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Save Outdoor Sculpture! LodeSTAR SOS! IS SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE CONVERSATION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY. THESE INSERTS PROVIDE INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE TO CITIZENS CONCERNED ABOUT RESPONSIBLE CARE OF OUTDOOR SCULPTURE. "Adopt-a-sculpture": Innovative private-public partnerships support conservation by Ellen Cochran Hirzy In 1892, a monument to Christopher Columbus was unveiled at 59th Street and Eighth Avenue in New York City, the gift of a group of Italian Americans to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus' historic expedition. During the next 100 years, the bronze, stone and marble work of the monument fell victim to urban pollution; the marble statue of Columbus at its base deteriorated so badly that it could not even be restored. But by June 1991, after a major project underwritten by another group of Italian Americans-the Columbus Citizens Foundation of Manhattan-the monument had been saved and the statue replaced, just in time for the quincentennial of Columbus' voyage. The foundation "adopted" the Columbus Circle landmark through Municipal Art Society's Adopt-a-Monument program, which matches private donors with public sculpture so that the outdoor treasures of New York are preserved for future generations to enjoy. This pioneering effort, which began in 1987, is one of several adopt-sculpture programs across the country(see page 4). Examples of private-public partnership at its best, they generate support from businesses, civic organizations, youth groups, professional societies and other organizations for restoring, repairing, and maintaining outdoor sculpture. The programs come in all shapes and sizes, from large scale efforts like the Municipal Art Society's to focused plans like Friends of Lincoln Park's Adopt-a-Monument in Chicago. Typically, an adopt-a-sculpture program has a formal or informal administrative link t0 a city agency, usually an arts and humanities commission or parks and recreation district. They all work with small, often oneperson, staffs, and limited budgets. The adoption processes are similar from city to city. Sometimes single sponsors agree to underwrite conservation of particular sculptures, and sometimes funds from groups and individuals are pooled. Every program takes a future-conscious view by trying to raise hard-to-find money for ongoing maintenance. Who Benefits? Communities garner significant benefits from an adopt-a-sculpture program. The program can: • create a highly visible mechanism to involve the private sector in maintaining public sculpture; • focus community attention on how outdoor sculpture contributes to the cultural quality of life; • inspire renewed civic pride and re-instill a sense of "neighborhood"; • give organizations and individuals a common goal that stimulates collaborative efforts; and • teach the public about the special needs and vulnerability of outdoor sculpture and other cultural property. Donors to an adopt-a-sculpture program also receive rewards. Corporations gain FEBRUARY 1994 VOLUME 5, NUMBER 1
