ART ON CAMPUS

Look around. Spanning 85 acres, Cleveland State has a vibrant and often overlooked artistic presence in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Here are some of the landmark pieces that help make CSU’s campus as diverse as its student body.

BY JONATHAN D. HERZBERGER AND VINCE FRATIANI

"The Politician - A Toy"

Just south of Monte Ahuja Hall at East 18th Street and Chester Avenue stands a 40-foot Picassoesque sculpture that begs the question, “What the heck is that?”

“The Politician: A Toy” by multimedia artist Billie Lawless presents satirical views of politicians. “The Politician” is made of fiberglass, polypropylene rope, cedar wood and almost 12 Ford Fusions worth of steel.

Built in 1994 and completed in 1996, the structure moved to CSU from East 66th and Chester Avenue to increase pedestrian visibility, according to the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Web site.

The sculpture has some parts in motion 18 hours a day. The wheels that turn but never go anywhere are easily identifiable. As an axle, a number two pencil signifies a politician’s reliance on writers.

All of the mechanical components were built at Case Western Reserve University.

Two tons of polypropylene rope make up the tail of “The Politician,” which is intended to look like a donkey’s tail, according to Lawless. The mouth moves constantly, but never says anything. “[The mouth] sort of looks like the nipper they used to use on the old cigars,” Lawless said during a 1995 interview on National Public Radio.

Two other key pieces of satire are the handle and the eyes. The handle, made from one ton of cedar wood, is reminiscent of a child’s toy that can be pulled in whichever direction they choose. The eyes have television monitors inside of them that flicker, representing the power that television has for shaping public views on politicians.

City council, concerned that children would get hurt playing on it, insisted Lawless erect a fence around his piece. After originally refusing, he built a 40-foot-by-50-foot fence with satirical double entendres of political sayings that line the top.

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