Rainbow Swash facts for kids
The Rainbow Swash is a very famous and colorful artwork in the Dorchester area of Boston, Massachusetts. It's a huge rainbow design painted on a 140-foot (43 m) tall natural gas storage tank. This amazing artwork is the largest copyrighted piece of art in the world! Many people see it every day as they drive on Interstate 93, making it a well-known landmark in Boston, just like the famous Citgo sign.
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What is the Rainbow Swash?
The Rainbow Swash was first created in 1971. It shows big, bright streaks of rainbow colors painted on a natural gas storage tank. This tank is located right on the waterfront in Dorchester, about two miles (3 km) south of Downtown Boston. The 140-foot (43 m) tall design is easy to spot from the Southeast Expressway, and hundreds of thousands of people drive past it every day. The artwork was moved to its current tank in 1992 after the first tank was taken down.
The Story Behind the Rainbow Swash
How the Artwork Was Created
In 1971, the president of the Boston Gas Company, Eli Goldston, asked an artist named Corita Kent to paint the Rainbow Swash design. Corita Kent was known for her bright and colorful art. She was also a peace activist. The original design was first painted on a small model, only 8 inches (20 cm) tall. Then, 20 painters carefully copied her design onto the huge 140-foot (43 m) tall tank.
What Made the Artwork Famous?
Since the 1970s, the Rainbow Swash has been a topic of discussion. Some people thought that the blue stripe in the mural looked like the face of the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh. Because Corita Kent was a peace activist, some believed she might have hidden this image to protest the Vietnam War. However, Corita Kent always said that she did not put any faces in her artwork.
In 1992, the first tank with the rainbow painting was taken down. Even though some groups didn't want it, the Rainbow Swash was painted again on the tank next to it. In this new version from 1992, the blue stripe is less clear. On a lighter note, some people also say that the yellow stripe looks like the profile of Fred Flintstone looking south!
Who Owns the Tank Now?
Over the years, the company that owned the tank changed. In 2000, Boston Gas was bought by a company called Keyspan. The Keyspan logo then replaced the Boston Gas logo under the rainbow. Later, in September 2007, Keyspan was bought by National Grid plc. Now, the National Grid logo is on the tank where the Keyspan logo used to be.
Where Else Can You See It?
The Rainbow Swash has even appeared in movies! You can see it in the opening credits of the 2005 film Fever Pitch.
