CLEVELAND,OH – MidWest Fine Art Service and Transportation recently transported and installed a major work by the renowned minimalist sculptor Ronald Bladen (1918-1988). The work titled "Light Year (Garden)" 1979 is the first from an edition of three. The piece is made of painted aluminum, measuring 80" x 156" x 19" and weighs approximately 600lbs. The work was acquired by Director and Professor Emeritus Harvey Buchanan for the John and Mildred Putnam Sculpture Collection. The sculpture was purchased from the Jacobson Howard Gallery in Manhattan and was moved to our warehouse in early November.

The Putnam collection was established in 1981 and has grown to 33 plus pieces. As described on the collections web site, "The goal of the Putnam Collection is to enrich the visual and educational environment of the Case Western Reserve University campus and of University Circle by developing awareness and understanding of the variety and vitality of the work of our regional artists." The collection is mapped out on their website and includes both outdoor and indoor commissions and acquisitions.

You can browse a link to this collection at http://putnamcollection.org

"Light Year (Garden)" was assembled at our Sheffield Village warehouse by Tim Carney, John Carney and Charles G. Eiben. To protect the painted finish for transport and instalation the assembled piece was carefully blanketed and entirely stretch wrapped. The following morning the sculpture was moved to its new location on the grounds of the Kelvin Smith Library and Severance Hall in the heart of University Circle. The site was selected by committee and had design input from the Cleveland Museum of Art chief designer Jeffrey Strean. The intimate location is handsomely landscaped and immediately visible to students and visitors approaching the library from either Euclid Avenue or East Boulevard.

MidWest FAST rigging crew was made up of Timothy Carney, Michael Moore, Butch McNutt, and Charles G. Eiben. The 13 foot piece was carefully unloaded using the lift gate and a boom forklift simultaneously. Rigging straps and the all terrain boom fork maintained constant tension and balance for the top heavy piece as it was moved to it final location. Once positioned non-corrosive aluminum and stainless steel anchors were sunk into the concrete pad. The work is suspended just above the concrete so the aluminum will not react to the base.  

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