Push pin is perfect pop-art for Davenport

By Andreas Kultermann, Davenport | Monday, August 14, 2006

The push pin proposal is not just a joke, but a work of sculpture of great distinction having to do with public, urban land and pop-art.

Pop-art viewed popular and everyday objects in new, different and unexpected ways to change our perception. The push pin does this and thus becomes a truly unique and beautiful object that is for and of our time and culture. And you don’t have to stop and read a plaque to understand, it communicates directly and can be seen at a glance, in passing, over time or from a distance.

I think the push pin is much more exiting and provocative than yet another bronze sculpture of eagles, bicycles, runners or civil war generals. We already have a number of those, and so does every other town.

People have come from all over the world to see the Deere campus in East Moline. Now they come to see the new Figge Museum and the skywalk. Many more would come to see the push pin sculpture. Anyway, who said art couldn’t be funny or fun?

And by the way, I think the push pin should be orange or red, so that it pops out from the surrounding landscape. It’s not the kind of thing you want to blend in or hide. Might be what we need to put the city of Davenport on the cultural map. I like it!

Andreas Kultermann

Davenport