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Top headlines of the week, Sept. 19 2025<\/p>\n
Here are some stories you may have missed this week in central Ohio.<\/p>\n
Though it may come as a surprise, public art isn\u2019t always meant to be beautiful.<\/p>\n
It can also carry historical significance, reflect what a place once was and tell the story of an artist\u2019s imagination.<\/p>\n
That’s how the city of Dublin views its public art, as pieces that are often more than what meets the eye. “Field of Corn (with Osage Oranges)” is a prime example.<\/p>\n
The\u00a031-year-old installation<\/a>\u00a0features 109 human-sized ears of corn, each averaging 6 feet 3 inches tall, sculpted by former Ohio State University professor of sculpture Malcolm Cochran. The work memorializes Dublin\u2019s agricultural roots, preserving the story of farmland before industrial development.<\/p>\n Yet that story isn\u2019t always obvious at first glance. Perhaps that\u2019s why the Field of Corn ranked No. 22 on a list of America\u2019s Ugliest Public Art<\/a> by commercial art retailer Rivers Wall Art.<\/p>\n Alongside Cleveland\u2019s “The Stamp,” 90 sculptures were identified by 2,000 people who voted these pieces to be aesthetically displeasing, such as ambiguously large objects.<\/p>\n For Cochran, now 76, the ranking is further proof that his decades-old sculpture continues to command attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I wasn\u2019t disturbed,\u201d Cochran said. “The way the piece has survived and the way it has been cared for by the city of Dublin, it has become a true landmark, that\u2019s wonderful from my perspective.”<\/p>\n Why \u2018ugly\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean meaningless: The story behind Field of Corn<\/p>\n Unveiled in 1994 after Cochran\u2019s 1993 proposal, Field of Corn acts as both a roadside attraction and a memorial to Dublin\u2019s agrarian roots planted across what used to be farmland owned by Sam Frantz, an innovator in hybrid corn.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leaders of the Dublin Arts Council say the public\u2019s first impulse, to judge art by whether it looks good, misses its larger purpose.<\/p>\n “Often people think about public art as something that is aesthetically pleasing or not,\u201d said Merijn van der Heijden, executive director of the Dublin Arts Council. \u201cBut there\u2019s much more to art than the way it appears.”<\/p>\n Raygan Barrett, the arts council\u2019s design and marketing director, added that Field of Corn is meant to be experienced intimately.<\/p>\n “His intention was to commemorate history in the way of the farming process and how it was dying at the time,” Barrett said. “There\u2019s more to it than what it looks like.”<\/p>\n Cochran describes the work as “haptic” \u2014 inviting a bodily response, like standing next to a tall individual.<\/p>\n “Because they are a little bigger, kids naturally hug them,” Cochran said, emphasizing its tactile intention.<\/p>\n Despite its mixed reactions, Field of Corn continues to draw visitors and spark conversation. In June, Columbus Monthly named it\u00a0Best Public Art for the city<\/a>, along with another one of Cochran’s pieces.<\/p>\n Cochran said he believes that the work\u2019s endurance and the debate it generates show it has achieved something rare \u2014 people still care.<\/p>\n Dublin will celebrate another public art addition<\/a>: Ivan Depe\u00f1a\u2019s “S\/WING,” scheduled to debut for the 50th anniversary of the Muirfield Memorial Tournament in 2026.<\/p>\n