"Erode"

Openlands Lakeshore Preserve opened to the public in the fall of 2011. The ambitious endeavor to create a nature park on land formerly owned by Fort Sheridan included interpretive artwork. Instead of signage to explain the processes at work in the ravine ecosystem, Openlands found artists to create murals and sculptures in the park that helped the visitors both understand and be inspired by the area.

As one of the artists, I chose to exemplify the process of erosion. Most people walk by land formations without wondering how they are formed. I chose an area of the ravine slope that had an eroded path from rain water. Driftwood took the place of water in my sculptural installation. Wood flows down the slope, raised above the eroded path. The viewer makes the connection between the movement of the water and the eroded path it created in the side of the slope.

Other interpretive art work at the Ravine includes a mural of natural systems, color prisms that echos the park’s colors throughout the year, the language we use to describe nature and our relationship to it as well as representations of the varied creatures that live in the soil.

I have always wanted to play apart in the creation of a nature park. I am proud to be a part of Openlands Lakeshore Preserve. It is a beautiful place.


Learn more about the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve.

Contributor: Vivian Visser, Sculptor