POLYMER

@michaelcohill back 5-0s the plaque of Dale Chihuly’s Polymer sculpture outside of the Goodyear Polymer Center at the University of Akron, one of the most recognizable buildings in Akron’s skyline.

Designed by architect Richard Fleischman, the Polymer building was finished in 1991 and marked a shift from Akron’s rubber manufacturing past to it’s future as a hub in Northeast Ohio’s “Polymer Valley”. A natural progression since rubber was the first polymer.

In 2005, a 30 foot polyurethane and stainless-steel sculpture by artist Dale Chihuly was installed outside of the building. 83 individual forms mounted to a central armature stretch to the sky. Polymers, reimagined as public art.

Polymer isn’t just a name. It’s where we’re from.

1. @michaelcohill 📷 @braun.dv
2. @michaelcohill from “Lighter—Than—Air” 🎥 @braun.dv
3. Above angle of Dale Chihuly’s Polymer sculpture
4. Timelapse of sculpture being built
5. Plaque of sculpture
6. The Goodyear Polymer Center upon completion 1991
7. Preliminary sketch of the building by architect Richard Fleischman
8. Polymer Center under construction
9. Airships over Polymer Center 2002
10-11. Pages from Fleischman’s book “Spaces To Be Shared”
12. Synthetic rubber plaque outside the Polymer Center
13. @michaelcohill 📷 @braun.dv