Flyover - Dayton, Ohio
Posted by: DougK
N 39° 45.455 W 084° 11.476
16S E 740615 N 4404625
This 150 feet long, 43 feet high sculpture is located on a median strip of Main Street between 4th and 5th street in Dayton, Ohio. It represents the first powered flight made by the Wright brothers.
Waymark Code: WMFM8N
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 11/02/2012
Views: 10
This large and impressive sculpture resides on a median strip of Main Street between 4th and 5th street in Dayton, Ohio.
A bronze plaque on the sidewalk side of the street tells this story:
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FLYOVER
Dedicated July 4, 1996
Artist David Black's
sculpture Flyover (1996)
was inspired by Daytonians [A relief art picture of the first Wright Flyer from 1903]
Orville and Wilbur Wright's
first successful powered
flight on December 17, 1903. It also celebrates Dayton's impressive history of innovation.
Flyover's primary image is a repeated, double-winged shape that rises and falls along an open, linear
pathway. It suggests the Wright Brothers' biplane and its tentative, swooping motion. The 120 feet
betweeen the first and last sets of wing struts represents the length of that first flight. The sculpture's
reflective metal surfaces and streamlined forms also call to mind more modern aircraft, descendants of
the Wright Flyer. The grasses at its base are reminiscent of the Huffman Prairie, east of Dayton, where
many flights were conducted. The bench facing Flyover replicates a wing support used in the
Wright brothers first flight as shown in the image above.
Constructed of stainless steel, aluminum, and ceramic tile • 150 feet long, 43 feet high, 24 feet wide
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A plaque on the northern concrete base of the sculpture reads:
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FLYOVER
In celebration of the
sprit, creativity and
accomplishments of Daytonians
Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Dedicated July 4, 1996
David Black, Artist
Dayton City Commission
Michael R. Turner, Mayor
Anthony Capizzi Richard Zimmer
Idotha Bottsie Neal Dean Lovelace
Public Arts Commission
Irvin G. Bieser, Jr. Chair
Carol Nathanson, Vice Chair
Barry Buckman Linda Caron
Dulie Greer Amy Radachi
Michael Sampson Sharon Tolliver
John Wallach
Department of Planning
Liz Blume, Director
Craig Southerington, Project Director
Suzanne Mitolo, Project Consultant
Support Provided by:
Ohio Department of Transportation City of Dayton
Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority Ohio Arts Council
Culture Works
Woopert, Engineering
DeFabCo., Fabrication
Mainline Road & Bridge Construction, Inc., Base
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TITLE: Flyover
ARTIST(S): sculptor: David Evans Black (1928- ); engineer: Mike Avelano; fabricator: DeFabCo, Inc; engineering firm: Woolpert Engineering
DATE: 1996. Dedicated July 4, 1996
MEDIUM: Sculpture: stainless steel and aluminum, painted; Base: ceramic and concrete.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 74900001
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION: Central median strip on Main Street, between 4th & 5th, Dayton, Ohio
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None
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Visit Instructions: Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.
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