Baltimore’s giant Whirligig is back.
Nearly five months after Vollis Simpson’s 55-foot-tall sculpture was taken down for restoration, it’s back in place at the American Visionary Art Museum.
The sculpture, entitled “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” is one of several outdoor works that former director Rebecca Alban Hoffberger wanted to restore before she stepped down in early April, so they would be in good condition for her successor.
The Maryland State Arts Council allocated $50,000 to help cover the costs, which are upwards of $80,000.
“It’s fabulous!” Hoffberger said today about the restored Whirligig. “It’s better than I could have hoped. It’s as fresh as the day Vollis put it up there.”
Installed in 1995, the year the museum opened, the three-ton whirligig is a wind-powered kinetic sculpture that’s made from scoops, cups, wheels, fans and other components that catch the wind, causing it to move.
The conservation work involved disassembling the sculpture and repainting and repairing its various parts, removing all traces of rust. The work was completed in two locations, the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum in Wilson, North Carolina, and Barrett & Sons Coatings in Elkridge, Maryland.
As part of the repairs, the whirligig was detached from its post in late January, taken apart, transported to the two conservation sites, then brought back and reattached to the post by crane.
The restored sculpture was lifted in place just before 3 p.m. Tuesday as a small crowd watched from the base of Federal Hill, with crew members Bob Little and Mike Wilkins in a cherry picker making the final attachments. This was the first time it had received any restoration work.
Other AVAM sculptures that have been restored include Andrew Logan’s Cosmic Galaxy Egg; Ben Wilson’s Meditation Chapel and Robert Benson’s Universal Tree of Life, the “bling tree” visible from Key Highway. Hoffberger, the museum’s co-founder as well as director, always said she wanted to have some works visible outside so people passing by can see art even if they don’t go inside.
Hoffberger’s successor, Jenenne Whitfield, is scheduled to start in early September, with one less project on the to-do list.
