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After nearly a decade on display, the art installation "Above & Beyond" will conclude its exhibit at the Harold Washington Library Center in December 2025. The piece, created by Zachary Keltner and on loan from the National Veterans Art Museum, features more than 58,000 hand-stamped replica dog tags suspended above the third-floor escalators. Each tag represents a U.S. soldier who died during the Vietnam War. A digital kiosk accompanying the exhibit allows visitors to look up details about individual veterans.
The project was developed through collaboration among veteran artists, the National Veterans Art Museum, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, and the Harold Washington Library Center. According to organizers: "Above & Beyond has offered millions of visitors the chance to scroll through memorabilia that contextualize the conflict while surrounded by the names of those who never returned."
Visitors are invited to view and engage with "Above & Beyond" before it is deinstalled.
In spring 2026, Nick Cave’s Spinner Forest will be installed in this space. Created with input from veteran artists and based on stories gathered during a community listening tour, Spinner Forest will feature images and motifs reflecting veterans’ personal narratives. Organizers say this new environment is designed "to foster dialogue around resilience, transformation, and artistic expression."
