Unreal NEO Art Of The Day: $180,000, By RTA

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 10/25/2009 - 15:30.

Where is this $180,000 sculpture, who is the artist, why is it located here, how was it selected, who  paid for it, who will maintain it, what does it say, is it successful, does it represent serious problems in unreal NEO, and how may you get it to speak for you, in the future?

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Yankowitz and Holden - AKA NYArt Projects

The sculptures are in East Cleveland along the Euclid Corridor. The artists are Yankowitz and Holden - AKA NY Art Projects Their website has about the same info as Cleveland Public Art's website:"The artists wanted to create a place for people to walk, stop, read, and hear poetry. The work is a series of granite interactive poetry sculptures placed on a 115 foot site along the Euclid Corridor in East Cleveland. The sphere surfaces have embossed lettering that look as if they have left behind imprints of poetic texts. The three sculptures have peoms (sic) from admired poets who have lived in Cleveland."

Yankowitz and Holden's text says the sculptures speak - have audio triggered by electronic sensors. Do they, Norm?

I would assume that Cleveland Public Art will also have a contract with RTA to maintain them.

Interesting isn't it, that when RTA is spiraling downward with service cuts and rising fares, they can hire NY artists to make  adornments for a potentially dead transit corridor.

Note: This art is nowhere to be found (not even a link to CPA) on GCRTA.org.

It looks lost along the

It looks lost along the chained link fence…

Bureaucracy…that’s disconnected from the people, they create and then walk away, with money.

It’s like the antithesis of the little park on Storer Ave, imagine what could have been created with only part of that money.

Idiots and money that is such a dangerous combinations.

Those pieces are something that could be in a park or garden, something donated by a wealthy philanthropist. We all paid for it and many are for sure totally indifferent to that work of art. it’s a waste in this case of public funds it looks awkward, some artists really suck…seriously no sense of the relationship of scale, proportions and the very important placement. Then they sell their fucking souls to ass wipes that could not buy a sense of good design and its placement, if their life depended on it.

Aw, Come On Oengus, Don't Be So Timid...

Please tell us what you really think :-)

No. really, thanks, for putting it out there on the table, without the window dressing.

I recall (back in the '70's) that there was a "Graffiti Theory" to public art at the time.

Those were the days when the "locals" would pour laundry detergent into the public fountains, particularly during the hot summer months.

Someone did a "study", and noticed that the fountains that tended to get "the bubble treatment" were the ones where the po-lice were ticketing and/or arresting people for wading, dangling feet, or somehow actively participating/enjoying the "Public Art".

There also is a famous fountain in Portland Oregon (I believe) that was build about then. The "public" is welcome to sit, stand, splash, dangle feet, and otherwise (in a socially responsible and acceptable non-violent fashion) enjoy the fountain. I believe that fountain has yet to have gotten "the bubble treatment".

I believe the same was said at the time regarding Graffitti. Those parks where the local residents were somehow involved in the planning, design, construction and/or building of the park, did not get covered with Graffitti.

The other ones, like the "well thought out and designed" example here, well... time will tell.