Cincinnati Gateway, (sculpture).

Cincinnati Gateway, (sculpture).

Leicester, Andrew, 1948- , sculptor.

Glaser Associates, architectural firm.

William Guentter and Son, Inc., contractor.

Cincinnati Gateway, (sculpture).

1988. Dedicated June 4, 1988.

Digital Reference:

Mixed media, including brick, ceramic tile, concrete, stone, bronze, steel, water and wood; some elements painted.

Approx. 115 x 300 x 100 ft.

A 300 foot, narrative piece on Cincinnati history and the importance of the Ohio River to its growth and economy. The environmental sculpture focuses on aspects of Cincinnati history from geologic times to the period of early settlement and growth. There are 17 major elements, including winged bronze pigs (reflective of the city's dependence on the pork industry), set atop tall columns of riverboat stacks; a miniature Ohio River complete with canals and bridges; Indian mounds; towers topped with crowns (in reference to Longfellow's description of Cincinnati as the Queen City of the West in his poem Catawba Wine); a flood column and Noah's ark.

History -- United States -- Ohio

Landscape -- River -- Ohio River

Occupation -- Industry

Architecture -- Boat -- Riverboat

Literature -- Longfellow -- Catawba Wine

Religion -- Old Testament -- Noah

Dress -- Accessory -- Hat

Ethnic -- Indian

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Cincinnati

Administered by City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, 805 Central Avenue, Suite 800, Two Centennial Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Located Bicentennial Commons, Entrance at Sawyer Point, south end of Eggleston Avenue at Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, Ohio

Commissioned to commemorate the city's bicentennial in 1988, Cincinnati Gateway was funded by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and coordinated by the Contemporary Art Center, which held a national design competition in 1987. The sculpture cost $300,000 and was made with the assistance of students and an alumnus of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, University of Cincinnati. Construction was done by William Guentter and Son, Inc. When initially announced, there was great controversy over the artist's design, particularly the flying pigs, which later became a popular logo motif. IAS files contain copy of dedication brochure; related excerpts from "Public Sculpture: America's Legacy," National Museum of American Art, 1994; an article from American Art, Winter, 1992 (Vol. 6, no. 1); pg. 63-81; and related newspaper clippings from the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Cincinnati survey, 1994.

American Art, vol. 6, no. 1 (Winter 1992), pg. 63-81.

Clubbe, John, "Cincinnati Observed," OSU Press: Columbus, Ohio, 1992, pg. 190-193.

Cincinnati: The Queen City," Cincinnati Historical Society, Cincinnati, 1988.

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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