The Sculpture Center / OOSI

One of Ohio's most accessible art forms is often one of the most neglected.

Outdoor sculpture, because it is outdoors, is exposed to a myriad of natural and man-made threats to its existence. One need not look far to see the effect of acid rain, weather, pollutants, animals and vandals in accelerating the aging and deterioration of sculpture.

John Henry Patterson Memorial Guiseppe Moretti 1928	Hints on Searching OOSI
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The Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Inventory (OOSI) is a project of The Sculpture Center. Never before undertaken, the Inventory is a comprehensive survey of outdoor sculpture in Ohio including descriptive information, environmental factors, condition assessments and background information. With over 1,000 entries currently, this data can be used as a resource by owners, conservators and scholars to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments, monitor environmental factors that contribute to deterioration and conduct art historical research. This central information base is also being used to promote the care and preservation of outdoor sculpture.

Are there other sculptures we should know about?

Information Is for Sharing

We need your help! If you know of any outdoor sculptures in Ohio which are not in the inventory – and fall within the OOSI criteria -- please let us know. Whether it be comprehensive information on a missing sculpture or simply a "clue" for further research, we welcome your input. Perhaps you know of additional information on sculpture already in the inventory which you can share with us. Your help in contributing toward this valuable resource will be greatly appreciated. Send us information on a new sculpture via our input form or contact us at (216) 229-6527.

Criteria for OOSI Sculpture

What is "outdoor sculpture"? According to the guidelines of the national SOS! survey, outdoor sculpture is defined as follows:

A three-dimensional artwork that is cast, carved, modeled, fabricated, fired or assembled in materials such as stone, wood, metal, ceramic or plastic located in an outdoor setting, and is accessible to the public.

Some types of outdoor sculpture are omitted from the survey. In most cases, the following categories are excluded:

Grave markers/headstones: Carved headstones, sculptural markers, memorial tombs, urns, generic mourning figures, etc. The exceptions in this category are original or unique sculptural works associated with grave sites and those particularly significant to a community.
Commemorative works: Plaques, historical markers or tablets, obelisks and shafts that do not have or are not associated with three-dimensional sculpture.
Architectural structures: Structures such as The Gateway Arch in St. Louis that do not have sculptural components
Architectural ornamentation: Minor decorative embellishments, such as rosettes, keystones, garlands, wreaths, coats of arms and other ornamental relief works
Mass-produced items: Commercial products, garden ornaments, weather vanes, whirligigs, shop signs, figureheads and circus carvings

Fulfillment Requires Action

It is the goal of The Sculpture Center to raise awareness of the need to care for and protect outdoor sculpture in both the public and private sectors. But calling attention to the problem is not enough. The individual owners; local, state and federal governing bodies; corporations and organizations; and the public must understand the problems and learn how to resolve them in order to protect these cultural and historic assets.

The Sculpture Center is a nonprofit arts organization which fosters the careers of emerging sculptors and promotes the preservation of outdoor sculpture.

Data collected for the Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Inventory was gathered initially and in part by volunteers in conjunction with Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!), a joint project of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, and the National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property. The SOS! project in the state of Ohio was administered by the Ohio Arts Council in partnership with a consortium of agencies: The Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, the City of Dayton Department of Planning, and The Sculpture Center in Cleveland.