Cleveland, Ohio: The Politician: A Toy

"The Politician," is a weird kinetic sculpture created in 1995 by artist Billie Lawless. Currently stands in Billie's fenced studio yard, but it may not be there for long.

I can assure you that The Politician: A Toy is not in a state of disrepair as you erroneously report [RA: in visitor tips while it was at its old location over 10 years ago]. This past year saw the refurbishment of the tail, and the previous year the fence was totally replaced. Every year I have worked with Cleveland State University to keep the piece as close to pristine as possible.

The Politician: A Toy was moved in the Spring of 2009 and now resides on the campus of Cleveland State University at 18th Street and Chester Avenue.

The Politician: A Toy has moved! Many of us have noticed the sad neglect Cleveland's great outdoor sculpture has endured the past several years, and assumed the worst when the FOR SALE sign went up on the lot where it has resided for over 16 years.

Imagine our grief to see it dismantled piece by piece during the past month. My wife even said a prayer.

Now imagine my delight to see those same pieces, now freshly scraped and painted, relocated to the campus of Cleveland State Univerity (corner of Chester & East 18th) ready to be reassembled. The Politician Is Dead! Long Live The Politician!

Sadly, this most amusing piece of art has fallen into disrepair. It's been partially disassembled, and will very likely be entirely gone before long.

Lawless' other local piece, "Didy Wah Didy" (a/k/a the "Atomic Playground" neon sign next to I-480) was removed years ago when they widened the interstate.