The artifacts beckon when you're driving on McCormick Boulevard, alongside the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park.
Galloping horses, houses without walls, storm-blown ships, jumbled letters, tanks, blocks of concrete, coils of chain, frozen faces and human arms reaching for the sky.
What does it all mean, we wondered, as we pedaled along, this time by bike, making frequent stops, and turning to the little plaques posted along the way for guidance. Alas, the evasive titles made the meaning of the pieces only more mysterious and elusive. But not any less tempting to touch, photograph and interact with. Unlike pieces sheltered in a museum, these outdoor sculptures are out there, exposed to the elements, human curiosity, and sometimes abuse. You can run your fingers around them, feel the rusty metal, the cold stone, even get a splinter from the weathered wood. You can climb inside some, and peer out, like looking through the eyes of the sculpture itself. You can lean on them as you eat your picnic.
It's hard to know what exactly you learn from an outing like this, except that you feel more complete and alive. Art, creativity, abstraction, warm fall weather, physical exercise, hunger, laughter and silliness all together create an experience that cannot be measured, duplicated or explained. Like the meaning of the sculptures themselves, the exact value of this experience remains elusive...
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