Open End (sculpture)

Open End is an abstract public art sculpture by Clement Meadmore. The 11-foot-high (3.4 m), 5-short-ton (4.5 t) curved metal beam is located on the grounds of St. Xavier High School in Springfield Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It was previously located in downtown Cincinnati.

This article is about the sculpture. For other uses, see Open end.
Open End
ArtistClement Meadmore
YearAugust 1984 (1984-08)
TypeSilicon bronze, steel sheet metal[1]
Dimensions3.4 m × 2.7 m × 8.38 m (11 ft × 9 ft × 27 ft 6 in)
LocationSpringfield Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Coordinates39°12′29″N 84°30′17.4″W
OwnerSt. Xavier High School

Description

Open End rises out of the ground, bends 90 degrees to run along the horizontal plane, folds back on itself to run in the opposite direction, gently bends to the left while rotating slightly counterclockwise, folds again, and slopes downward toward the pedestal before curling back to point in the same direction as the second fold.

History

In 1984, Linclay Corporation commissioned Meadmore to design a sculpture for the three-story, brick plaza at the corner of Sixth and Vine Streets, in front of the Cincinnati Commerce Center that Linclay was developing. The Commerce Center, later known as the Convergys Center, was one of several International Style office towers that went up that year.[2] The hollow bronze and steel sculpture was manufactured for $100,000 by the Tallix Foundry in Beacon, New York, and dedicated in August 1984.[1]

Downtown passersby expressed puzzlement at Open End. Meadmore intended the work as "a bridge between the scale of the pedestrians and that of the building". Unfortunately, the scale of the sculpture itself became a problem, as pedestrians frequently injured their heads by walking into its two large prongs. To protect pedestrians, especially the blind, a 10-inch-high (25 cm) curb was later built around the perimeter of the installation.[3][4]

In 1992, the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project noted gouging and "minimal graffiti" on the sculpture's surface and suspected that water was collecting inside the pedestal.[5]

In June 1999, Prudential Insurance Company restored the sculpture and donated it to St. Xavier before remodeling the plaza. Open End was reinstalled on October 20, 1999, at the Math Wing entrance outside Berning Gymnasium, where it can be seen from West North Bend Road. St. Xavier students have compared the sculpture to Gumby.[6]

Meadmore's 12-by-5-inch (300 mm × 130 mm) artist's proof was sold at auction in 2011 to benefit the Cleveland Play House.[7]

References
  1. "Open End, (sculpture).". Art Inventories Catalog. Smithsonian American Art Museum. 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  2. Stradling, David (2003). Cincinnati: From River City to Highway Metropolis. Arcadia Publishing. p. 147. ISBN 0738524409. In the same year Atrium II opened [1984], so did two new towers, Columbia Plaza, now known by the name Chiquita, its largest tenant, and the Cincinnati Commerce Center, now known by its largest tenant, Convergys. Often critiqued as ugly glass boxes, these International Style buildings did highlight the strengths of their designs...
  3. Pina, Phillip (June 23, 1999). "Sculpture leaving Sixth and Vine". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. B1. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  4. Clubbe, John (1992). Cincinnati Observed: Architecture and History. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press. p. 67. ISBN 0814205127. Made up of large twisted bronze beams, this work has not endeared itself to Cincinnatians. In fact, for a time it was actually a menace as people kept banging their heads against it until finally a curb was built.
  5. "Open End". Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Inventory. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland State University. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  6. Wolff, Christine (October 1, 1999). "Eye of the beholder: 'It's, like, whatever mind-set you're in when you're thinking of it.'" (fee required). The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. D3. Retrieved October 19, 2010. Five tons of brown metal—bent into fat, gentle curves that flow like good penmanship—balances atop a squat pedestal sunk into black mud at St. Xavier High School. ... Squinting into a bright sun that danced off the 11-foot high sculpture, St. Xavier students offered opinions Thursday on the artwork titled, 'Open End.' ... Exposure to 'Open End,' will be a learning tool, said Ed Hausfeld, a St. Xavier German and Latin teacher.
  7. "Gray's May 25 art furniture auction to benefit Cleveland Play House" (Press release). Gray's Auctioneers. May 19, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
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