27-Mar-17 – There was no warning that an 18-foot-long electric boat would be towing an inflatable sculpture three times bigger of a “man in the city” along the Chicago River earlier this month – and that’s the point.

“When people find something on their own or stumble upon it, they take ownership,” said Detroit artist John Sauve. “When you’re trying to promote and tell them, hey, this is coming, expectations are never met.”

(Right) View from an electric boat looking west as it passes under the Columbus Drive Bridge. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

The artwork is arguably more familiar to residents of Detroit. 60 orange metal sculptures – the outline of a man with a hat – started appearing on rooftops throughout the city in 2008, inviting people to look up and notice the architecture. Sauve has been working with the image for 15 years.

Three years ago, he met Greg Krueger, owner of Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales, and mentioned to him the public art project and that he wanted to display the work on the Chicago River. Within minutes, Krueger was on board, offering use of his 45-foot-long pier at Chicago’s Marina City.

Krueger would not get to see the artwork launched from his marina. He died in 2015 but his daughter, Amy Krueger Malow, shared his enthusiasm for the project and supported it when she took over as president of Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales.

(Left) Man in The City as it passes under the Wabash Avenue Bridge.

“This little launch that we did was about Greg,” said Sauve (right). “It was about us having a conversation and him buying into this idea. Didn’t ask any questions about it. He understood that I was trying to do what I do, which is public art. It was never like, ‘why do you want to do that?’ It was just, that sounds like fun, let’s get it done.”

The cost to construct the inflatable, floating version of Man in The City was more than Sauve expected but he says it was worth it. With the help of a Detroit company that has created floats for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and one more year of effort, Sauve took the sculpture on a tour of the Chicago River on March 17. Employees of Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales and Chicago Electric Boat Company, including two on their day off, helped Sauve set up and launch.

He says he and Malow are discussing doing this again on the Chicago River – but he notes that other major cities have rivers, too. “Here’s all I know,” says Sauve, “I would love to come back.” (Left) Douglas Jachimiec, Operations Manager at Chicago Electric Boat Company, with the sculpture, not yet inflated, as it sits on a dock at Marina City.