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Bolt of Lightning...A Memorial to Ben Franklin

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Artist/Creator (1)	Noguchi, Isamu (1904-1988)
Artist/Creator (1).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (1).Role	artist, sculptor
Artist/Creator (2)	Weidlinger, Paul (1915-1999)
Artist/Creator (2).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (2).Role	structural engineer
Artist/Creator (3)	Cauffman, Francis
Artist/Creator (3).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (3).Role	architect
Artist/Creator (4)	Crescent Iron Works Shop
Artist/Creator (4).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (4).Role	makers
Title/Caption	Bolt of Lightning...A Memorial to Ben Franklin
Variant Title/Caption	Bolt of Lightning...Memorial to Ben Franklin; Memorial to Ben Franklin
Date of Work	Modeled 1933. 1980. Dedicated 1984.
Description of View	General view
Notes	Located Monument Plaza, 6th and Vine Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Sponsor/Developer: The Fairmount Park Art Association, National Endowment for the Arts Project Description: Situated on a plaza which serves as a traffic island, this large scale memorial sculpture combines the shapes of a key, a lightning bolt, and a kite to form a 70-foot tower. The central tower is supported by a black tripod structure. and by three cables, attached about three-quarters of the way up the tower and secured to the plaza by three cement plinths. The cables could also represent kite string. Noguchi describes this work as, '...a memorial to a story which has given the courage of adventure to our pioneers in the field of electrical engineering. It is also a monument to electricity, to the all-pervading power around us' (publication produced by the Fairmount Park Association). Project History: In 1979, The Fairmount Park Art Association decided that it would explore the commissioning of major artworks to reflect upon the '...glorious history of Philadelphia, its past and present.' In 1979, Isamu Noguchi visited Philadelphia and became interested in the concept of a monument to Benjamin Franklin. He selected the site for the memorial at the entrance to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which is a gateway to Philadelphia. Noguchi worked with the engineering firm of Weidlinger Associates and the local architectural firm of Francis Cauffman, Wilkinson and Pepper.
Technique/Process	sculpture
Materials/Medium	Sculpture: stainless steel with steel cables. Base: painted steel.
Dimensions	Sculpture, Ht.: 101 ft. 6 in. W: 324 in. Base, Ht: 226 in. W.: 538 in.
Century	20th Century
Location.Current Site/City & Country	Monument Plaza. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States)
Subject	Sculpture, American Sculpture, 20th Century Public sculpture Memorials Kites (equipment) Keys (hardware) Lightning
Publisher	ART on FILE
Publisher.Location	ART on FILE. 1837 East Shelby St. Seattle, Washington 98112 (United States). www.artonfile.com
Set/Project Title	Contemporary Monuments and Memorials
Reference Number	Art on File MM-10(4)-1
Collection Title	Sculpture (Art and Art History Department images)
Collection Information	Collection administered by Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library (402) 472-1193
Copyright Information	http://contentdm.unl.edu/ah_copyright.html

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Bolt of Lightning...A Memorial to Ben Franklin

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