C Cleveland

I'm a big fan of art museums. I like to wander for hours amidst different time periods and mediums, stopping to linger in front of pieces that move me and scratching my head at others.

I know some people feel intimidated by the formality of the galleries and that, unfortunately, makes them avoid them altogether.

That's why I love public art. You can't hide from it's "in your face" existence. Sometimes, it's temporary, appearing in response to a conflict that's occuring in a region while other times, it's commissioned by the government or a land owner.

There's generally no placard telling you what the artist was feeling when they created the piece. It usually has a name and an artist's name and the interpretation is up to the beholder.

One of my favorite displays of public art in Cleveland is the FREE sculpture.



The dimensions of the "world's largest rubber stamp" are 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m) by 26 ft (7.9 m) by 49 ft (15 m) and it sits in Willard Park. I think it's fair to say that "FREE" is pretty easily interpreted.

It represents liberty and independence and was commissioned by Cleveland's Standard Oil Corporation (SOHIO) in the 1980's. It was to be proudly displayed outside their headquarters on Public Square in downtown Cleveland. Sounds simple enough, right?

Um, wrong.

As designers Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen began construction of the sculpture, SOHIO changed hands and became British Petroleum (BP). BP wasn't very keen on having a pop-art sculpture right outside their front door so they gave the artists the opportunity to relocate it somewhere else downtown.

Well, Oldenburg and Van Bruggen were not pleased about that and so, halted production and placed already completed pieces of the sculpture in storage. Years later, BP management questioned why a large amount of money was being spent to store this huge stamp and interest in it resurfaced once again.

The designers were brought to Cleveland to choose a new space and agreed that Willard Park, outside City Hall, spoke to their artistic message. Just when it seemed like a solution had been found, then City Council President George Forbes opposed the installation. This time, the designers threw their hands up and threatened to destroy it completely.

Luckily, Council President Forbes' reign of power ended and the new Mayor and City Council President negotiated with BP to donate the sculpture to the city and house it at Willard Park.



The original sculpture was to represent an upright self-inking stamp, but the turmoil of the years reinspired Oldenburg and Van Bruggen to lay the stamp on its side, representing how it was "tossed" from its original home on Public Square and "landed" in Willard Park.


Aerial view