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In the early 1990s, the Dublin Arts Council decided they wanted to commission an artist to create an outdoor sculpture for the small, three-acre Sam and Eulalia Frantz Park and they eventually decided on Columbus' Malcolm Cochran. After months of planning and building, Cochran's creation, Fields of Corn (with Osage Orange Trees), was finally revealed in 1994. The sculpture itself consists of 109 cement corncobs, all close to six feet tall, which are arranged in rows. At the far end of the field is a group of Osage orange trees, which overshadow concrete benches placed in front of plaques. The plaques describe, among other things, the history of farming and corn cultivation in the area. What inspired Cochran to create such a bizarre and unique sculpture? One need only look back at the history of the land for the answer. |
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After the cobs were molded, they were painstakingly "planted" in the ground one at a time. But why concrete? Some believe Cochran was trying to make a statement about urban development. Dublin had for many years functioned largely as a farming community. But over time, more and more fields were bought up and turned into sprawling shopping centers. Some visitors to the site believe that the rows of corncobs take on the appearance of tombstones, a possible symbol of the "death" of farming in Dublin. Whatever the motivation behind the Fields of Corn, the result has been known to turn more than a few heads when drivers pass by Sam and Eulalia Frantz Park for the first time. |