Ohio park to feature new aluminium art

A public park in Dublin, Ohio is to be the recipient of an aluminium statue that the artist hopes will foster more connectedness in a world that she believes is more and more divided.

“We focus too much on what makes us different instead of what connects us,” said Olga Ziemska, an artist from nearby Cleveland. “I am an avid watcher of what connects me to others. I’m always looking for universality and that’s what I try to underline in my work.”

With that vision in mind, the Dublin Arts Council awarded Ziemska a US$150,000 commission to install two pieces of art in the city’s Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park. The first part of this installation is named “Feather Point,” and consists of a twenty-one-foot-tall aluminium feather.

The second piece, named “Universal Gathering,” is planned to be a cast aluminium tree stump roughly five feet in diameter – wide enough to be seated upon and contemplate life, according to the artist. The stump will be situated below a large white oak and covered with a glow-in-the-dark stone and sand aggregate.

“Olga’s work is a perfect blend of nature, our Native American culture and the history of a great Revolutionary War general, all of which are part of Dublin’s fabric and history,” said Fred Hahn, former longtime director of parks and open spaces for Dublin.

“It’s a powerful interpretation of the site itself,” said David Guion, executive director of the arts council. “But we’re very fortunate as a city to work with such a dynamic artist with such a background.”