First art to be installed at Sensory Garden Playground

At the Sensory Garden Playground near Wheaton, kids of all abilities have a safe, accessible space to play together.

Beginning Saturday, June 18, that space will provide opportunities to appreciate art with the installation of the first piece of Art Along the Way, a series of four sculptures designed to stimulate children with sensory processing disorders.

The installation coincides with the playground's second Play Day of the year, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at 2751 Navistar Drive, Lisle.

First up is the installation of the Musical Mare, "a monumental steel statue of a horse's head that will be instantly recognizable and engaging from a distance," according to Geneva-based artist Joe Gagnepain, who's designing and building the sculptures.

"When one gets closer they start to see all the different parts that make the striking statue."

Mallets will hang on cords from the Musical Mare so children can test the sounds and resonances produced by the sculpture's diverse materials.

Kids and adults also can get their faces painted, plant flowers in the Fragrance Garden, blow bubbles, enjoy hypoallergenic Surf Sweets treats courtesy of Kidlist, engage with Western DuPage Special Recreation Association and Wheaton Park District staff, and have fun in the playground's first phase.

Phase I - which includes a horse stable-themed playground for 2- to 5-year-olds, sound and fragrance gardens, and central gathering area - opened to the public last year and already has welcomed thousands of children and their families.

The horse theme is inspired by the playground's site in the south area of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's Danada Forest Preserve, known for its equestrian focus.

In addition to the Musical Mare is the Sensory Arch, an eight-foot-tall steel horseshoe spanning the path into the playground, to be installed later this summer.

"It will further reinforce the equestrian theme and play off the scale of something small seen extremely large," Gagnepain said.

Multicolored, semitransparent acrylic panels, complete with symbols of the sight, sound, touch and imaginative concepts found inside the playground, will be slotted into the horseshoe's holes.

Gagnepain prefers to recycle materials into his artwork. He has worked with "bicycle parts, plastic toys, antique metal pieces, car parts and anything that can be scavenged to reduce environmental impact."

Like the playground itself, Play Days are free. Two more Play Days are scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 16, and Saturday, Aug. 20. For information, see playforalldupage.org.

If you go

What: Play Day

When: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18

Where: Sensory Garden Playground, 27751 Navistar Drive, Lisle

Cost: Free

Info: playforall.org