It all began with “CowParade,” a public art display of giant fiberglass cows hosted by the City of Zurich, Switzerland in 1998. Decorated by local artists and then displayed all over the city, the sculptures were ultimately auctioned off to benefit charity. The event was so successful and well-received that it became the impetus for iconic public art displays all over the world.

Lone remainder of Chicago's CowParade, this bronze casting sits outside the Chicago Cultural Center

Sarasota clown sculpture

Chicago was the first to mimic the concept; in a nod to its history as a meat packing center, fiberglass cows were scattered throughout the Loop in 1999. Since then, scores of copy-cat events around the world have featured sculptures of whatever animal or item best represents the sponsoring city.

Sarasota, Florida, also known as Circus Capital of the World, chose clowns. The Outer Banks of North Carolina, during the centennial celebration of Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first motorized flight, attached metal wings to mustangs, merging “First Flight” with its reputation as home to one of the largest herds of Spanish mustangs still remaining in the wild. And in Miami’s South Beach, five-foot tall flamingos still peek from gardens and line the broad boulevards. The list goes on: Los Angeles sponsored angels; Hendersonville, North Carolina exhibited giant apples; and Norfolk, Virginia had mermaids. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve lived in downtown Sarasota for nearly three years and thought I’d seen everything the city center had to offer until the other day, when I took a walk along Sarasota Bay. Just two blocks from the heart of downtown I discovered an arched entryway leading to Bayfront Park, a half-mile long peninsula jutting into the bay. Intrigued, I stepped through the archway and into an alternate reality of grass-roofed shacks, brightly colored water sport equipment, tiki bars, multi-million dollar yachts at anchor, outdoor sculpture, elaborate playground equipment, and a circular recessed fountain where children romped in columns of water burbling from the ground.

Gateway to Sarasota's Bayfront Park

Rent paddle boats, kayaks, and jet skis at the little grass shack

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Metal angel sculptures line pathways in wildflower choked Northerly Island, previous home of Meigs Field. The old runway, now a mowed grassy strip, is still visible in the background.

During my recent trip to Chicago, I took an afternoon stroll around Northerly Island, located just behind the downtown Museum Campus on the lakefront. This narrow peninsula was once home to Meigs Field, a tiny airport that opened on December 10, 1948 and by 1955 was the busiest single-strip airfield in the country. In its latter years, the airfield served mostly private planes, but I have a vivid recollection of landing at Meigs in a prop engine puddle-jumper many years ago, so commercial airlines must have used the field at one time. Landing and taking off from Meigs Field was a scary proposition. The runway was short and dead-ended into Lake Michigan; my first landing was my last – purposely. I was certain my plane was going into the drink.

In 1994, Chicago’s Mayor Daley announced plans to close the airport and build a park in its place. Nine years of legal battles ensued until, in a controversial move on March 30, 2003, the Mayor ordered private crews to destroy the runway in the middle of the night, bulldozing large X-shaped gouges into the runway surface. Daley subsequently excused his actions, insisting that post-9/11 risks of terrorist-controlled aircraft attacking the downtown waterfront necessitated the closing of Meigs Field.

Closeup of sculpture on Northerly Island

These days, Northerly Island is strewn with wildflowers. Metallic angel sculptures rise amidst blossoms, pointing the way down narrow asphalt paths winding between the Adler Planetarium and the old air tower. Butterflies drift from bloom to bloom and songbirds warble melodies from nests secreted in tall grasses. Eerily, concrete runway markers – the only remnant of the once busy airfield – poke their heads above thick vegetation growing on the old landing strip. Walking through this idyllic park, it is hard to imagine that it may soon undergo yet another radical transformation. Read the rest of this entry »

There are things I love about Key West. The weather is awesome – my skin absolutely glows in the tropics. It is a small, eminently walkable island (only seven miles around). Key West is one of the safest places I have ever visited; I can walk home alone at any hour of the night without worry. Vegetarian food is abundant; in fact one of the best vegetarian restaurants I have ever been to – The Cafe – is located in Key West. The beaches are lovely and within walking distance. A strong arts culture ensures there is always some event going on, whether it be a gallery showing, an arts film, or a display of sculpture in the public parks.

The beach at Fort Zachary Taylor is my favorite - a lovely sheltered cove, pure white sand, and no tourists

But for all this, Key West unsettles me. After being here a few days I start to feel uncomfortable in my skin. I know that it is a real place with real people who live here year round; the problem is that the real people are overshadowed by the Read the rest of this entry »

Using everything from wood to cardboard to found and salvaged objects, Reuben Margolin creates one-of-a-kind techno-kinetic wave sculptures. His inspiration comes from observing things in nature – things as simple as a caterpillar’s movement or the patterns created when a drop of water splashes into a pond. When he moved into his new shop, Margolin decided to create a giant kinetic sculpture that would take advantage of its high ceilings without using up any floor space. His inspiration in this case came from a rafting trip. Every time he paddled he noticed a spiral eddy coming off the back of the paddle. After ten days he had the spiral wave figured out. Margolin returned to his shop and built “Spiral Wave,” a giant creation of redwood from old decks, 30 aluminum arms, and scores of mono filament threads that drop down to a flower-funnel spiral that appears to float as it undulates. Numerous examples of Reubens diverse artwork can be seen on the following YouTube Video:

Note: In December of 2006, author Barbara Weibel left her successful but unfulflling career to pursue her dream of becoming a travel writer and photographer. This story is one in a series about people who, like Weibel, have chosen to lead authentic lives by pursuing their true passions.

This sculpture, titled “Pamplona 2006,” is also part of the collection being displayed along Sarasota’s Bayfront during the city’s annual Season of Sculpture. Sculptor DeWitt Godfrey uses unexpected materials – here, steel cylinders – that blur the readings of his works, “slipping freely between sculptures and industrial artifact.” While adults may have difficulty interpreting the work, kids certainly don’t. To them the piece screams “Jungle Gym!”

I walked along the Bayfront in downtown Sarasota last night to see all the artwork included in Sarasota’s Season of Sculpture. Some are pretty weird. Some are terrific. Here’s one of the terrific ones, which I just happened to catch as the quarter moon rose above it:

There’s always something going on in this town. Today, for instance, I went for one of my long walks and set out in the direction of the beach. I never made it – I got waylaid by by a Dance. Yep, a Dance, with a capital “D.” This particular “Dance” is part of a collection of more than two dozen sculptures by artists from all over the world that will be on display in Bayfront Park for the next six months, and it is anything but a traditional dance. Read the rest of this entry »