Ray Bradbury, who spent his formative years in Waukegan, will be honored with a statue on the grounds of the Waukegan Public Library - and we need your help to make it happen!

Waukegan runs like a thread through many of Bradbury's works, from the out-of-this-world (The Martian Chronicles) to the magically nostalgic (Dandelion Wine). And outside of his writing, Bradbury often spoke of the hours he spent at the Waukegan Public Library, then housed in the Carnegie Building on Sheridan Road.  It seems only fitting to mark his legacy with a statue at the Library.

Artist Zachary Oxman's proposed sculpture, "Ray Bradbury: Fantastical Traveler," has been chosen by a committee of Waukegan community leaders to celebrate Bradbury's life and work. Oxman’s sculpture will depict an elder Bradbury astride a rocketship, waving a book as he journeys forth. Through soaring lines and fantastic scale, Oxman pays homage to Bradbury’s vivacity. The juxtaposition of an older Bradbury with the unstoppable movement of the rocketship was deliberate. “Bradbury’s writing,” Oxman explained, “was not rooted in the possible world, but rather in a fantastical one. I wanted to evoke that whimsicality.”

"Ray Bradbury: Fantastical Traveler" will be cast in stainless steel, and will stand about 12' tall, and will be placed in the front of the Library, just steps from its main entrance.

Your gift will make possible this new work of public art in downtown Waukegan.