Wood Pile
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Cleveland Public Art’s Wood Pile was a temporary installation commissioned for the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Summer Solstice Celebration in June 2009. Artist Mark A. Reigelman II constructed Wood Pile on the perimeter of the museum’s East Wing to pay tribute to ancient midsummer-related traditions. Reigelman was particularly inspired by the massive woodpiles collected for the most important and traditional mark of summer solstice celebrations: bonfires. Some traditions require fires to begin one week before solstice and burn for one week after, so the woodpiles could be as large as houses. Wood Pile was made of 18,720 recyclable pool noodles, each measuring 12” in length and roughly 4” in diameter, creating a sculpture stretching over 470 linear feet. The bright red installation running along the newly finished granite and marble museum wing created a sense of excitement leading up to the event and provided visual impact during the party.