My tree in Oz Park
Today, I went back to Oz park for the first time in a while. When I first got to Depaul, it was one of the first places I went and explored. I sat against this exact tree and just observed. Today, I decided to recreate that feeling, but dive deeper into what I was seeing.
Oz Park is an incredible piece of art in itself. It is based around the Wizard of Oz, and down to the details, it contains many odes to the story of Oz. There are statues of Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy and Toto. Kids can play on Dorothy’s playground or roam through the “Emerald Garden. The park has not always been in as good of a condition as it is today. The park was added into the Urban Renewal plan to improve the community, and it was named after the author of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz who settled in Chicago in 1891. The park is over 14 acres and has become an important community space for families in the area. Now, the children who grow up here get to learn of the story of the Wizard of Oz, and experience the history in their own home town.
This park is a very communicative space. Everyone is interacting with each other and connecting over the things that brought everyone to this particular park on this day. It was the nicest the weather had been in a week or so, so I knew a lot of people would be out and about today. People who had brought their dogs on walks were now letting them play together. There are groups of kids ranging from very young to early teens, and they are all playing in separate groups, yet sharing the space.
I noticed that though there is no volleyball court, this group of girls were doing some passing drills, and then eventually just playing a game of tips and passing the ball around. They used the space for what it is and for what they wanted it to be.
I was walking behind these three ladies out for a walk, and could faintly hear their conversation from where I was. It sounded like they were old friends reconnecting after some time apart. I like that they decided to go for a walk in the park to do this. It made me think about all the different reasons there are to end up in a place like this. The sidewalk in this park is one continuous path that leads you through each part of the park. They are in good condition and you can either stay on the path or veer off into the spaces in between. It is lined with benches along the way, and there are plenty of trees shading the walk way.
One of the things I thought was beautiful here was the way the sun hits the fields but leaves little areas of shade beneath the trees allows the perfect environment for a park. There are people on every little part of such a big park, and each of them gets to choose the environment they want. It has a very positive, welcoming ambience, and it reminded me of a summer day at home. Everyone has a really friendly manor. I watched groups of strangers wave to each other while passing by, just to be friendly. Each time there were dogs on walks passing each other, I could hear the commotion and excitement.
These two dogs were a particular example of that. I could also hear praise coming from a mom playing frisbee with her two daughters. She is teaching them how to catch it and telling them how good they are doing along the way. Groups of little kids were all running around, doing who knows what. I remember when I was little I could make my own fun out of anything.
I could smell the wood smell coming from behind me and the dirt below my feet. I could smell the fall air and the chinese food from the picnic table right behind me. I was in the perfect spot to gain a sense of the space around me.
I could not automatically think of anything that is missing, but maybe more art scattered around with brighter colors would bring more light to the park, especially since winter is coming soon.
You will notice that a lot of my observations are centered around dogs because of how much I love them, but this one in particular made my day even better. The owner didn’t notice me sitting there, but when the dog saw me he immediately went running towards me. I got to say hi and make small talk with her for a little bit, and I even decided to ask the lady why she decided to walk in this particular park today. She said her dog has always loved Oz Park because of how much space there is to roam. They always run into other dogs on walks, and he always comes home tired and ready for a long nap.
In this picture, you will also notice the leaves on the ground at my feet. The leaves on the trees have not yet started to change colors, but the ones that have already fallen are turning shades of red and yellow.
This is my favorite picture I took while I was there. I must have taken at least 10, but I saw this dog chasing a squirrel in the trees, and it reminded me of my dogs at home. He ran around and around this little circle of trees without a care in the world.
While I am at it, another random surprise of the day was getting hit with a basketball…twice. A group of boys, I would guess middle school, decided the grassy area was exactly the right place to start throwing their ball around. It wound up hitting my computer and closing it right on me actually. I passed it back to them with a smile as they giggled and ran away. A few seconds later it ended up rolling right back to my leg. This was when my time at the park ended, but I spent a little over an hour there when I expected to get bored far before that point.
This is the map I drew.
Overall, I think this park is a perfect representation of a communicable place. It contains art and history for community members to bond over. It is very walkable, and has a space for everyone who wants one.
Reading Journal:
Public art is a huge part of creating a communicative space. Art gives people from all different backgrounds something to connect over, and everyone can pull their own meaning from a piece of art. The “Materiality and Urban Communication” text emphasizes that a communicative space must have “spaces within cities that enable citizens to engage” (Gallagher). This can be especially important when art is a form of activism. When we went to Pilsen during immersion week, we learned a lot about the meaning behind the murals there. In the article on this, written by Kaitlynn Scannell, the art mentioned is an accessible way for people in the community to come together over shared passions and interests. For example, In Jeff Zimmerman’s clusters of murals in Pilsen depicts “the struggles of immigration and the inspirational faces of past and current residents with ‘Si, se puede,’ translated to, ‘Yes, I can,’ as a way to continuously motivate community members” (Scannell). I think this is important because his work actively motivates current residents and presents their history in a way the whole community can enjoy. This impacts the social capital of an area because it can strengthen relationships between community members. (198 words)
