The Boat in the Field

M.L. “Red” Trabue Nature Reserve Public Artwork

Shown above: Artist Ilan Averbuch’s site-specific rendering of The Boat in the Field selected as Dublin’s latest permanent public artwork, to be installed in M.L. “Red” Trabue Park in 2023.

Ilan Averbuch of Long Island City, N.Y. has been contracted for a $150,000 commission for Dublin, Ohio’s newest public artwork. Averbuch’s site-specific proposal for The Boat in the Field, a permanent artwork in Dublin’s M.L. “Red” Trabue Nature Reserve, consists of two intertwined images.

One image is of a stone skeletal structure of a boat raised 11 to 15 feet in the air as if frozen in mid-flight. The other image is of a skeletal tower made of vertical steel beams covered with a sloping round roof. The stone boat looks as if it floats weightlessly in mid-air, seeming to defy gravity and the laws of physics. Below, steel beams, some straight and some bent, appear in motion, possibly having walked out of the nearby Karrer Pond. The sculpture will be 25 feet tall, 18 feet wide and 15 feet deep, created from recycled and Ohio industrial materials, such as stone and weathering steel.

Averbuch has located recycled stone from the steps of St. John Cathedral in Cleveland, a historic Roman Catholic church building that was completed in 1852. The stone has been delivered to Averbuch’s studio, where he is cutting it to fit the newly formed steel structure of the sculpture. The artist is developing a full engineering plan with Dublin, Ohio engineer Larry Paxton.

Averbuch was selected from a field of 151 applicants from 33 states. The sculpture will be long-lasting and will require very little maintenance. The Boat in the Field is slated for installation in 2023.

Read the announcement about the award here.

View Averbuch’s proposal presentation here.

December 2022 update

The artist is hard at work in his studio, creating the steel frame for the artwork and beginning to connect the historic stone to the structure. We’ll pass along updates on the project, and opportunities to connect, as soon as the information becomes available. New images appear below.

Dublin Arts Council encourages community engagement with public art. If you have questions or comments, please contact Public Art Manager Ava Morgan, morgan@dublinarts.org