The Verdant Walk November 30, 2007 - November 30, 2007

About the Work

The Verdant Walk was a temporary public art installation that stands in view of Marshall Fredericks' beloved Fountain of Eternal Life on downtown Cleveland's historic Mall, the grand civic space resulting from plans laid out by Daniel Burnham and associates in the City Beautiful era.

The project brought more than 4,000 square feet of native Ohio grasses and a family of seven sculptures to Mall B.

In the warm months, the sculptures were covered with form-fitting fabric sheathing and were lighted internally at night. The lights were powered by energy generated from solar panels woven into the fabric of the covers. In the winter, the covers were removed from the sculptures, leaving their intricate metal frameworks exposed.

The forms of the Verdant Walk's sculptures were designed to refer to Cleveland's relationship to industry, craftsmanship, and innovation. They represented the use of new technologies and materials, thereby suggesting possibility.

The landscaping was a mixture of six native Ohio grasses, ever changing in appearance, which were cultivated for the project by the Ohio Prairie Nursery of Hiram, a specialist in regional landscapes. In celebration of Cleveland's relationship to the water, the grasses were arranged to capture the winds coming off Lake Erie.

The installation was maintained in partnership with LAND studio.

Creative Team

Peter North

How It Started

The Verdant Walk was the second of two public art installations sponsored by the Mall Plaza Beautification Fund on Mall B. The fund, established in the 1960s to maintain and improve the Mall, previously sponsored Brian Tolle's For the Gentle Wind Doth Move Silently, Invisibly.

Media

Metal armatures, stretchable fabric coverings, flexible solar panels, LED lighting systems, six species of native Ohio grasses.