What had seemed almost like an old friend — one celebrating a part of Hoosier heritage — has left Columbus in pieces.
The 30-foot-high Wiikiaami, the 2017 Exhibit Columbus creation of designer Chris Cornelius of Studio:Indigenous of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was recently dismantled on the grounds of First Christian Church on Fifth Street. Its parts went to the local Kroot Corp. for recycling.
That’s because several different entities — two in Columbus, two in Indianapolis and one in North Carolina — which looked at moving it to another, permanent site discovered that the cost of taking it down here and piecing it together elsewhere would be nearly its $70,000 original cost. It was one of the five Miller Prize winners for the inaugural Exhibit Columbus that attracted an estimated 40,000 people.
“They each decided it would just be too complicated and expensive to dismantle and rebuild safely,” said Richard McCoy of Exhibit Columbus. “It was a kind of experimentation in materials and construction. I’ve never seen anything built like that out of those materials.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
“There also was the added that concern that, even if it was shown that you could move it, it probably never go back together quite right.”
The rebar piece, inspired by native American teepees, was among the most popular of the inaugural exhibition that attracted worldwide attention. It also was among the most posted exhibition installations on social media.
Wiikiaami was fabricated entirely on-site in collaboration with a team of welders from Faurecia. The group donated some 600 hours to the assembly.
Cornelius also was popular among exhibition followers after an emotional, teary, opening speech in which he spoke of sharing his heart in the work since his heritage is Native American.
“It’s hard not to be emotional about this process,” Cornelius said before a crowd of a few hundred people near a makeshift stage on Aug. 26, 2017.
He had said that the work represented the Myaamia people indigenous to Indiana. Hence the name Wiikiaami, which means wigwam in the Myaamia language. The piece’s copper scales, produced by Ignition Arts in Indianapolis, even were designed to mimic eagle feathers.
“I would argue that it was one of the best public artworks on display in the state,” McCoy said.
He added that he was grateful to First Christian Church leaders allowing the piece to stay in place so long.
Installation of a new Exhibit Columbus piece, “The Long Now” is being completed now on the church lawn by a team from University Design Research Fellows Sean Lally and Matthew Wizinsky.
Exhibit Columbus is a project of Landmark Columbus and a program of Heritage Fund — The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.
One other Miller Prize installation from the 2017 exhibition remains. “The Exchange” by the Los Angeles-based Oyler Wu Collaborative still rests at the Irwin Conference Center at 500 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About Exhibit Columbus” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Exhibit Columbus exhibition is a once-every-two-years display of a wide variety temporary architectural installations meant to highlight or somehow connect to nearby, permanent structures and buildings in Columbus.
The exhibition is set for Aug. 24 to Dec. 1 and is an exploration of art, architecture, and design.
Exhibit Columbus seeks to celebrate Columbus’ heritage while making it relevant in new and modern ways, according to organizers. It is the signature project of Landmark Columbus, which was created in 2015 to care for the design heritage of Columbus, and is under the umbrella of The Heritage Fund — the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.
To learn more, visit: exhibitcolumbus.org
[sc:pullout-text-end]
