Several classmates of Harold Balazs from Dover High School's class of 1946 were among the dozens of people attending the dedication ceremony for the artist's sculpture Saturday in Westlake. (Photo by Larry Bennet)

New sculpture should provoke wonder, artist says
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published July 13, 2005

Artist Harold Balazs, creator of the new public art sculpture at the corner of Hilliard Boulevard and Center Ridge Road, said it doesn't have any particular meaning or symbolism. He doesn't even seem concerned what people call it or how people interpret it, as long as it provokes wonder.

The 16-foot outdoor sculpture created from stainless steel by Balazs, a native of Westlake, was formally dedicated Saturday afternoon. It was shipped in two pieces by truck from Washington state, where Balazs now lives, and hoisted into place by a crane Thursday morning.

The $30,000 sculpture was commissioned by the Westlake-Westshore Arts Council (WWAC) to advance its goal of getting more public art in the area.

"It's a wonder-giving device, I hope," Balazs told West Life. "I don't think it's important what it is we make, but I think we just need to decorate the world and cause surprises."

The various geometric shapes don't necessarily mean anything, the artist explained in an interview, although he did give some insight into his ideas which went into the piece.

Harold Balazs

"The one thing that runs through the work that I consider my most serious stuff is the idea of juxtaposing disparate ideas," Balazs said. "This is a very complex world. This disparate quality of life in the world today -- we need to start getting along with each other. I try to express that idea -- disparate ideas can get along. And it's nothing more complicated than that."

Too much importance is placed on the interpretation of art, Balazs explained.

During the dedication ceremony, Balazs said he is more intrigued by the mysterious giant heads of Easter Island of which little is known than by artwork from the Vatican.

"Not knowing is more important than knowing, I think," he said of the meanings or motivations of artists.

Balazs said he believes his duty -- and that of all artists -- is to create a sense of wonder through their work. "We (make) something out of our being that says 'look at this and wonder,'" he said.

The piece itself is untitled, although Roger Cooley, a member of WWAC and second cousin of Balazs, has taken to calling it "The Circle of Life." But Balazs said Saturday he will always think of it as "The Class of '46," after his graduating class of Dover High School. About a dozen of Balazs' classmates attended Saturday's ceremony, some traveling from as far away as Florida, Arizona and California.

"If you want to make more of it, go ahead," Balazs said. "It's not important. It's just that I hope you enjoy it."

Mayor Dennis Clough said while he was campaigning Saturday morning, he received a number of positive comments about the sculpture.

"The outpouring of participation and support here demonstrate how much this community appreciates art," the he said.

The mayor said the intersection of Hilliard Boulevard and Dover Center Road is an appropriate location for the sculpture.

"I think this truly is the crossroads of our community; it certainly is the center of our community," Clough said, noting it's near City Hall, the high school, the school administration building and Porter Public Library. "I think everybody in the community travels through this particular intersection. So I think it's a great location where everybody can appreciate this sculpture that we now have in the city of Westlake."

The WWAC spent three years raising funds to purchase the piece.

"It's been the accumulation of a lot of hard work," outgoing WWAC Co-president Patt Long said after Saturday's dedication ceremony. "It's been a collaboration of the entire arts council."

But it was worth all the work to see the two-ton sculpture in its permanent home, Long said.

"I am blown away," she said. "I don't even have words to say how pleased I am."