An Elgin sculpture that commemorates America250 was unveiled Saturday, Oct. 10. The design was created by a 12-year-old.
An image of a huge monarch butterfly towers over the corner of Prairie Street and South Riverside Drive in downtown Elgin. It’s supported by a steel framework. In the center of its wings stands a small replica of the Statue of Liberty. On one side is a figure of a woman holding a child and on the other is a dancing woman and a man playing a guitar. The bottom part of the butterfly shows two hands wrapped around the other. One is a dark brown hand representing a Black person and the other represents a white person.
Dozens of people gathered around the “Pursuit of Happiness” sculpture for the unveiling. It got here through multiple collaborations.
Side Street Studio Arts, the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, Your Neighbor Elgin and the Illinois Arts Council put out a call to youth to depict their idea of America’s future.
"It's not just a sculpture; it's a vision. What he hopes to see, what he hopes everyone can aspire to be and to do," explained Denise Adeosun, the mother of Nathan Adeosun, the boy whose design was chosen to represent what America could look like 250 years from now.
Nathan said this is what he envisions for the future.
"When I think about life, I think about birth, growth, success, and purpose," he said. "When I think about liberty, I think about equality, justice, freedom, peace and a unified nation. And when I think about the pursuit of happiness, I think about joy, fulfillment, community, and the ability to pursue one's dreams and aspirations without limit."
Nathan drew the concept and other artists pitched in to create the final piece.
Freddrick Wimms is a part of the nonprofit Your Neighbor Elgin. He was on the board responsible for choosing the young artist’s work. He made 3-D models of some of the objects that were in Nathan’s design.
"And then sanded, glued, and made a lot of love with paint,” he added, “and made them look what they look like now, and then made it so we can mount it to the wings of the butterfly."
Jimmy Weigele is a welder. He helped put together the part of the structure that holds things up. He said when he was 12 his thoughts were focused on himself.
"But Nathan decided to make this to be inclusive for everybody," he said, "and I thought that was that was really nice, and for us to be able to take something that is a foot high and replicate it to like nine or 10 feet high, and it's here in front of us now, to be a part of that is really something special."
Weigele said a lot of people came together to create the sculpture.
"It's really neat to see everybody's passion and talents come together as a whole to make something happen," Weigele said. "So, this is a great sculpture, and it's the epitome of teamwork."
Mary Yetter is in the area for a Pokémon Go event and notices the gathering. She said it’s wonderful to see how children are making a difference in the community.
"I love it," she said, "because it shows a unified city of Elgin, and, I hope, for a unified America too."
Elgin’s mayor Dave Kaptain spoke at the event, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s chief executive officer Marc Thayer along with another ESO musician played a tune.
Nathan said seeing his image in sculpture form feels incredible.
"It's like a reminder of what you should do in your own way," he said, "and how you can contribute to making America a better place."
Nathan attends River Valley Christian School in Elgin but was attending Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School when he created the drawing. He’s a writer and wants to embark on many creative ventures when he’s older. They include becoming a screenwriter and a sculptor.
With the help of others, he's already made a mark.
