Ottawa Gate, (sculpture).

Ottawa Gate, (sculpture).

Black, David Evans, 1928- , sculptor.

Fessler, Robert, architect.

Squire, John, landscape architect.

Libbe, Rudolph, contractor.

Northern Manufacturing, fabricator.

Ottawa Gate, (sculpture).

Sept. 1994. Installed Sept. 27, 1994. Dedicated Oct. 1, 1994.

Sculpture: painted aluminum; Columns: brick; Wall: brick and limestone.

Sculpture: approx. 11 x 41 x 53 ft.; Columns: each approx. 15 ft. x 2 ft. 8 in. x 2 ft. 8 in.; Wall: approx. H. 3 ft. 8 in. (4 tons).

(On sign in shape of thunderbird attached to wall:) OTTAWA PARK unsigned

A large abstract sculpture forming an entryway to a park, consisting of a painted white aluminum open canopy or arch with crenelated wing patterns on each side. The sculpture sits atop four brick piers or columns. A low brick wall with a limestone cap curves in front of the sculpture and across the nearby boulevard. The wall serves as both a seating area and an entrance to the park.

Ethnic -- Indian -- Ottawa

Mythology -- American Indian -- Thunderbird

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Toledo

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

Located Ottawa Park, Bancroft at Ottawa Parkway Drive, Toledo, Ohio

The sculpture cost approximately $120,000. The sculpture was a project of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo Art in Public Places Program. Funding was provided by the City of Toledo Department of Natural Resources and Percent for Art Program, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Ottawa/Jermain Park Board. The sculpture was intended to compliment other improvements in Ottawa Park that coincided with the park's centennial in 1991, and was designed to be an entryway into the park. According to the artist, "he looked to the original users of the land-the Ottawa Indians-for inspiration....He took a thunderbird motif, which is found on many Ottawa artifacts, and translated it into a crenelated wing pattern." The shapes of the sculpture are also a reminder of the Victorian conservatory that once stood in the park. A three-person design team headed by the artist included architect Robert Fessler and landscape architect John Squire, both of Toledo. Rudolph Libbe of Toledo performed the masonry work. Northern Manufacturing fabricated the sculpture. IAS files contain related articles from Landscape Architecture (June 1989); The Blade (Toledo, OH), Sept. 28, 1994, News Sec. 2; an undated article from Ohio Magazine; a dedication invitation; and a dedication brochure.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Toledo survey, 1994.

The Blade (Toledo, OH), Sept. 28, 1994, News Sec. 2.

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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