
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| Rosenberg Fountain | Grant Park |
Elizabeth McGovern |
Ike Holter |
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| William Shakespeare | Lincoln Park |
Jack McBrayer |
Paul Jurewicz |
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| Spirit of Music | Grant Park |
Renee Fleming |
Sing London |
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| Abaraham Lincoln: The Man | Lincoln Park |
John C. Reilly |
Scott Turow |
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| The Picasso | Daley Plaza |
Deanna Dunagan |
Mickle Maher |
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| Tin Man | Oz Park |
David Kersnar |
Raymond Fox |
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| World¿s Fair Bison | Humboldt Park |
Lamorne Morris |
Paul Jurewicz |
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Sources: Statue Stories Chicago, Chicago Park District
Tribune, Getty, Navy Pier, Park District and AP photos
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