Merriweather Sculptures

Merriweather Post Pavilion is a concert venue in the heart of Columbia, Maryland. The outdoor stage has a large lawn in front of it and a lot of concession booths on the perimeter. The area also has several interesting sculptures on the outer edge of the lawn. They have been put up relatively recently (since 2015; the venue was built in 1967).

Right by the lawn is Madre della Pace, or "Mother of Peace." It was crafted by Washington, D.C., artist Robert T. Cole for a 2003 competition in Florence, Italy. His sculptures came back to the United States the next year. Personally, I would never have guessed the title of the piece, though clearly it represents a female. She does not seem particularly peaceful.

Madre della Pace

A slightly different angle

Nearby is another of Cole's works from the Italian competition. Padre del Tempo translates as "Father Time." He's looking back at Mother though his motorcycle is pointed the other way. I wonder if Cole had this positioning in mind when he made the sculptures.

Padre del Tempo

Ready to role

French artist Bernard Pras was commissioned for some sculptures of musical artists. His style uses abandoned objects and seemingly random bits of junk. This first one is Dolly Parton, though her image is only visible from a certain angle. I like forced perspective art for its imaginative use of objects to create an image if you are in just the right spot.

Where is Dolly?

Looking from the right angle

Another forced perspective sculpture is Jimi Hendrix, the famous American guitarist and rock star. The work is a homage to his Isle of Wight album cover.

Is that a car wreck or...

...Mr. Hendrix?

The lead singer from Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, is less mysterious, though still cobbled together from a lot of bric a brac.

Robert Plant

Miles Davis, the famous Jazz trumpeter and innovator, is also on display.

Miles Davis

Not too far away is Tina Turner, another music icon who has played here at Merriweather.

Tina Turner

I was curious about the sculpture behind her on the hill. I guess it is a music fan?

No matter which perspective you use, it still looks like a fan, not a person

View of the stage from the fan