Friendship Way facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Friendship Way |
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| Artist | Cork Marcheschi and William A. Johnson |
| Year | 1998 |
| Type | Neon art |
| Location | Columbus, Indiana, United States |
| Owner | City of Columbus |
Friendship Way is a special alley in Columbus, Indiana, United States. It's known for its unique design and a bright neon sculpture. This alley was finished in 1998. It was designed by William A. Johnson Associates and the landscaping was done by Storrow Kinsella Associates.
A cool, untitled neon sculpture by American artist Cork Marcheschi is a main feature of Friendship Way. The city of Columbus owns and takes care of this artwork.
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What is Friendship Way?
This alley has walls painted a light cream color. You'll see garden beds with English ivy along the brick path. There are also two rectangular trellises (frame structures for plants) against the northern wall. Two classic wooden benches and two bright red streetlights are also found here.
The walkway itself is made of two colors of brick. There are stripes of light red bricks mixed with sections of dark red-purple bricks. Many of the darker bricks have names carved into them.
A Gift of Friendship
At the entrance from Washington Street, you'll find two granite plaques on the ground. The bigger plaque explains that the bricks in the walkway are a gift. They came from Mayor Michio Tsukamoto and the people of Miyoshi, Japan. This message is written in both English and Japanese.
The smaller plaque tells us more about the dedication. It says: "Friendship Way, Dedicated August 5, 1998 by Mayor Michio Tsukamoto, Miyoshi, Japan, Mayor Fred Armstrong, Columbus, Indiana."
The Neon Sculpture
The untitled neon sculpture by Cork Marcheschi is on the southern wall of Friendship Way. It's about 10 feet (3 meters) above the ground. The sculpture stretches for almost 80 feet (24 meters) from east to west.
This abstract artwork is made of colorful neon lights. These lights are inside 13 different shapes made of clear, colored Plexiglas. Each shape has an aluminum frame holding the Plexiglas panels together.
The shapes include squares, rectangles, yellow circles, and a pink half-circle with a hole in the middle. Most of these shapes glow brightly with neon light. One yellow circle has a neon spiral inside that spins when it's working. Other lights in the sculpture flicker or seem to move. They are bright enough to be seen even during the day!
How Friendship Way Was Created
In 1990, the city of Columbus started a project called "Streetscape." The goal was to make Washington Street, an important road, look better. This project added new trees, brick walkways, and banners.
In 1998, the Streetscape project expanded to include the alleys on the west side of Washington Street. This included Friendship Way and two other alleys. These other alleys are similar, with bricks, English ivy, and trellises. However, they don't have public art like the neon sculpture.
The landscaping for these alleys was done by Storrow Kinsella Associates. At that time, William A. Johnson was an advisor for urban design in Columbus.
A Symbol of Friendship
The name Friendship Way shows the strong connection between Columbus and its sister city, Miyoshi, Aichi, Japan. People from Miyoshi helped pay for Cork Marcheschi's neon sculpture. They gave over $28,000 by sponsoring the engraved bricks used in the walkway.
A special committee chose Cork Marcheschi's neon sculpture. The entire project to redesign the three alleys cost $130,000. Federal funds helped pay for $99,000 of this cost.
The dedication ceremony for Friendship Way happened on Wednesday, August 5, 1998. The mayors of Miyoshi (Michio Tsukamoto) and Columbus (Fred Armstrong) were there. School children from both cities helped cut the ribbon. Students from Lincoln Elementary School in Columbus even sang two friendship songs in Japanese!
The trellises in the alley were meant to have plants like honeysuckle and clematis growing on them. However, as of 2014, they were still empty.
Where to Find Friendship Way
Cork Marcheschi's neon sculpture was made especially for Friendship Way. It was put in place shortly after the alley was dedicated in August 1998.
Friendship Way is located in the 400-block of Washington Street in Columbus, Indiana. One way to enter Friendship Way is between 416 and 424 Washington Street. The other entrance leads to the back of the public parking lot at Jackson and Fourth Streets.
About the Artist: Cork Marcheschi
Cork Marcheschi is an artist from San Francisco. He earned his master's degree in Sculpture from the California College for Arts and Crafts in 1970.
Marcheschi has taught art at several universities and colleges. These include the University of California at Berkeley, the San Francisco Art Institute, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the Tacoma Museum of Glass.
You can find Marcheschi's public artworks in many places across America and even in Hong Kong. When it was installed, the neon sculpture in Friendship Way was his smallest outdoor public sculpture.
