Blog

By Barbara Clark, Class of 2006, Millennium Park Tour Director
Photos by the author

In late 2017 Scott Stewart, Executive Director of the Millennium Park Foundation, sat down with me to talk about his role and about the park. Topics ranged from Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion, Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain, and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate. His perspective gave me some inside “scoop” for refreshing the tour of Millennium Park.

When did you assume your current role?
My official appointment began in November 2016.

What is your background and work experience?
I trained as an ecologist and horticulturist and used to work in the world of rare plant conservation, mainly orchids. There’s a struggle in conservation biology about how to convince people of the value of nature. I transitioned into the world of public parks/public space as a way to teach others about the value of nature.

What in your prior work experience has helped you most in your current role?
My experience in higher education brought an understanding of what it takes to teach and learn. My experience in municipal systems (government) brought an understanding of how government works and doesn’t work.

Describe your typical work day.
Variable from day to day, anything and everything from meeting with the board of directors to working in the park with architects to troubleshooting with landscaping or electrical teams.

How do you juggle multiple responsibilities?
Prioritize on the basis of the impact as related to the three philosophies expressed in the Foundation’s mission statement: free, open to public, democratically representative of Chicago’s diversity.

MPF’s mission statement: Millennium Park Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining Millennium Park as a free venue for all Chicagoans, and visitors to Chicago, today and for generations to come. In partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Millennium Park Foundation is also committed to the stewardship and improvement of Millennium Park and has the responsibility for the programming and care of several features including the public garden, the sculpture galleries, and the public art.

When you give tours of the park, what points do you emphasize and which elements do you include?
I give 25-30 tours annually, primarily to three types of groups. 1) Park designers and urban planners who want to know: How does it work? How were decisions on placement made? How do people move through and use the space? 2) People in the art world who want to know: How are permanent and temporary art exhibitions selected and maintained? How do the funding and endowments work? 3) Professional students in architecture, landscape architecture or construction engineering who want to know: How do you build something like this? What lessons can I learn for future plans?

Have you ever been up on the catwalks of the Pritzker Pavilion?
Yes. You climb ladders and go through access hatches. It’s reminiscent of climbing through a ship and always reminds me of childhood visits to the submarine exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.

What’s your favorite feature in Millennium Park?
Crown Fountain fascinates me – the way people interact with it, the way it captivates people, the way people play. In my mind, it does everything public art is supposed to do.

What is the process for determining renovations?
General maintenance and daily operation are funded by the City of Chicago. Renovations, such as recently done on Crown Fountain and the Peristyle, are funded by the Millennium Park Foundation either through endowment or targeted fundraising.

Any renovations on tap for 2018?
We’re looking at the entrance at the southeast corner of the park. We are also looking at enhancements to the nighttime lighting at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

What’s the process for cleaning Cloud Gate? How frequently is it cleaned?
A specialized cleaning company has a contract to clean and repolish it three times a year. The zone with the fingerprints is cleaned every day by in-house custodians trained to clean the sculpture.

Does Millennium Park operate in the black?
Yes, every year. We adhere to the city budget with an allocation of about $10 million for operations.

How many concerts and other events will occur in Millennium Park in 2017? 
Annually there are more than 300 programs in the park, including the Grant Park Music Festival and the Summer Film Series.

Any favorites?
A couple of foreign films. The foreign films attract a different audience, reflecting how the park is welcoming to all.

How many people visit the park annually?
18-20 million. An algorithm collates and corrects the data. The analysis that identifies repeat visitors and removes them from the count is done through DCASE.

What about security in the park?
There’s camera coverage of the entire park, and security officers are positioned throughout the park.

Any secret doors or passages?
In the southeast corner of the park at the intersection of the tunnel to Maggie Daley Park and the entrance to the parking garage, there’s a section of plywood painted black. Behind it is an uncompleted tunnel that passes under Monroe and leads to the steps west of the Sullivan arch.

How often does Frank Gehry visit Millennium Park?
I’ve yet to meet him. He rarely visits, maybe once in ten years. I’ve met Jaume Plensa, Anish Kapoor, Piet Oudolf and the GGN team (Kathryn Gustafson, Jennifer Guthrie, Shannon Nichol).

What’s the verdict on McDonald Cycle Center?
It’s a success. About 200 bicycles are stored on a regular basis. It’s one of the elements in Millennium Park in which park professionals express most interest.

Within the realm of urban design where does Millennium Park fall?
It has an international reputation as the stand-bearer for urban art and architecture parks.

Which other parks has Millennium Park inspired?
Rail Deck Park planned for Toronto. It’s a $1 billion park.

What’s your favorite example of a Millennium Park descendant?
Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle where you can see the influence of Millennium Park’s public space, architecture, and public art at play.

What will be the legacy or lasting impact of Millennium Park for the city of Chicago and urban design?
It represents the moment in time when the idea of the urban park changed, when a park didn’t have to be jungle gyms, ball fields, etc. but could be art and architecture.

Why do you think Millennium Park appeals to people?
When people come for the first time, they come to see the elements which are synonymous with the Chicago experience, such as seeing the Bean, or for an event, and then they discover the rest of the park!

What has been the impact of Maggie Daley Park on Millennium Park?
It has enhanced the Millennium Park experience. Families love both! The two parks make a nice package for families offering two different experiences of culture.