THE LOOP — In 1885, Danish-born Jens Jensen arrived in Chicago when it was the fastest growing city in the country. But as Daniel Burnham focused on creating a bustling downtown, he fell in love with the city's prairies to the west.
While Chicagoans are familiar with fellow prairie lovers Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, Jensen's name is a lesser known one — even though his landscape design can be seen in Humboldt, Douglas and Columbus parks along with the Garfield Park Conservatory.
"Jens Jensen The Living Green" is a documentary by Chicago filmmaker Carey Lundin. The film already snagged awards from the Chicago International Film Festival, the Green Bay Film Festival and Wild Rose International Film Fest.
“Jensen’s message could not be more relevant,” said Lundin, the film’s director and co-producer, in a statement. “As humanity has moved off the farms and into cities, as countries like China move into their own industrial age and as our world experiences the ravages of climate change, we need conservation heroes now more than ever.”
Check out a trailer for the film here. It will screen (for free) in Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion on June 19 at 8 p.m.
