The first time I can remember thinking sidewalk sculpture might not simply be a fancy form of littering was during the Cows on Parade program in Chicago several years ago. I was on a Wendella water taxi on the Chicago River passing the Lyric Opera building when I happened to look up.
There, on a small ledge in the very middle of that huge expanse of bricks was a cow dressed in what looked like some sort of Spanish costume. Suddenly, I was reminded of a time when I was driving on a treacherous single lane road up a mountain out west.
The sheer rock wall to my left was several hundred feet straight up. To my right, just past the edge of the road there was a sheer drop several hundred feet down. I was frankly becoming pretty apprehensive because there was no guard rail. Then I saw the sign: Watch for Cattle.
I figured it had to be a joke because the only way a cow could have ended up there is if it had rappelled down on a rope, something I’ve been told is quite difficult to do if you have hooves. When I saw the cow on the building in Chicago, however, I became a believer. Cows can go anywhere. I even bought the Cows on Parade picture book.
The more you look at sidewalk sculpture, the more it alters your brain so that it seems more attractive. That’s the way it has worked for me with regard to the Downtown Naperville Alliance’s summer sculpture program.
I didn’t care for the snowmen at all. The gingerbread men were OK. The cars were fun, the trains were neat, and the golf ball chairs were kind of cool. I guess the rewiring of my brain is complete because I absolutely love this year’s choice, which are benches that resemble open books. I’d even like to own one.
Not every figure is suitable for sidewalk sculpture. A few years ago, somebody put out some kind of animals that had either antennae or eyestalks that were easily broken off. By the end of the summer, the poor things looked as though they’d been ravaged by wolverines.
The book benches on the other hand look very durable. Not only are they useful but, as the alliance’s executive director pointed out, they promote literacy and the reading of actual books. That’s important because, contrary to popular mythology and the beliefs of many library personnel, books are far from dead.
According to a Pew poll, only 6 percent of Americans read electronic books exclusively. Three quarters of Americans read at least one book during the year, with the median number being four and the average being 12. The trends are even more interesting among young people.
Young people are more likely to believe there is information in print books that is not available online. They are more likely to buy print textbooks and prefer print books in the humanities and for personal entertainment, even when there are free e-book versions available. They even enjoy browsing in bookstores and libraries, proving there’s hope for the future.
According to some studies, young people appear to comprehend less of what they read in e-books than they do in print, although I think the jury is still out on that. It’s very difficult to do those kinds of studies.
We have a Kindle, and it’s great on planes. For long train trips, however, I still prefer to lug around a fat biography. It’s easy to get out of the habit of deep reading, but when you have the chance to shut the world out and concentrate, I think there are few things more rewarding.
There are many reasons to look forward to June, not the least of which is the emergence of the book benches. It will even be interesting to see what local artists are able to do with them. I’m sure I’ll like them, although that may simply be because I’ve been looking at sidewalk sculpture a little too long.