Morton Grove Artist Barbara Goldsmith's sculpture installed

The Skokie NorthShore Sculpture Park installed a new public art sculpture titled “Aspire” by Morton Grove artist Barbara Goldsmith on October 2, 2022. The 30 feet tall sculpture (including the base) is in Section 4 of the Sculpture Park on McCormick Boulevard, between Howard Street and Touhy Avenue.

Sculpture artist Barbara Goldsmith has been a practicing artist for over 45 years. She worked as an art curator for over 35 years and co-curated at the Noyes Cultural Art Gallery in Evanston as well as other venues. She was honored with the Evanston Mayors Art Award for the Arts, the City of Evanston Community Service Award for the Arts, and the Evanston Arts Council for Curatorial Expertise. She also serves as a board member of the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park, as well as a faculty member of the Evanston Art Center.

Her artwork is an abstraction of reality. It is either figurative or organic in form. The media is usually cast concrete, stoneware clay with steel fiberglass, and mixed media. She creates large-scale commission work and has exhibited throughout the Midwest in galleries, museums, and private collections.

Her newest sculpture, “Aspire” was formed by making a metal and plastic armature. She then used a concrete and fiberglass product to cover the structure. She prefers this as it is lighter than solid poured concrete and can be applied vertically. The form of her sculpture took many weeks of a slow drying process. She applied the covering mixture to ensure effective results. She worked on her sculpture during the early pandemic times and selected the title “Aspire” to mean, “Hope. In a world filled with distractions and complications, I am hopeful for a sense of simplicity and balance and endless possibilities.” She chose bright blue paint for the exterior of the sculpture symbolizing calmness and security, “I wanted to create a quiet, peaceful sculpture.”

The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park (SNSP) is a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization, supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and by private and public donations. All contributions are fully tax-deductible.

The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park is located on the east side of McCormick Boulevard, between Dempster Street and Touhy Avenue, in Skokie, Illinois. The park is adjacent to the north channel of the Chicago River. The Sculpture Park is open all year, and admission is free. The Park welcomes bicycling and jogging, offers group touring and picnic areas, and is fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Dogs on leashes are welcome and pick-up and disposal of droppings, mandatory. The Sculpture Park is accessible by public transportation–CTA, PACE, METRA, and train. Travel information can be obtained by calling: 312-836-7000.

For more information on the Skokie NorthShore Sculpture Park, view their website:

www.sculpturepark.org/