On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Elgin unveiled a sculpture standing downtown along South Riverside Drive that offers an optimistic take on what the United States of America can be.
Entitled “Pursuit of Happiness,” the work sprang from the imagination of Nathan Adeosun of Hoffman Estates, 12, a seventh grader at River Valley Christian School in Elgin. Last school year, while attending the Elgin Math and Science Academy, Adeosun entered a competition for youth coordinated by Side Street Studio Arts as part of Elgin’s contribution to the nationwide America 250 celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“We wanted them to look at what America might look like 250 years from now,” Tanner Melvin, Side Street Studio Arts co-founder and executive director, said.
To that end, Adeosun created a cardboard prototype for his work and submitted an essay describing what he intended for his piece to convey. His design imagines a future for the country that is “diverse yet united, strong yet peaceful, innovative yet rooted in history, free yet compassionate, reborn yet recognizable.”
City of Elgin Artistic Project Manager Freddrick Wimms served on a committee that unanimously chose Adeosun’s piece and oversaw its creation. Wimms said it was the description that sold him on the project.
“It by far was the best (entry),” Wimms said.
Adeosun said he wound up working with a team of at least 17 adults for several months to bring the piece to fruition — a solitary hand in bronze, silver and steel with a monarch butterfly hovering above it, and a mother holding a child, the Statue of Liberty releasing a dove and a guitarist and dancer seemingly pinned to the butterfly. The budding young artist said the mother and child represent a reborn country, while the Statue of Liberty stands for freedom and the musician and dancer symbolize the pursuit of happiness.
Wimms said the multimedia piece includes foam sculpting from Ken Simonsen and others, contributions from staff at Acme Design, intricate 3D printing of figures by Andres Rivera Jr. and three welders providing their services for a small stipend. The work also involved having the steel wings for the monarch made at a shop in Rockford and moving the tall piece to and from locations to complete it. Its size is similar to pieces he’s helped build for Elgin’s Nightmare on Chicago Street Halloween festivities, albeit with “Pursuit of Happiness” put together with longevity in mind, Wimms said.
To cover project costs, according to the Illinois Arts Council website, that agency awarded $15,000 to 22 organizations across the state, including in Elgin, to create public artworks to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Mayor Dave Kaptain told those at the ribbon-cutting for the piece that the sculpture offered another example of Elgin’s commitment to the arts. Toward that, he noted that 2026 marks the 76th year for the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the 30th year for Ballet Folklórico Huehuecoyotl and the 14th year for Artspace Lofts in the city.
“We are showing a young artist that his vision matters,” Elgin City Council member Tish Powell said to those at the celebration. “I wasn’t doing stuff like this when I was 12 years old.”
Reading from a prepared statement, Adeosun thanked his parents, God, and those involved with the project for their support.
“This is what I envision for the future of America: a place where peace and happiness reign supreme, a place where every culture and race is united, loved, valued, seen, safe, respected and empowered to reach its full potential,” Adeosun said. “So I hope everyone leaves here today with the mindset that shaping the future starts with us. It starts with the way we treat one another, the way we serve our communities and the way we choose unity over division, compassion over indifference and hope over fear. If each of us takes even one step toward building a more inclusive, peaceful and united nation, then the future depicted in the sculpture will not simply remain a vision. It will become a reality.”
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for the Elgin News-Courier.