Survivor

Two life size silhouettes of construction workers wearing hardhats balance a painted steel I-Beam on their heads. A little bird, a common sparrow, rests comfortably getting a free ride on the beam as the workers walk with it. The sparrow is a survivor fearlessly taking advantage of the situation. Lines projected from the bottom of each hard hat intersect at the bird. The leading male figure is a self-portrait of the artist and the figure following was one of his CSU art students. Survivor was created just prior to the commissioning of “Edge” for the Cuyahoga County Justice Center.

Originally the three-dimensional sparrow was carved and painted wood. When the artwork was added to the Progressive Collection by Toby Lewis, it was determined the sculpture would be displayed out of doors. At that time, a mold was taken from the wooden form and a bronze replica was cast to serve as a more permanent detail. Later when the artist’s father passed away, the wooden sparrow was buried with him. Reflecting back, those events could alter the potential meaning of Survivor.

Description provided by the artist, Gene Kangas