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 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.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3

last checked: 2026-06-23