From Michael Jordan’s iconic United Center statue to tributes honoring James Lovell and Johnny Cash, a new special exhibition at the Dunn Museum in Libertyville reveals how monumental sculptures are created.

“Carving Out the Future: The Rotblatt Amrany Studio Story” spotlights the Highwood-based studio behind some of the most recognized public monuments in Chicago and beyond. The exhibit runs from March 14 to Jan. 3, 2027.

Working from a former Army building at historic Fort Sheridan, Rotblatt Amrany Studio and its team of 15 to 20 artists create large-scale bronze sculptures for stadiums, civic spaces and cultural landmarks worldwide.

Founded in 1992 by husband-and-wife artists Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt Amrany, the studio gained national attention just one year later with a tribute to basketball legend Michael Jordan. Titled “The Spirit,” the 15-foot bronze sculpture stands inside the United Center and helped redefine modern sports monuments.

Since then, the studio’s work has expanded far beyond Chicago. Their portfolio includes the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial Statue in Los Angeles, a tribute to astronaut James Lovell, titled “Quest for Exploration” at the Adler Planetarium and statues of Chicago sports figures such as Harry Caray and Ryne Sandberg at Wrigley Field. The studio has also created monuments honoring civic leaders and cultural icons across the country and internationally.

Inside the Creative Process

Visitors can experience that craftsmanship up close. The exhibition includes small bronze sculptures and about a dozen life-size fiberglass head busts -- sculptures that show only the head and upper chest -- of well-known figures. Together, they offer a closer look at the fine details and expressions that shape the studio’s larger monuments.

Inside the gallery, the story unfolds in two parts. One traces the journey of a public sculpture, from early sketches and clay models to casting and installation. Visitors can view working studies and scale models that reveal how movement, proportion and expression are refined before a piece is cast in bronze and placed in a public setting.

The second section highlights the personal artwork of the studio’s founders and artists, including paintings, fine art, digital pieces and glass sculptures that showcase a more intimate side of their creativity.

The Artists Behind the Icons

Julie Rotblatt Amrany grew up in Highland Park and built a career as a painter and sculptor. Omri Amrany was raised on a communal farm in Israel, where collaboration and philosophy shaped his approach to art. The two met while studying carving in Pietrasanta, Italy, a town known for its marble quarries and ties to Michelangelo and Renaissance sculpture.

“What makes this exhibition special is that it brings people inside the creative process,” Director of Education Alyssa Firkus said in a news release. “It shows how inspiration becomes a sketch, then clay, then bronze and ultimately a landmark that shapes how we remember people and moments.”