Fundraising dining event to bring Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park to life

It’s no surprise that the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park recently earned the distinction as Best Sculpture Park in the country by USA Today readers.

The free outdoor museum at Governors State University in Chicago’s Southland sits on 100 acres of prairie landscape, showcasing 30 large-scale sculptures.

Jeff Stevenson, director and curator, said the park's founder, Lewis Manilow, dedicated it to his father, Nathan, continuing his vision for an integrated society, thriving community, substantial university campus and public art collection.

A Pual Bunyan sculpture at the park. | Governors State University

Stevenson added that Manilow understood the importance of art, as well as the impact of abstract art on those who experience the park, which he founded to demonstrate possibilities to those who might not see or understand it otherwise.

Stevenson said that university’s students, faculty and staff engage with the park, along with “art lovers from around the world.”

The park will host a sold-out fundraising and engagement experience, Sculpture Wine and Dine, on Sept. 11

“This year we are celebrating a new acquisition ‘Stargazing with Contrails’ by Terry Karpowicz, made possible through a generous gift from Paul and Linda Uzureau,” Stevenson said. “The Visual Arts Gallery has an exhibit by Rodrigo Lara Zendejas called "Crowd Gate" that is an opportunity for guests to reflect on the events of 9/11. The program and dinner will occur outdoors in a party tent and will feature a commissioned musical piece by jazz legend Ernest Dawkins in honor of sculptor and national treasure, Richard Hunt. An afterglow party will allow guests to linger and continue to celebrate all that theNate has to offer.”

The event will provide opportunities for fundraising and engagement, and to celebrate the progress theNate has made in fulfilling its mission of art, conservation and education, according to Stevenson.

“The park has put the Southland on the map culturally through curating forward-thinking exhibitions,” he said. “It is one of the few outdoor sanctuaries in the south suburbs of Chicago where the natural landscape is strikingly beautiful throughout all four seasons. As such, one of our core values is to conserve and expand the natural prairieland.”

Stevenson added that the prairie restorers have joined humanist and scholar Bill Dodd in his mission to "leave the landscape better than we found it with donations augmenting the Bill Dodd Memorial Fund, which are allocated towards conservation."

“We've also recently upgraded our visitor experience with the help of automation app partner Otocast, creating a real-time guide to the park, a map of the entire collection, additional photos and information and with recorded commentary by many of the artists,” he said.