Public Artwork Graces Office for the Arts

Look up as you pass the building at 74 Mt. Auburn St. The coppery sheen you see is emanating from a site-specific artwork by Richard Fleischner, Marshall S. Cogan Visiting Artist at the Office for the Arts at Harvard and Radcliffe, which was installed last spring on the facade of the building.

The sculptural work, a copper-plated arc of precisely determined facets, was commissioned by the Office for the Arts (OFA) for the building which houses OFA headquarters, the Harvard Bands, and a dance studio for undergraduates. This project represents a groundbreaking collaboration between the OFA, the artist, and the University's FAS Physical Resources to integrate public art into necessary repairs at a Harvard-owned building.

Fleischner, who is based in Providence, R.I., is known for his artworks that explore "place making." His works make novel connections with existing architectural details, buildings, materials, and even landscapes. Fleischner selects his materials specifically for each site. Past projects have incorporated sod, grass and trees, stone, bronze, linoleum, and chain-link fencing.

For the Harvard project, the artist built and temporarily installed several full-scale mock-ups of different design concepts. Through this process, he arrived at a final design that addressed the challenge of integrating a contemporary artwork into a traditional facade and historic streetscape.

An advisory committee for the project included representatives from the Cambridge community, University administration, student body, and arts community. Neighbors also were invited to review the artist's proposal.

The OFA initiated the 74 Mt. Auburn St. project in order to increase the visibility of the arts in the Harvard-Radcliffe community; reinforce awareness of 74 Mt. Auburn St. as a place for students in the arts; commission an artwork by a New England artist that responds sensitively to the site; and provide opportunities for students to interact with the artist. As the project developed, the possibility of collaborating with Harvard University FAS Physical Resources emerged, resulting in additional opportunities for the artist and Physical Resources.

Fleischner's other current site-specific projects include works for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and for Kilfane Glen and Waterfall, County Kilkenny, Ireland. He previously has created works for a wide range of institutions and locations, including the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art (with David Singer and Robert Irwin), the St. Paul East Capital Plaza, Brown University, M.I.T., Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, the Dallas Museum of Art, and General Mills in Minneapolis.