Sun Obelisk, (sculpture).

Sun Obelisk, (sculpture).

Eldred, Dale, 1933-1993, sculptor.

Freeman, Don W., fabricator.

Tempglass, contractor.

Sun Obelisk, (sculpture).

1979. Dedicated July 15, 1984.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: stainless steel and tempered glass.

Sculpture: approx. H. 60 ft.; Base: approx. H. 6 ft. x W. 6 ft.

(On plaque, raised lettering:) "SUN OBELISK"/BY/DALE ELDRED/Funded by the City of Toledo, 1% for Art Program/Administered By/The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo/DEDICATED JULY 15, 1984 unsigned

An abstract sculpture composed of a four-sided stainless steel tower with 80 double-pane vacuum-sealed tempered glass panels installed at angles on each of the sides. The tower is positioned with its four corners on the north-south and east-west directional axes allowing the diffractive surfaces on each tower face to generate spectral fields in response to sunlight. The diffractive panels create a spectrum of natural colors that change as the path of the sun crosses over it, reflecting the change in the earth's position relative to the sun. The colors recorded on the sculpture's surface reflect time and the process of constant change.

Allegory -- Element -- Light

Allegory -- Time

State of Being -- Phenomenon -- Metamorphosis

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Toledo

Administered by City of Toledo, Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, 2201 Ottawa Parkway Drive, Toledo, Ohio 43606

Located Promenade Park, On waterfront, Toledo, Ohio

The sculpture was funded by the City of Toledo's One Percent for Art Program administered by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo. According to the artist, "What is important is not in the structures themselves, but is in the phenomena which take place upon their surfaces. The sculpture is a very carefully constructed receiver. Radar screen. Interceptor and manipulator of light." The artist worked with Tempglass of Perrysburg, Ohio to manufacture the glass and diffraction units. Don W. Freeman was the construction manager for the project. IAS files contain a related article from The Blade (Toledo, OH), Second News Section, July 11, 1984; and an artist's statement and project drawing.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Toledo survey, 1994.

The Blade (Toledo, OH), Second News Section, July 11, 1984.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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