Chicago’s first permanent non-Native settler Jean Baptiste Point DuSable will be memorialized with a full body, figurative statue to be unveiled at the forthcoming opening of the DuSable Park, near the mouth of the Chicago River and the shore of Lake Michigan at 451 N. Lake Shore Drive. The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is currently open to artists or artist teams interested in submitting qualifications for the public art commission at the future 3.44- acre DuSable Park. All artists are welcome, with priority given to Haitian artists or teams, particularly those with strong connections to the Chicago region. The Chicago Park District will select three finalists from the RFQ submissions to present to an artist selection panel composed of Park District staff and members of the DuSable Park Steering Committee. A $500 honorarium will be provided to the final three candidates to develop the presentation. The chosen artist will be contacted by May 22, 2026. Artists may submit their RFQ by April 13 at 11:59 p.m. CT. For more information, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com

Photo Credit: Chicago Park District