Totem (Paluzzi) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Totem |
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| Artist | Rinaldo Paluzzi |
| Year | 1982 |
| Type | Stainless Steel |
| Dimensions | 980 cm × 150 cm × 150 cm (384 in × 60 in × 60 in) |
| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| 39°46′04″N 86°10′17″W / 39.76778°N 86.17139°W | |
| Owner | White River State Park |
Totem is a cool sculpture by artist Rinaldo Paluzzi. You can find it at White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. This artwork is made from shiny stainless steel. It looks like a tall, triangular tube with interesting shapes cut out of it.
The sculpture sits right in the middle of a large concrete circle. This circle is 40 feet wide and even has a sundial on it! Totem was finished and put in place in 1982. It was special because it was the first public art piece in Indianapolis paid for by everyday people and businesses.
What Does Totem Look Like?
Totem is a tall sculpture made of stainless steel. It stands 384 inches (that's 32 feet!) high. The sculpture has a unique triangular shape. It also has cool triangular and trapezoidal cut-outs in the steel.
Just south of the sculpture, there's a bronze sign. This sign tells you the name of the artwork, the artist's name (Rinaldo Paluzzi), and who helped build it. It also lists all the people and groups who donated money to make Totem possible.
How Totem Was Funded
White River State Park owns the Totem sculpture. A company called Mitchum-Shaefer, Inc. in Indianapolis built it. What's really interesting is how the sculpture was paid for!
Over 60 different people and organizations gave money to help. They raised $95,000 to put the sculpture in place. This made Totem the first public artwork in Indianapolis to be funded by many different people, a process called crowdsourcing. The total cost to create and install the sculpture was $91,500.
Some of the big companies that donated included Allstate, Allison Transmission, Eli Lilly and Company, and RCA. To help raise money, artist Rinaldo Paluzzi even made special limited edition prints of the sculpture. These prints were sold for $250 each.
Dedication Ceremony
The Totem sculpture was officially dedicated on November 9, 1982. It was a big event! The Scecina High School marching band played music. The mayor at the time, William H. Hudnut, gave a speech. He even gave Paluzzi the keys to the city to thank him for his amazing artwork. The sculpture was copyrighted in 1983.
