Artist Ursula von Rydingsvard reflects on her public sculpture 'Ona' (2013), which is permanently installed outside of Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York. Originally made from the artist's signature cut cedar beams, the sculpture was cast in bronze in the Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry in upstate New York. Despite all the collective labor needed to create her monumental works, von Rydingsvard is still a hands-on artist, applying a patina to the sculpture's undulating surface at the foundry. Installed at the Barclay's Center, 'Ona' is a powerfully understated and timeless presence amid the contemporary architectural and digital tumult. Setting the work in a public space without security guards or barricades, von Rydingsvard hopes visitors will do what museums expressedly forbid - touch the art.
