What do you think of the latest public art installation in the area?
Today’s Talk of the Day isn’t about a story. It’s about a picture. Of artwork. Specifically, a new sculpture that’s been installed by The Gateway Foundation just south of the intersection of Truman Parkway and I-44 in the Lafayette Square neighborhood.
The pictures here of the new installation were taken by my colleague here a the Post-Dispatch, Laurie Skrivan. (Here’s a photo gallery that shows different views of the new sculpture.)
The installation replaces a temporary piece by Bernar Venet (pictured at the bottom of this post).
The new one is called “Treemonisha,” designed by by world-renowned sculptor John Henry of Tennessee, who creates large steel structures that have been compared to rectangular line drawings.
This piece is 81 feet high, approximately 35 feet wide. It weighs 40,00 pounds.
If you check the Regional Arts Council’s web site, 
you can find a great catalog of public art 
around the region. In my experience, nobody is neutral about public art. You see a piece and you have a reaction to it.
Are you that way?
What do you think of the latest installation pictured here? Do you like it more or less than the temporary installation by Bernar Venet that it is replacing?
How about public art in general? Does it have a place? What purpose does it serve?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
Although bright and large, it’s common. We see this type of thing everywhere, in every nation. To the average Joe, it doesn’t evoke appreciation. It doesn’t reflect heroism, accomplishment, technical ability or any of those things for which humans, communities or nations historically have erected as a monument. Part of the reason the Arch is so successful is that it has meaning and everyone understands it at a glance. Mr. Venet’s serene curves are more comforting.
This reminds me of the stick figures showcased in “The Blair Witch Project” only on a much larger scale. I guess it’s better than the last heap of junk that was there. I’m a big proponent of art around our city, but at least give me something interesting to look at.
Yawnnnnn….ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
More surfaces for graffiti. I’ll give it a month before the tagging starts.
I honestly thought Venet’s piece was leftover building material that the construction crews had placed there for awhile. It took about a month before I read an article indicating that it was a “sculpture”. I wasn’t very impressed at all with the piece. I drove past the other day while they were putting up the new piece and realized instantly “hey, this is art, not leftover pieces”. It reminds me of a diet or anorexic version of “The Way”, but I must say it looks much better than Venet’s piece. I can’t wait to see more of the pieces the Foundation promised to put around downtown. Hopefully, the work will really be inspiring and enjoyable.
Commenter “A” hit it! It’s totally Blair Witch Project.
Its crap, junk, an eye sore but I don’t have to look at it…so…whatever. Should have built a park. Who doesn’t like a park? I guess I’m just jealous that I don’t have the materials or a welding torch to make something like this…pile of…dung…and pawn it off as art to the ’saps’ of the world who literally & figuratively will buy it!
Amen, Anthony!!!
Not very interesting looking and a waste of public land. I agree the land could have been put to much better use.
I live a couple of blocks from the location and my tax money probably paid for it, so my opinion counts more that most. The new one is garbage. The old one was more aesthetically pleasing. I am angry the city used my tax dollars to replace something that was fine with something that is worse.
@ Jennifer:
I only meant that conservatives would likely be up in arms over any kind art in a public place that held any real meaning. Not that they wouldn’t understand it. And no, I didn’t mean, “conservatives,” politically. Politics are garbage. I only meant people that are opposed to open, uncensored expression. People who hate curse words in public and porno on the internet. People that want to burn down the forest for fear of what may be in the bushes.