This sculpture creates a contemporary visual connection to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Monument Circle, and it provides a sense of continuity along the South Meridian Street corridor. The spirals and circles of the piece, which stands in what was once the middle of Meridian Street, allude not only to Monument Circle, but also to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gummer is an Indianapolis native.
From Gummer’s speech at the artworks dedication:
“When I first visited the site in the fall ... view more »
This sculpture creates a contemporary visual connection to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Monument Circle, and it provides a sense of continuity along the South Meridian Street corridor. The spirals and circles of the piece, which stands in what was once the middle of Meridian Street, allude not only to Monument Circle, but also to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gummer is an Indianapolis native.
From Gummer’s speech at the artworks dedication:
“When I first visited the site in the fall of 2002, I knew immediately that I wanted to make a sculpture that related to the Monument Circle. I wanted to make a sculpture that would express some of the defining traits of the city of indianapolis as I know it: the clarity of it’s structural layout and the dignity and optimism of its citizens. The first formal plan for the original settlement at Indianapolis expanded out of a circle to become the city we know it today. Avenues and plazas radiated from its center to form a square mile from West to East Streets and from North to South Streets. My sculpture pays respect to the model set out in the original city plan and mirrors it. The sculpture rises from a square base in a series of arcs that coalesce into circles. These expand as they aspire upward in a muscular reach and a higher and wider grasp of the sky. The supports for these horizontal circular elements are strategically placed, visually and structurally, to create a twisting, soaring movement. They become lighter and more open the higher they climb.
I believe that combining optimistic expansion with intelligent support creates a poetic yet pragmatic result. The sculpture reflects both the city’s grounded ambition and the aspiration of her citizens to a higher purpose. Because I grew up here and was educated here, I have an appreciation and understanding of the strength of character of the people of this city. And over the last 38 years, my admiration has grown with the city’s proud expansion. This work is my heartfelt response to the great honor of being asked to make a visible statement about the environment where it stands: the center of innovation at Lilly, and the heart of a city where I grew up and was inspired to become an artist. I believe it reflects the spirit of our Circle City: inclusive, uplifting, and outreaching. A community where I always feel at home.”
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