Update: 07/18/2024. Photos have been added to the series showing visitors continue to use the destructive path down the mound.
Coiled Serpent Mound
Subject: Abandoned Coiled Serpent Mound (Land Art) IV
Opened: October 14, 2019, October 11, 2021 (Indigenous Peoples’ Day), & June 5, 2024
Location: Chicago, IL (Horner Park)
Cost: $200,000+ (low estimate)
Abandoned by:
Lawrence Santiago (artist)
4000N, an abandoned project previously managed by the American Indian Center (AIC)*
American Indian Center of Chicago (AIC): Heather Miller, previous Executive Director
Chicago Public Arts Group (CPAG): Maryrose Pavkovic, previous Cultural Coordinator II
*Formerly known as Northwest Portage Walking Museum
Date: 06/18/2024
Camera: Fuji X100V, DJI Mini 4K
Related Post:
Photos: Abandoned Coiled Serpent Mounds,
Photos: Abandoned Coiled Serpent Mound (Land Art) II,
Photos: Abandoned Coiled Serpent Mound (Land Art) III,
Photos: Abandoned Coiled Serpent Mound (Land Art) IV,
Photos: Abandoned Serpent Twin Mounds,
Photos: Abandoned Serpent Twin Mounds II,
Photos: Abandoned Serpent Twin Mounds III
Links
CPAG Project – Coiled Serpent Mound *CPAG is requesting donations to maintain the mound.
CPAG Project – Pokto Cinto (Serpent Twin) *CPAG is not requesting donations to maintain the mounds.
Invasive Grass
The Coiled Serpent Mound had invasive grass plant plugs, Yellow Fox Tail and Barnyard Grass, planted in late June 2023.
Yellow Fox Tail (Setaria pumila)
Barnyard Grass (Echinochloa crus-galli)
Invasive Plants
Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
Hairy Buttercup (Ranunculus sardous)
Wall Barley (Hordeum murinum)
Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)
Narrow-leaved Bittercress (Cardamine impatiens)
Dwarf Mallow (Malva neglecta)
Native Plants
Slender Path Rush (Juncus tenuis)
Canada Wild Rye (Elymus canadensis)
Comments
- As of 2022, The project is no longer a Coiled Serpent Mound and is called Land Art. Coil Mound = Relationship, Land Art = Object.
- In year five, the only Native plants are the Slender Path Rush (Juncus tenuis) and Canada Wild Rye (Elymus canadensis).
- Invasive grass plant plugs, Yellow Fox Tail (Setaria pumila) and Barnyard Grass (Echinochloa crus-galli), were planted in late June 2023 (the hottest part of the growing season).
- April, May, and July of 2024 had multiple healthy rains, but the plants and soil do not look healthy.
- The top base and pathways are deteriorating because plants were not in place at the beginning of the construction in 2019. Over three years later, the grass plugs were put in.
- There is a path that cuts through the front of the mound
- Lawrence Santiago stated on October 11, 2021, that he requested to remove his name from the project.
- No Native Folx was contracted or invited to construct the site, maintain the site, or plant Native plants.
- The American Indian Center’s (AIC) name and logo are not listed on the banner.
- The American Indian Center abandoned the project and no longer manages the 4000N project.
- “Santiago X was not immediately available for comment.” – 6/5/2024, Block Club, Horner Park’s Coiled Serpent Mound Now Open
Article
Horner Park’s Coiled Serpent Mound Now Open, Block Club Chicago, June 11, 2024
“Santiago X was not immediately available for comment.”
Photographs
Update, 07/18/2024
Lawrence Santiago’s Website
The Coiled Serpent Mound is not listed on the artist’s website. The abandoned Serpent Twin Mounds are listed.
Land Art
Land Art is a series of artworks by Ihanktonwan Dakota artist David Bernie that addresses issues related to land art projects, such as land ownership and being born out of the concept of manifest destiny.
Creative Commons License
This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
