Merging, (sculpture).

Merging, (sculpture).

Tacha, Athena, 1936- , sculptor.

Cicirello Construction Company, contractor.

Merging, (sculpture).

1986. Copyrighted 1986. Dedicated May 2, 1987.

Sculpture: concrete, red granite from Missouri, and blue granite from Mount Rushmore.

Sculpture: approx. 8 x 71 x 83 ft.

(Near top terrace:) Merging by Athena Tacha (copyright symbol) 1986 signed

Merging is a large, stepped pyramidal waterfall sculpture constructed of poured concrete sheathed in blue and red granite. It is composed of two distinct halves which are neither symmetrically oriented, nor similar in function. The northern half is the "dry" side and is sheathed in red granite from Missouri. The southern half is the "wet" side and is sheathed in blue granite from Mount Rushmore. The step pyramidal form allows for pedestrian traffic on the "dry" northern side while water spills over the broad terraces of the southern side. The overall effect is one of a union of two equal, but different parts which together create a new form.

Abstract -- Geometric

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Cleveland

Administered by Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Located Case Western Reserve University, Mather Quadrangle, Bellflower Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Funding provided by the University's John and Mildred Putnam Sculpture Endowment, supplemented by gift from the Mildred Andrews Fund. IAS files contain related articles from Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), Nov. 16, 1986, pg. 2 and Northern Ohio Live (Sept. 1986): pg. 3. The artist used a similar, but reversed, design in her proposal for the India-Pakistan Memorial (Homage to M. Gandhi), 1983. IAS files also contain a sculpture brochure which includes the artist's statement about the piece. The waterfall sculpture is symbolic of several ideas including the merging of the Case Institute of Technology with Western Reserve University, and the later addition of the Women's College, all centered around the Mather Quadrangle. Also, the sculpture relates to another piece by the artist, "Twist" (IAS 74240003), which was installed on the campus in 1981. In 1997, the artist noted that the work has suffered for years from efflorescence, and all of the mortar and caulking joints have popped, but proposals are being taken for repairing it.

Tacha, Athena, 1991, 1997.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Cleveland survey, 1992.

Tacha, Athena, "Dancing in the Landscape: The Sculpture of Athena Tacha," Washington, D.C.: Editions Ariel of Grayson Publishing, 2000, pg. 82.

"Athena Tacha: Public Works, 1970-1988 A Retrospective Exhibition," High Museum of Art, 1989, pg. 25.

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

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.0

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System