Sperm Whale Preston Jackson

A metal sperm whale lay outside the public library in Peoria Heights, according to a September 2025 New City article, with words and plastic bottles worked into its body as a warning about plastic pollution.

The sculpture, titled “Shirley Armstrong,” is by Preston Jackson, a Decatur-born artist whose other works include a nine-foot statue of Richard Pryor in Peoria, according to New City. Jackson named it for his mother. In a statement quoted by the village, he said the whale and his mother share being “strong and sleek objects of beauty with strong maternal instincts.” He called the work an environmental statement, with words such as “save our planet” built into the structure, and said of the bottles, “The plastic bottles that she has ingested will soon be the reason for her demise.” The Heart of Illinois Sierra Club sponsored it.