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    Giant Slingshot Sculpture in Franklinton Gets Approval

    A “not slingable” slingshot will soon be the latest eye-catching art piece to hit Franklinton.

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    Designed by Franklinton resident and artist Andrew Lundberg with Lundberg Industrial Arts, LLC, the approximately 20-foot sculpture will be a towering statue and potential tourist attraction set among CASTO’s River & Rich development.

    Lundberg, who does corporate signage and furniture in addition to sculptures, has previously worked with CASTO on the 24-foot vertical River & Rich sign.

    The site of this latest project will be the Lucas Street Plaza, which was already approved and built with the intention of putting a sculpture there.

    Brent Sobczak, president of CASTO Communities, said that CASTO attempted to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to include the floodwall across from River & Rich in some sort of art piece, but that they couldn’t get approval. So instead, they decided to create a platform on their property to create the space for a sculpture.

    The slingshot design includes the year Franklinton was settled, 1797.

    CASTO approached Lundberg with the idea, noting that the piece should have some height to it, and be interesting as well as captivating.

    The future site of the slingshot is at a focal point of Lucas Street. Behind it is the hill leading to the Scioto River, and it’s accented by two of River & Rich’s three-story buildings.

    The platform at Lucas Street and Sullivant Avenue.
    The platform’s location, looking down Lucas Street.

    The slingshot was one of over a half dozen design options discussed. CASTO took an internal vote and the slingshot design won, to Lundberg’s pleasure.

    The work will incorporate LED lighting, and Lundberg states that what hasn’t been shown in 2D mockups is the concrete hand that will be holding the slingshot. He used clay to get the concept across.

    Without it, he says, the giant slingshot would look like an amusement park ride.

    Lundberg said the East Franklinton Review Board really liked the slingshot concept.

    “I’ve been through the review board before with sculpture, it’s always gone really well. But this time it went extremely well. And they seem to be really pumped about it and excited about it,” he said.

    Lundberg said the design plays with Franklinton’s position across from Downtown and separated by the river, by “shooting towards the city.” He also liked that its “a little mischievous.”

    “Franklinton in itself is maybe a little mischievous because we’re the arts district,” he said.

    The slingshot will have a steel frame but look wooden, giving it a child-like feel, and its positioning — as well as stairs alongside the platform — will allow for viewers to act out being “slung” across the river, in hopes of creating a photo-op destination.

    Lundberg said the slingshot also speaks to being a “catalyst for movement,” signifying a city that is charged and ready to go.

    “It’s kind of like where we’re at as Columbus right now,” he said. “This is kind of our renaissance, so there’s something for that kind of momentum and that energy and that ‘ready to fly’ kind of feel.”

    The sculpture is expected to be installed this fall.

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    Taijuan Moorman
    Taijuan Moormanhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Taijuan Moorman is a former reporter and social media specialist for Columbus Underground and The Metropreneur who covered civics, arts, entertainment, lifestyle, and business news and features.
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