Jan. 04--As Chicago enters a new year, Millennium Park will say so long to a few familiar faces.
The city will begin taking down the ginormous sculpture head known as "Awilda" on Monday after a year and a half of being on display at Millennium Park's entrance at Madison Street and Michigan Avenue, according to the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Special Events.
The 39-foot-high resin head, titled "Looking Into My Dreams, Awilda," will be fully deconstructed by Jan. 12, along with its three smaller cast-iron compatriots "Laura," "Paula" and "Ines," which sit on the ledge in the park's South Boeing Gallery, the department said.
The entire temporary installation, formally titled "1004 Portraits," was the brainchild of Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, who also created Millennium Park's Crown Fountain, two 50-foot-high glass block towers that project video images of 1,000 Chicagoans on LED video screens. The four sculptured heads of young girls were put up in Millennium Park to commemorate Crown Fountain's 10th anniversary.
The "Awilda" sculpture, which was previously featured in Rio de Janeiro, was bought for an undisclosed amount by Jorge Perez, CEO of real estate firm The Related Group, according to the public relations firm representing the company. The piece is expected to be displayed for two years in Miami's oceanside Museum Park before making its way to another location along the city's Biscayne Boulevard and eventually to the Perez Art Museum Miami.
The department didn't return calls or emails Sunday afternoon seeking information on where the other three sculpture heads will be moved next or whether there are plans for another art installation to replace "1004 Portraits."
tbriscoe@tribpub.com
