Ouabache (sculpture)

Last updated
OUABACHE: Spirit of the Wabash
Dick McNeely Sculpture 1976 Lafayette Indiana - AFTER INSTALLATION.jpg
Ouabache sculpture after installation, downtown Lafayette, IN, 1976
ArtistRichard McNeely
Year1976
MediumAluminum
Dimensions940 cm(31 ft)
Weight3,000 lbs
LocationLafayette, Indiana
Coordinates 40°25′30″N86°53′33″W / 40.42500°N 86.89250°W / 40.42500; -86.89250

The Ouabache Sculpture is a public artwork located in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County in the US state of Indiana. Located on a grassy plot between adjacent lanes of the Harrison Street Bridge and lying just east of the Wabash River, [1] the sculpture is kinetic and will move by being pushed by the wind. [2] The sculpture is the largest work of public art in Lafayette and is described as "an early example of the modern era" of art. [3] Details of the Ouabache Sculpture are listed in the Art Inventories Catalog [4] published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. [5] [6]

Contents

Origin

The sculpture was built by Lafayette artist and Purdue University graduate Richard ("Dick") McNeely, whose design had been chosen by a town commission. [7] The Heritage 75*76 Board had been tasked with approving a public artwork to commemorate Tippecanoe County's sesquicentennial year 1975 (150 years) and the United States Bicentennial year 1976. [3] Heritage 75*76 Board director Albert Pearson Stewart, [7] retired director of Purdue Musical Organizations, [8] said "I think its beautiful...an excellent way to memorialize." [7] The sculpture cost around $10,000 and had been paid by money raised in bicentennial and sesquicentennial events. [7] It was dedicated at a public ceremony on September 19, 1976. [9]

Significance and characteristics

Named for the French name of the Wabash River, Ouabache (English colloquial phonics /wah-bah-SHE/) [10] is a 31-foot-tall, rotating aluminum sculpture. [11] The sculpture has a generally Y-shaped appearance; it widens upward and terminates in two points connected by a curved top. According to sculptor Richard McNeely, the highest point represents Lafayette and the lowest point represents West Lafayette, the city on the west side of the Wabash River and the home of Purdue University. [2] The base represents Tippecanoe County and the curved arcs of the sculpture were meant to invoke the Wabash River. [7]

The French name Ouabaché was derived from a Miami-Illinois name for the river waapaahšiiki siipiiwi, meaning 'it-is-shining-white river'. The French stress in that Miami word waap-aahšii-ki resulted in Ouabaché because the French lopped off the last syllable of the Miami term. [10] Miami chief Francis Godfrey mentioned the Wabash River as the "White Stone River" apparently linking it to a bed of limestone that is visible in the river between Huntington and Carroll Counties. [10] [12] [13] According to Michael McCafferty of Indiana University, the original Miami-Illinois name refers to the shining nature of the water only and not the limestone. [10]

Kinetic sculpture

"I wanted something like kinetic sculpture ... something that would
change from day to day so it gives people a little different view of it.
... People can walk up and spin it around, they can interact with it."

—Richard McNeely, Creator of the Ouabache Sculpture [2]

The Ouabache Sculpture is capable of being rotated and visitors can turn the sculpture by hand. According to sources, the creator of the sculpture felt that it was important that residents could interact with the sculpture and feel as though it were their own. [2]

To enable the sculpture to move, McNeely had consulted people in the Purdue engineering department. [11] A model of the sculpture had been tested in wind tunnel at the Purdue hydraulics laboratory. [11] The engineers determined that the sculpture would rotate under 15–20 mph winds and could withstand wind speeds up to 100 mph. [11] According to McNeely, "It responded sort of like a weather vane-one of two positions, very simple". [3]

Construction details

Information about the construction of the sculpture is provided in D.E. Burcal's September 2, 1976 Journal and Courier article. [11]

The skeleton of the sculpture was made of 2-inch aluminum stock and had been "constructed in Indianapolis." [3] [11] The shell consists of 3,000 pounds of sheet aluminum donated by Alcoa. [3] [11] The sculpture had been fabricated at Lafayette's National Homes Corporation plant. [3] [11] Sixteen days before the public dedication of the Ouabache sculpture, the Lafayette Journal and Courier published a front page image of the sculpture hanging from a crane as it was transported "slowly down Main St. at Five Points" from the National Homes Corporation plant to its downtown Lafayette location. [14] Another included image shows Richard McNeely "hanging precariously 30 feet in the air." [14]

