LIMA — A couple of former executive directors of ArtSpace/Lima, Susan Cole Urano and Ellen Nelson, came back to Lima on Tuesday to reminisce about the two-year-long effort that went into bringing Lima’s first outdoor public art sculpture to the town square 35 years ago.
“Trinity” was the work by Cincinnati artist Stuart Fink. It was commissioned in 1985 and completed in 1987.
Urano was around for the beginning of the process but left Lima before it was finished. Nelson saw the sculpture through to its conclusion.
Urano says during the 1980s, public art was in the news; it was something people were talking about. The state legislature had passed funding for the arts, and Lima was interested in doing something.
“When the Town Square was redesigned, there was a group of us that talked to the city about incorporating public art, and that’s how we got the ball rolling,” Urano said.
ArtSpace Lima didn’t exist then; it was called the Lima Art Association, and it had offices in Memorial Hall.
Nelson recalled when Trinity was unveiled, not everybody was happy.
“We had one lady call me up, and she said she was protesting, and I said, ‘Well, come down and look at it. You might like it,” Nelson said. “(She said,) ‘I don’t need to come downtown to look at it. I know I don’t like it.’”
People back then thought that Trinity was paid for with the tax dollars of hard-working Americans, and that’s something that upset some people.
“There was a grant from the Ohio Arts Council and also a lot of private donations, so I explained that to her, but she didn’t like it,” Nelson said.
Fink was paid $25,000 for the sculpture, but $22,000 came back to the City of Lima and businesses here in Lima.
“So really we supported the community through this project,” Nelson said.
Mayor David Berger was not yet mayor at the time of the dedication of the sculpture; Harry Moyer was.
Berger on Tuesday night presented both Urano and Nelson with a proclamation declaring June 29, 2021, as Susan Cole Urano and Ellen Nelson Day in Lima.
“Their vision and passionate work for the arts has cultivated a rich artistic legacy for others to model,” Berger proclaimed. “Their leadership has shown how a diverse town can come together and achieve great accomplishments for all.”
Nelson hopes Trinity continues to inspire people.
“It has the tiles that the children made on the surrounding area (of the sculpture), and I hope people continue to see it as a touchstone to the past and excitement about future possibilities,” Nelson said.
Ellen Nelson, left, and Susan Cole Urano discussed efforts to bring a public art sculpture to Lima’s Town Square more than 35 years ago.
Trinity, the sculpture in Lima’s Town Square, was built more than 35 years ago.
Reach Sam Shriver at 567-242-0409.
