2017 Day Trip: Batavia, Illinois / A Look Back – by Oscar Leon and Jessica LoPresti

A Look Back – by Oscar Leon and Jessica LoPresti

A Potawatomi mstands on the bank of the Fox River, with its underlying limestone. As a “keeper of the Fire”, caring for sacred campfire is an important responsibility.

He faces east, from which comes life and new beginninbgs, unaware of the magnitude of changes coming to this region. Out of his sights rises a windmill, a symbol of Batavia’s move from an agrarian economy to one characterized by manufacturing and later, commerce heavily reliant on the use of computers and World Wide Web, which also had its beginnings here.

A Look Back was chosen as the “History” component of the sculpture to grace the William J. Donovan bridge. It acknowledges that an accurate respectful view of Batavia’s past will aid the community in shaping it’s own future.