The sculpture rotates on an 18-foot-long shaft that uses brass collars and a thrust bearing. [3] [11] 12-feet of the shaft extends into the artwork and six feet extends into the pavement. [11]

The project took Richard McNeely, his brother Michael ("Mick") McNeely, and brother-in-law Gary Ratcliff [15] two-and-a-half months to finish. [3] On top of the sculpture on the arc between the two points is a hatch cover bearing the names of the "three craftsmen who worked on the sculpture." [14]

Reception

An editorial titled "Nice Touch" about the Ouabache Sculpture was published in the September 21, 1976 edition of the Lafayette Journal and Courier three days after the sculpture's public dedication. [9] [16] In it, publisher Matthew W. Applegate wrote "Ouabache, the contemporary sculpture dedicated Friday in the City Center Parking Mall... lends a nice touch to downtown." [16] Responding to "those who will argue that the $10,000 spend for the sculpture could have been spent more productively...", Applegate wrote, "These kinds of reactions are typical in communities across the land where bold modern sculptures have been placed in positions of high community visibility. Such has been the case with Chicago's Picasso..." [16] Applegate continues, "If Ouabache leads people to stop and look, to pause in their busy day to contemplate its soaring curves—or even to notice this apparent impractical form jutting skyward from the down-to-earth practicalities all around it—then it has a value." [16]

Staff photographer Charles W. McClure of the Lafayette Journal and Courier published an image of the Ouabache Sculpture with the title "Sunrise over Ouabache" in the November 7, 1976 edition of the Lafayette Journal and Courier. [17] McClure's caption states "The monolithic spires of Ouabache reach to the heavens to throw a welcome rising sun into the blue-vaulted morning sky...Ouabache has already become a part of the community, casting an aluminum shadow far larger than its actual dimension." [17]

In 1992, a proclamation announcing "Child Abuse Prevention Month" was issued at the Ouabache Sculpture by mayors Sonya Margerum and Jim Riehle on April 1, 1992. [18] [19]

The Ouabache Sculpture is mentioned in the February 18, 1994 edition of the Lafayette Journal and Courier in an article describing efforts to document and preserve outdoor sculpture. [6] In the article, author Kathy Matter describes the S.O.S effort, "Save Outdoor Sculpture", as a "a public/private initiative mounted by the Smithsonian Institute [recte Institution] and two other prestigious institutions" which seeks to "inventory and catalog all outdoor sculpture in the country and to create a computerized database that will help identify sculptures at risk." [6] The article mentions the Ouabache Sculpture [5] along with others in the area such as the pediment (image) and Lafayette Fountain of the Tippecannoe County Courthouse, the Cairo Skywatch Tower of rural West Lafayette, and the Battle of Tippecanoe Monument in Battle Ground, Indiana. [6]

In a newspaper map documenting "growth" in the Greater Lafayette Area community printed under the heading "Progress '98: A Decade with SIA", item number 25 listed under 1995 was "The Ouabache moving sculpture moves from downtown to the Harrison Bridge approaches." [20]

The Night Sky photo of the Ouabache Sculpture was printed in the December 9, 1998 edition of the Lafayette Journal and Courier. [21] Taken by photographer Frank Oliver, the image displays the silhouette of the sculpture against the backdrop of the sky featuring a crescent moon and airplane contrail. [21] According to the image's caption, "the sculpture has been a Lafayette fixture since September 1976." [21]

Permanent home

Although now in its permanent home, the Ouabache Sculpture was first located in a small park at the corner of Fourth and Columbia streets across from the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in downtown Lafayette until 1995. [2]

The sculpture's eventual installation was delayed due to the implementation of Lafayette Railroad Relocation. Progress on this effort allowed the sculpture to be relocated in 1995. [2]

The move to its permanent home near the Harrison Street Bridge was completed in October 1995 using funds provided by Lafayette Railroad Relocation. [22] [23] An image of the sculpture being lowered into position at the Harrison Street Bridge location is available in the J&C Archives. [24]

Plaque

According to the Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog, a plaque once was installed at the sculpture's original location in downtown Lafayette. [5] The plaque read:

OUABACHE

Spirit of the Wabash

Sculptor Richard McNeely

Presented to the citizens of Lafayette, West Lafayette, and Tippecanoe County by Heritage 75*76 with the assistance of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Indiana Arts Commission.

