Symbol, Rockford’s red riverfront art monument, to get its first facelift in a decade
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Symbol, the one-of-a-kind sculpture that towers above the Rock River Recreation Path, is getting a fresh coat of paint for the first time in a decade.
Crews started power washing the 47-foot-tall sculpture on Wednesday in preparation for painting on Thursday. The work is being done by Painting4U, a Loves Park company owned by Vicky Grondzki.
“Love this sculpture, so iconic and a true symbol for Rockford,” said John Groh, president and CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Great cities have great works of public art and that is definitely true in Rockford.”
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The Rockford Park District, which is responsible for the maintenance of the sculpture, worked with metal expert Dick Behr to match the original paint color. That color is called Vermillion Red or Liberman Red after Alexander Liberman, who created the colossal sculpture from discarded tank drums, boiler heads, pipes and beams.
The Ukrainian-born sculptor has other works reminiscent of Symbol in Dallas, Seattle and other places around the country.
Symbol, however, was created specifically for Rockford. The 30-ton work of art was originally placed at State and Wyman streets in 1978. It moved to its current location along the Rock River south of the Auburn Street bridge in 1984.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas
