Row flares over the rejection of a 30ft sculpture from Chicago

Date Published: 08-Aug-2011

By Bernie Ní Fhlatharta

The rejection of an offer of the gift to Galway City of a 30-foot-high sculpture from its sister city Chicago has led to a row.

Four years ago, Galway presented a six foot bronze sculpture to Chicago following a sculptural competition. Gráinne, by Maurice Harron, stands proudly in a mainly Irish neighbourhood park, the Heritage Green Park near St Patrick’s Old Church in the Windy City.

It was the first part of a sculpture exchange between the two cities.

So two years ago, the American committee overseeing their side of the Galway-Chicago Sister City relationship sent a three foot maquette (a sample replica) of their gift.

It was to have been made by Matt Lamb, an Irish-American artist based in Chicago whose work is being exhibited in two Galway locations this week, the Bailey Allen on the NUIG campus and in the Galway City Museum.

The completed sculpture – ironically titled, in the circumstances, Umbrella of Peace – if commissioned, would be almost 30 foot high and made of brushed steel.

But Galway City Councillor Pádraig Conneely has criticised the decision to reject the gift, made by a Galway Sister City committee, and is calling on the city to be more pro-active in the promotion of public art.

He says he is disappointed that it had taken two years for the committee to make a decision and that the decision has been to reject it.

“I know it is a committee decision but I know that there are individuals on that committee who were in favour of the Matt Lamb piece and had no problem with it being erected somewhere, such as Eyre Square.

“The 82 years old artist was in Galway at the weekend and is an internationally renowned artist who is also the creator of the Umbrellas For Peace programme.

“The sculpture by him was never commissioned by the Chicago committee because they were waiting for the Galway committee to make up their minds. It would have cost them $80,000 and was to be a gift to the people of Galway.”

A spokesman for Galway City Council stressed that the Galway committee was made up of a number of people from a variety of backgrounds and did include the City Manager and that it had been a committee decision to reject this particular proposal.

“It was rejected for a variety of reasons including location, logistics and health and safety issues. This was a committee decision but it was decided at a joint committee meeting last week between the Galway and Chicago personnel that the matter would be looked at again by the City Council’s public art committee, one that was set up recently to assess public art following a protocol,” he said.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel