New ‘mystery’ sculpture in North End Square evokes feelings of Rockford’s Symbol

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The artist who made the city’s newest piece of public art is unknown. But the inspiration is obvious.

The newly installed sculpture evokes feelings of renowned artist Alexander Liberman‘s signature pieces made from steel drums and other industrial objects.

But Liberman, the artist behind Rockford’s iconic riverfront Symbol, didn’t make this piece. At least the group responsible for its installation doesn’t think he did.

“Who made it is a mystery,” said John Groh, president and CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Maybe that’s a question for the community.”

The sculpture was installed Thursday morning in a median along Huffman Boulevard near Welsh Elementary School. But roughly five years earlier Groh had found it at an estate sale in the seller’s backyard.

He connected with local art and metalwork experts such as Doc Slafkosky and Jerry Kortman, Dick Behr and Tom Furst to learn more about where the piece may have come from.

Behr recalled that after Liberman installed Symbol in 1978, there were unauthorized smaller similar sculptures made, Groh said. This one stands roughly 5-feet tall and is in a magenta-type color called Dynamo.

“My understanding is that Liberman was amused but not pleased, and a stop was put to it,” Groh said. “We don’t know how many there might be in the community or in the world, but this is one of them.”

The piece was repaired and repainted by Rockford Ornamental Iron and donated for display to the visitors bureau.

Carrie Johnson, executive director of the Rockford Art Museum, helped sleuth out information on the sculpture and determine its original color after it had faded over decades of time.

“Because it was unnamed by unknown, we did decide to name it,” Groh said.

It’s now called “Together,” a tribute to the diverse makeup of the North End Square neighborhood where it resides. It’s on the opposite end of a median from “Hesitant,” a piece by Ben Pierce that was installed in 2022.

“It’s got — with the color and the shapes — a lot of whimsy,” said Cyndie Hall, who leads the neighborhood group. “Next to an elementary school it’s perfect.”

Hall joked that the new sculpture is so shiny and clean that she feels compelled to come out and dust it to keep it looking fresh.

Symbol is a 30-ton piece of public art that Liberman created specifically for Rockford in his signature red color. It was originally at State and Wyman street in 1978, but moved to its current location south of the Auburn Street bridge along the Rock River in 1984.

Groh said the “Together” sculpture’s similarity to the iconic Symbol makes it a fitting piece of public art, whether the artist is known or not.

“There could be more of them,” he said. “We’ll see if people have them in their backyards and we can show up at their estate sales.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas