As mentioned in My time as a theater correspondent, I wrote several articles for the Stagebill Chicago Theater Guide in the late 1990s and one of these focused on outdoor theater. In my research I learned about landscape architect Jens Jensen who designed outdoor theater spaces within Chicago parks in the 1910s. I included a sidebar about him in the article:
Columbus Park, which is mentioned in my article, is located less than a mile from our house. I’m ashamed to say that I have spent little time there since we moved to Oak Park 17 years ago! As much as I visit botanical gardens around the country and photograph countless plants and trees, I’ve neglected what is in my own backyard. Below is a photo local photographer Warren LeMay has shared, and if you click through to Flickr, you can read his caption on the history of Columbus Park.
Another local photographer I admire and follow on Flickr is Debbie Mercer, and she frequently has photos of landscapes and wildlife in Columbus Park. She also loves to photograph old buildings and architectural details. I love the same things, and I need to get out with my camera again! My goal this fall is to take my camera to Columbus Park.
One of Jensen’s locations that I *have* visited is Lincoln Memorial Garden in Springfield, where we went on spring break in 2016. I should have included this in Botanical gardens. Jensen designed this garden in the 1930s.
From The Garden Club of America: “The council ring is a signature element in many of the gardens designed by the Danish landscape architect Jens Jensen (1860-1951). Jensen developed the idea of council rings to work in both public and private spaces. The council ring is a symbolic representation of both ancient Danish traditions of village gatherings and newer ideals of American democracy. The circular design of the structure invites people to come together in an egalitarian way. Just as a circle has no beginning or end, there is no hierarchy within a group gathering around a council ring. Jensen placed council rings in the Chicago-area parks he designed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a way to encourage neighbors to come together as equals to share ideas, experiences, and stories and to enjoy the beauty of nature.”
The above quote was included on the site of the Illinois Arboretum, where they also have created a council ring in this style. I will add them to the must-visit list. It would be lovely to combine that with a visit to my dear friend Cindy in Champaign.
At the time of my Stagebill article I bought a biography of Jens Jensen, but returned it because it was so expensive. I have added it to my wish list so that I can relearn about him and his works. In the meantime, I will watch “Jens Jensen: The Living Green” documentary on PBS and make plans to visit his many parks.
So this blog post is a kind of bookmark or to-do list to explore my interest in Jens Jensen, since I have only scratched the surface.