One of Chicago's most beloved public artworks may be forced to find a new home next year. Agora, the striking iron sculpture installation featuring 106 nine-foot-tall human figures, faces an uncertain future as the Chicago Park District's 20-year installation and maintenance agreement is set to expire in August 2026.

The massive sculpture has been a fixture on the southern edge of Grant Park at Hutchinson Field for nearly two decades, captivating visitors who can walk among the towering cast iron figures positioned near Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue. While the agreement's expiration doesn't guarantee the artwork's removal, new development plans for the area have raised concerns about its continued presence.

The Chicago Park District's new Grant Park Framework Plan includes a proposal to transform Hutchinson Field into a neighborhood-oriented amenity, but notably makes no mention of preserving Agora's current location. "As it relates to the installation's future, the Chicago Park District's framework plan creates an opportunity to think about this part of the park, including considerations for the sculpture to remain or for new visions of the space," a district spokesperson explained.

Agora was installed in 2006 as the masterwork of internationally celebrated Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, who passed away in 2017 at age 86. The sculpture occupies a three-acre site in the park, with some figures depicted in stride while others stand motionless, creating an immersive experience that invites visitors to enter and explore the artwork from within.

Art experts and advocates are voicing strong opposition to any potential relocation plans. "Oh, my god, this work absolutely should not be moved," declared Mary Jane Jacob, artistic director of the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation. "What a tragedy that would be. What a loss for Chicago. Agora was always intended for that site – a site-specific, majestic work, whose location signals it is for all people of Chicago."

Abakanowicz is widely regarded as one of Poland's most influential postwar artists, with her works displayed in prestigious museums worldwide, including Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Institute. The Polish Ministry of Culture, along with Poland's Wielkopolska Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, permanently loaned Agora to the city and funded its creation and installation. Private donors also contributed significantly to the project, including late actor Robin Williams, who donated $700,000.

The artist herself viewed Agora as a powerful symbol for turbulent times. "We live in times which are extraordinary because of their various forms of aggression," Abakanowicz once said, describing her creation. "Today, new danger exists around us as if everyone were against everyone. Agora should become a symbol, a metaphor about this particular historical moment in which we need each other, in which we want to rely on each other more than ever."

Agora represents Abakanowicz's largest permanent work and holds special significance as her final major outdoor project. "This city was beneficiary of a great work, which is also the last and most important outdoor project by an artist whose power and reputation has only continued to grow since her death," Jacob emphasized.

The sculpture's name derives from the Greek word for an open space where people gather, and its impressive size, innovative design, and striking appearance have transformed what was once a neglected corner of Grant Park along Michigan Avenue. The current location provides ample space for the installation to "breathe" and accommodates the many visitors who wish to walk and stand among the rough-hewn iron structures.

Finding an alternative location within Grant Park that could accommodate Agora's unique requirements would prove challenging. "Grant Park is this great French Renaissance landscape and the formality of that landscape always lent itself well to various sculptural installations," noted Julia Bachrach, historian and author of "The City in a Garden: A History of Chicago's Parks." However, she added that "the southwest edge of the park at the time when [Agora] was being installed was a very kind of unfinished edge of the park. The Agora installation really made that part of the park."

The Chicago Park District is currently seeking public input on its framework plan, including proposals for Hutchinson Field's future, with the comment period extending until mid-September. The outcome of this public feedback process may ultimately determine whether one of Chicago's most popular and internationally significant public artworks will remain in its intended home or be forced to relocate elsewhere.