Whimsical sculpture garden planned for Logan Square - PhillyBlog

niel · #1 (**permalink**) 04-10-2008, 10:27 PM

Don't know how many of you caught this story in today's Inquirer:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/enter...an_Square.html

Quote:

The Fairmount Park Commission gave its blessing yesterday to a sprawling public sculpture by Tom Otterness that will transform the look and feel of Logan Square, one of Philadelphia's most iconic landscapes.

Largely inspired by Edward Hicks' famous series of paintings The Peaceable Kingdom, Otterness' piece will consist of cast bronze groupings - large Lenape Indians meeting with diminutive Quakers, and gatherings of lions and lambs, oxen and wolves - set throughout what is known as Aviator Park, the underused acreage that stretches between the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and Alexander Calder's Swann Fountain.

Alongside Hicks, another source of inspiration is Edgar Allan Poe, whose head will sit atop a bronze worm gazed upon by a 4-foot-tall raven (in high heels, no less).

This wouldn't have attracted my close attention necessarily had not my wife & I taken our daughter to New York for spring break a few weeks ago. In our search for interesting playgrounds for our child, we found ourselves in the park on the Hudson by Battery Park City - it's called Nelson Rockefeller Park. There's this really amazing collection of metal sculptures featuring a fantastic array of weird little creatures, dollhouse-sized structures, and really a whole host of oddball things, all interacting with each other and all available for climbing and otherwise exploring. It's great for kids & adults alike. A few images:

http://www.tomostudio.com/exhibitions_bpc.html

Turns out it's the same artist, Tom Otterness, commissioned to do the Logan Square piece. Perhaps some of you more in touch with the art world knew him already, but it was a discovery for us. I do hope the Logan Square project gets the green light - it could be really cool.

brooklyncat · #2 (**permalink**) 04-10-2008, 11:06 PM

I saw it. I know the Battery Park sculptures well and they are really delightful. He has some others in one of the subway stations in NYC, I forget where. They would be a fantastic addition to Logan Square.

It did occur to me to wonder when they are going to do something about the sadly neglected northern and eastern quadrants of the square...any idea?

The park in front of St. Peter & Paul would be the logical next step.

BeckyJ · #3 (**permalink**) 04-10-2008, 11:29 PM

Those are cool sculptures. I like the idea.

inacoma · #4 (**permalink**) 04-11-2008, 09:06 AM

Tom Otterness has been around for a while (he's in his 50's), and he really hit his stride and popularity a few years ago with the NY subway series- ive seen pictures and have run into a couple.

His work is really delightful fun without pandering, yet there is often a subtle political undertone going on, -like the little quaker and the large indian- but it never quite gets judgmental so its ok. i like his money-bags character who keeps making appearances. He will be a nice complement to the also childlike Calder, and is in the same kinda vein as the comcast center's Jonathan Borofsky sculpture.