Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Farewell to Orpheus

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Year
  
1968–1973

Medium
  
Material
  
Bronze sculpture

Type
  
Sculpturefountain

Artist
  
Frederic Littman

Subject
  
Farewell to Orpheus httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumb6

Location
  
Portland, Oregon, United States

Similar
  
Tecotosh, Conduit, Yankee Champion, In the Shadow of the Elm, Peace Chant

Farewell to Orpheus is an outdoor 1968–1973 bronze sculpture and fountain by Frederic Littman, installed at the Portland State University campus in Portland, Oregon, United States.

Description and history

Farewell to Orpheus, created by former Portland State University (PSU) art professor Frederic Littman in 1968, is located at Southwest Montgomery Street in the South Park Blocks. It depicts Eurydice and was installed in 1972–1973 as part of the South Park Blocks Urban Renewal Development Project. The fountain is one of four maintained by PSU, along with Walk of Heroines at Hoffman Hall, another in front of the Student Health and Counseling Building, and one at Urban Plaza.

The sculpture has always been surrounded by water but the fountain, which continually recycles 227 gallons of water, was not added until the 1990s. In 2009, PSU partnered with the City of Portland and the sculpture's owners to repair the fountain, which had not worked for nearly a decade. Repairs cost $6,000 and were funded in part by rentals on the South Park Blocks. Work included installation of new fountain heads, lights, and wiring, and re-sealing underwater surfaces. The repairs were completed by three PSU employees. Farewell to Orpheus has been described as a "seating refuge" for students and included in published walking tours of the city.

References

Farewell to Orpheus Wikipedia


Similar Topics