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Chicago's Newest Police Horse Sculpture to be 'Biggest Kegger in the City'

By Mark Konkol | October 22, 2014 5:33am
 Artist Chris Campagna’s newest sculpture of a Chicago police horse — part of a citywide public art tribute to officers killed in the line of duty — includes a little reminder to raise a glass in a toast to our officers: two beer taps.
Artist Chris Campagna’s newest sculpture of a Chicago police horse — part of a citywide public art tribute to officers killed in the line of duty — includes a little reminder to raise a glass in a toast to our officers: two beer taps.
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Daniel Bovino

PULLMAN — Artist Chris Campagna’s newest sculpture of a Chicago police horse — part of a citywide public art tribute to officers killed in the line of duty — includes a little reminder to raise a glass in a toast to our officers: two beer taps.

Commissioned by Argus Brewery as part of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s “Horses of Honor” public art exhibition, Campagna’s sculpture is painted to represent styles of beer produced at the Pullman brewery.

“The horse looks like different beers, from the darkest stout to red ale with bubbles and froth, to the lightest beers,” he said. “I like to do things over the top and make a statement. Since Argus’ logo is a horse head, I made [the horse] the biggest kegger in the city, and there’s two taps that you can pour beer out of.”

After making a short stop at a cocktail party Tuesday night, Campagna’s beer-inspired horse sculpture — his second contribution to the Horses of Honor exhibit — is set to be installed outside Google in River North.

It's outfitted with tubes for beer to flow through the horse and the taps, but not when it's on public display.

Campagna, who lives in Pullman, also crafted a golden Pegasus-inspired police horse that’s on display on Michigan Avenue, and he’s putting the finishing touches on a horse sculpture for the law firm Corboy and Demetrio set to be put on display in Daley Plaza.

The 45-year-old self-taught artist says his work is inspired by his own struggles. He was born with four holes in his heart and spent much of his childhood in a former St. Luke’s hospital ward where he read books, drew pictures and “watched a lot of friends die.”

“I was something of an experiment. Doctors didn’t know exactly what they were doing. I saw a lot of kids I grew up with in the ward die. I was one of the first people to live through open-heart surgery and survive on a heart-lung machine,” Campagna said.

“And when I was 10, while making spaghetti, I was burned on 90 percent of my body when I spilled a pot of boiling water. I flat-lined twice that day and was saved by two different firefighters.”

Growing up, perseverance through his art came to define him … and it still does.

"Today, I'm fine. I'm in perfect health," Campagna said. "Those hardships I endured as a child made me grow up fast and find out what I wanted in life. And if those things didn't happen I wouldn't be the same person. All the scratches and dings I have on me changed my life for the better so I can create this art that I hope helps people."

And it has. Over the last several years, Campagna's work has raised thousands of dollars for local charities, including the 100 Club's Great Chicago Fire Hydrant public art project in 2013.

Campagna's work can be found all over the city, including murals at the Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and a permanent fire hydrant sculpture on Michigan Avenue near Engine 98, Chicago's oldest fire station.

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