Entry No. 23 — the Chicago file — filed under: art-immersive
Oakland Museum & Garden
Self-taught sculptor Milton Mizenburg Jr. spent over two decades carving tree stumps and salvaged wood into towering abstract figures with a chainsaw, planting them across two empty South Side lots he dubbed the Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art. Since his death in 2016, neighbor and founding steward Yetta Starr, the Mizenburg family, and community volunteers have kept the corner-lot sculpture garden alive, eventually securing the land through NeighborSpace, a Chicago urban land trust. The result is a genuine grassroots folk-art environment you can walk through for free, far from any tourist circuit. It has earned local beautification and enhancement grants and remains an active gathering space.
The story
In 1988, Milton Mizenburg Jr.—a former forklift operator with a knack for metal jewelry—moved into Chicago's Oakland neighborhood. By 1996, he grabbed a chainsaw and started turning raw tree stumps and salvaged timber on two vacant corner lots into towering abstract totems. He named the open-air installation the Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art, declaring a patch of South Side dirt a home for grassroots folk art. Vietnam veteran Frank Duncan even added his own written poetry alongside Mizenburg's wood carvings, anchoring the sculptures in the neighborhood's lived history.
When Mizenburg died in 2016, developer interest didn't sweep away the corner. Neighbor and founding steward Yetta Starr, Mizenburg's family, and local volunteers stepped in to repaint the woodwork, weed the beds, and keep the installation standing. In late 2022, they officially locked down the land through NeighborSpace, Chicago's urban land trust, protecting the lots from commercial building. The city even dedicated an honorary street sign for Mizenburg at the corner of 41st Place and Lake Park Avenue.
What you get today isn't an institutional gallery with white walls and security guards—it's raw grain, hand-cut angles, and native plants funded in part by local beautification grants. The corner still serves as a community gathering space, occasionally doubling as a stage for pop-up jazz performances with groups like the Hyde Park Jazz Festival-Artist Corp. You won't find it on a double-decker bus tour, which is exactly why you should walk it yourself.
What it's like
Arrive at the corner of East 41st Place and South Lake Park Avenue and you'll find no turnstiles, admissions counters, or gift shops—just two grassy corner lots filled with weather-carved wooden totems. It costs nothing to walk through, and you can wander the lot at your own pace. On warm days, you're likely to see neighborhood stewards weeding the garden beds or lingering on the corner. Since it's an open-air lot with no indoor shelter, check the weather before you head down, bring water, and if you spot someone tending the land, say hello—they're the ones keeping Mizenburg's woodwork standing.
The move: Stroll the corner garden among Mizenburg's hand-carved wooden figures and talk to whoever is tending the lot that day.
- 📍 Bronzeville (Oakland)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: SW corner of E 41st Pl & S Lake Park Ave, Chicago, IL
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Monument to the Great Northern Migration — Pair two grassroots South Side outdoor public artworks built from repurposed everyday materials—one a 15-foot bronze figure made of cast shoe soles, the other a lot of salvaged wood carved by chainsaw.
- Nuclear Energy (Henry Moore sculpture) — Contrast Milton Mizenburg Jr.'s hand-carved neighborhood totems with Henry Moore's massive 1967 bronze dome marking Fermi's nuclear milestone two miles south.
- Fountain of Time — Follow up Mizenburg's raw, chainsaw-carved wooden totems with Lorado Taft's 1922 concrete procession of 100 shrouded figures in Washington Park.
- Promontory Point — Combine your stroll through Mizenburg's corner lot with a walk along Lake Michigan's last original 1930s limestone revetments.
Good to know
How much does it cost to visit the Oakland Museum & Garden?
Nothing. The garden is a free, open-air public space maintained by community volunteers and the NeighborSpace land trust.
Who originally created the wooden sculptures?
Self-taught sculptor and former forklift operator Milton Mizenburg Jr. carved them using a chainsaw starting in 1996, transforming empty neighborhood lots into an open-air gallery.
Is the site protected from property developers?
Yes. In late 2022, community stewards secured the corner lots through NeighborSpace, Chicago's urban land trust, permanently preserving the land for the neighborhood.
Where exactly is the garden located?
You'll find it on the southwest corner of East 41st Place and South Lake Park Avenue in Bronzeville's Oakland area.
What should I know about visiting hours?
While it's an open outdoor space, hours and community event schedules can vary, so confirm current details before making the trip.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: iands.design · newcity.com · starrdesign.net · chicagopublicart.blogspot.com
last checked: 2026-06-23