Artist: Claes Oldenburg, Coosje van Bruggen
Date: 1985-1988
Medium: Sculpture, Sculptures
Size: overall 354 x 618 x 162 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 1988.385

Spoonbridge and Cherry is a sculpture and a fountain.

• Is there a water pump in the spoon or the cherry?
• Does it have a motor?

Guess what? Even though water comes out the stem of the cherry 29 feet above the ground, there's no pump. Underground plumbing that starts in the back-up green house located west of the sculpture pipes water into 2 connections at the base of the spoon and feeds all the way to the tip of the black stem.

Artist: Siah Armajani
Date: 1988 
Medium: Painted Steel, Wood, and Concrete
Size: 375' x 12'
Institution: Minnesota Department of Transportation

• Was the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge fabricated somewhere else?
• How long was the bridge closed for construction?

The Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge was fabricated at a structural metals company in Hugo, MN. They constructed 7 large components; 3 truss spans and 4 supporting trestles. The ramps, stairways, and wood deck for foot traffic completed the construction.

 

A truss can be identified by a series of triangles that are welded into 3-dimensional forms, and a trestle is a steel framework that supports the bridge.

 

Artist: Jackie Ferrara
Date: 1988
Medium: Sculpture, Sculptures
Size: overall 126 x 506 x 407 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 1988.377

Belvedere is constructed out of wood.

• How long will the wood last?
• Is it treated with any protective chemicals?

All the cedar in Belvedere was replaced in 2003.The artist didn't want to put chemicals on the wood, but the structure rests on gravel so there's adequate drainage. The approximate life of the wood is 25 years, and the conservators decide when the cedar needs to be refreshed.

Artist: Sol LeWitt
Date: 1996
Medium: Sculpture, Sculptures
Size: installed 168 x 312 x 312 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 1996.135.1-.2

• What material holds the cinder blocks together in X with Columns?

Mortar binds the cinder blocks together. Generally, it's a combination of sand, cement, and water. During the 1996 construction of X with Columns, it was applied as a wet paste on the sides and top of each block. Every 15-20 years, the mortar undergoes repointing, which means that some of the cinder block joints are filled with new mortar, once again making them water-tight.

Artist: Mark di Suvero
Date: 1977-1982
Medium: Sculpture, Sculptures
Size: overall installed 316.5 x 510 x 450 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 1985.43

• What mechanism allows the swing to move in Arikidea?

Both the I-beams and the swing rely on U-shaped fasteners called clevis to allow the heavy steel and brass cables to move the sculptural parts easily. A clevis consists of a U-shaped piece of steel with 2 holes on either end so that the clevis pin, threaded through the holes, can lock a reinforced cable loop into place. Arikidea has a hole for a clevis at the center of the tripod so 4 steel cables can travel down to the bottom of the wooden swing where clevis fasteners hold them in place. To keep the swing from rocking too much, a chain anchors it to the ground below.

Artist: Dan Graham
Date: 1994-1996
Medium: Sculpture, Sculptures
Size: installed 90 x 206 x 508 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 1996.133.1-.15

• How was the mirror wall attached to the steel structure in Two-Way Mirror Punched Steel Hedge Labyrinth?

The mirror is actually a thin sheet of film that is sandwiched between 2 glass layers. The viewer can see a reflected image of herself and through the glass to the opposite side of this outdoor space. Both the glass and punched stainless steel panels are sealed from the elements with caulk.

Artist: Brower Hatcher
Date: 1988
Medium: Sculpture, Sculptures
Size: 202 x 246 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 1989.34

• How is the dome of Prophecy of the Ancients attached to the cast stone columns?

6 stone columns hold up the dome. Each column was cast in circular sections, and then stacked with the wide sections at the base narrowing to a capital on the top. These columns are also hollow in the center to permit a galvanized steel pipe to fit through the column and into a sleeve below ground. The stainless steel dome is bolted to each pipe using black steel rings that insert into sockets; this engineering know-how produces a clean appearance of balance.

Artist: Scott Burton
Date: 1986/1991
Medium: Sculpture, Sculptures
Size: overall 28.5 x 56 x 56 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 1992.159.1-.5

• Was the stone for Seat Leg Table cut with a power saw in the quarry or by the artist in his studio?

In 1991, after the artist died, 5 blocks of Tennessee pink sandstone were cut at the quarry to remake this artwork. Although the artist made the original sculpture in 1986, a flaw in the stone called for this refabrication.

As we have seen in these 8 artworks, it's a complex process to build  an intriguing, durable, and safe sculpture in a public space. It's valuable to research how public art is designed and produced. The next time you see public art, consider the following questions:

• What is invisible to the eye but essential for a sculpture to balance?
• How do the materials withstand outdoor weather conditions?
• Once an artist creates a design, who is consulted to produce it?
• What heavy machinery is used to install a public artwork?