In Commemoration of the 200th birthday of the United States of America. [5]

The plaque was apparently displaced during the 1995 installation of the Ouabache sculpture at the Harrison Street Bridge and is now in the possession of the McNeely family. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tippecanoe County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

Tippecanoe County is a county located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana about 22 miles east of the Illinois state line and less than 50 miles from the Chicago and the Indianapolis metro areas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,251. The county seat and largest city is Lafayette. It was created in 1826 from Wabash County portion of New Purchase and unorganized territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, US

Lafayette is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis and 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 census, the population of Lafayette was 70,783. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which contributes significantly to both communities. Together, they form the core of the Lafayette metropolitan area, which had a population of 235,066 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Lafayette, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

West Lafayette is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, approximately 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and 113 miles (182 km) southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, Lafayette. As of the 2020 census, its population was 44,595. Home to Purdue University, it is a college town and the most densely populated city in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabash River</span> Tributary of the Ohio River in the United States

The Wabash River is a 503-mile-long (810 km) river that drains most of the state of Indiana, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United States. It flows from the headwaters in Ohio, near the Indiana border, then southwest across northern Indiana turning south near the Illinois border, where the southern portion forms the Indiana-Illinois border before flowing into the Ohio River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feast of the Hunters' Moon</span>

Feast of the Hunters’ Moon is a weekend festival and historical reenactment held on a weekend in October since 1968, at the present-day site of Fort Ouiatenon, a replica 18th century French military and trading post near West Lafayette, Indiana. Traditionally, the Hunters' Moon is the full moon in October, following September's Harvest Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Purdue</span> Indiana businessman and philanthropist

John Purdue was a wealthy American industrialist in Lafayette, Indiana, and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prophetstown State Park</span> State park in Indiana, United States

Prophetstown State Park commemorates a Native American village founded in 1808 by Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa north of present-day Lafayette, Indiana, which grew into a large, multi-tribal community. The park features an open-air museum at Prophetstown, with living history exhibits including a Shawnee village and a 1920s-era farmstead. Battle Ground, Indiana, is a village about a mile east of the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, a crucial battle in Tecumseh's War which ultimately led to the demise of Prophetstown. The state park was established in 2004 and receives about 335,000 visitors annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

Wabash Township is one of thirteen townships in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 59,279 and it contained 21,448 housing units making it the most populous township in Tippecanoe County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Indiana</span> Geographic and cultural region of Indiana, United States

Northern Indiana is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern third of the U.S. state of Indiana and borders the states of Illinois to the west, Michigan to the north, and Ohio to the east. Spanning the state's northernmost 26 counties, its main population centers include Northwest Indiana, Michiana, and the Fort Wayne metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John T. McCutcheon</span> American cartoonist

John Tinney McCutcheon was an American newspaper political cartoonist, war correspondent, combat artist, and author who won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1931 editorial cartoon, "A Wise Economist Asks a Question," and became known even before his death as the "Dean of American Cartoonists." The Purdue University graduate moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1890 to work as an artist and occasional writer for the Chicago Morning News. His first front-page cartoon appeared in 1895 and his first published political cartoon was published during the U. S. presidential campaign of 1896. McCutcheon introduced human interest themes to newspaper cartoons in 1902 and joined the staff of the Chicago Tribune in 1903, remaining there until his retirement in 1946. McCutcheon's cartoons appeared on the front page of the Tribune for forty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floyd Fithian</span> American politician (1928–2003)

Floyd James Fithian was an American educator and politician who served as a United States Representative from Indiana as a Democrat. He was one of the forty nine Watergate Babies who won election to the House of Representatives in the wake of the Watergate scandal during the 1974 House elections with Fithian himself defeating Earl Landgrebe, who became infamous for his stalwart defense of President Richard Nixon. He was one of the fourteen members of the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) and believed that the Kennedy assassination in 1963 was orchestrated by members of organized crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Winter (artist)</span> British-American painter

George Winter was an English-born landscape and portrait artist who immigrated to the United States in 1830 and became an American citizen in northern Indiana's Wabash River valley. Winter was one of Indiana's first professional artists. In addition, he is considered the state's most significant painter of the first half of the nineteenth century. Winter is especially noted for his sketches, watercolors, and oil portraits that provide a visual record of the Potawatomi and Miami people in northern Indiana from 1837 to the 1840s, as well as other figures drawn from his firsthand observations on the American frontier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 231 in Indiana</span> Highway in Indiana

U.S. Route 231 is the longest numbered highway in Indiana, covering over 284 miles (457 km). It is a main north–south highway in the western part of the state. The southern terminus of US 231 in Indiana is at the Kentucky state line and the northern terminus is at US 41 just south of St. John. The highway is a mixture of expressway and two-lane roadway. The expressway portions exist mainly in southern Indiana and around the Lafayette-West Lafayette area, with the rest mainly being two lanes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Public Art Collection</span> University art collection


The IUPUI Public Art Collection, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, consists of more than 30 works of sculpture located outdoors on the campus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. IUPUI is a public shared campus of Indiana University and Purdue University that was created in 1969. More than 30,000 students attend IUPUI today and view the sculptures as they walk, bicycle, and drive around the campus.

The Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama (BOTOD) was an outdoor historical drama held near the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in Battle Ground, Indiana in the summers of 1989 and 1990. The drama was held at an amphitheater specially constructed for the production and funded by county authorization of an occupancy tax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1889 Purdue football team</span> American college football season

The 1889 Purdue football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University as an independent during the 1889 college football season. The team compiled a 2–1 record in the university's second season fielding an intercollegiate football team. Archaeologist and Harvard alumnus, George Andrew Reisner, was the team's coach. The team opened its season on November 16 with a 34–10 victory over DePauw for the first victory in Purdue football history and the first game played in Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue defeated Wabash the following week, 18–4, and concluded its season on November 29 with a 14–0 loss against Butler. J. M. Sholl was the team captain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Meadows, Indiana</span> Unincorporated community in Indiana, United States

Green Meadows is an unincorporated community in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Beginning in 1933, Albert Pearson Stewart was the first director of the Purdue Musical Organizations. Stewart directed the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, Purduettes, and other singing groups until his retirement in June, 1974. Stewart received an honorary doctoral degree in music from DePauw University and was given the title of director emeritus at Purdue University after retirement. Stewart is a beloved figure in Purdue University history.

References

  1. ↑ Terhune, John (April 21, 2010). "Getting a trim". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 7. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McClure, Julie (April 25, 2002). "'Ouabache' sculpture captures spirit of river, community". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cullen, Kevin (December 25, 2015). "Sculpture reflects collaborative spirit". Lafayette Journal and Courier. pp. C1, C3.
  4. ↑ "Ouabache, (sculpture)". Art Inventories Catalog. Smithsonian American Art Museum. n.d. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Ouabache, (sculpture)". siris-artinventories.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Matter, Kathy (February 18, 1994). "Groups racing to save outdoor sculpture". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 23. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Norberg, John (August 31, 1976). "Rotating sculpture ready". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 1. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ "History | Purdue Musical Organizations". www.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  9. 1 2 Norberg, John (September 18, 1976). "Sculpture called 'lasting reminder' of Bicentennial". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 1. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 McCafferty, Michael (November 20, 2023). "Email: Re (External) Re: Origin of Oubache" (PDF). Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Burcal, D.E. (September 2, 1976). "Sculptor's dream landmark for the city". Lafayette Journal & Courier. p. 19. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ McCafferty, Michael (2008). Native American place names of Indiana. Urbana Chicago: University of Illinois Press. ISBN   978-0-252-03268-4.
  13. ↑ Brown, Bill (January 31, 1977). "Wabash once formed link between north and south". The Purdue Exponent. p. 5.
  14. 1 2 3 Vellinger, Dick (September 3, 1976). "Easy does it". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 1. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  15. ↑ Rush, Joseph (June 19, 1981). "Letters: Ratcliff entitled to best defense". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 8. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Applegate, Malcolm W. (September 21, 1976). "Nice touch". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 10. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  17. 1 2 McClure, Charles W. (November 7, 1976). "Sunrise over Ouabache". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 82. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  18. ↑ Staff reports (March 27, 1992). "2 events planned for abuse prevention". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 28. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  19. ↑ Advertisement (April 1, 1992). ""April is child abuse prevention month"". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 16. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  20. ↑ Kenaga, Alex; Bangert, Dave (March 8, 1998). "Growth by the numbers". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 64. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 Oliver, Frank (December 9, 1998). "Night sky". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 13. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  22. ↑ Smith, David (January 18, 1995). "Rail project will provide for more trees". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 6. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  23. ↑ Clevenger, Michael (October 19, 1995). "Monumental move". Lafayette Journal and Courier. p. 9. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  24. ↑ "From the J&C Archives: Oct. 12, 2015". jconline.com. October 12, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  25. ↑ McNeely, Rebecca (November 10, 2023). "Text message exchange with Rebecca McNeely concerning the Ouabache Sculpture plaque" . Retrieved November 18, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.