Chuck and Char Fowler are putting art at the heart of our changing cityscape. The philanthropists have traveled the world and know that a good downtown thrives when art is a part of the equation. “Public art can beautify the city and make it more friendly,” Chuck says. So their Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation has committed $1.5 million to Land Studio to get temporary large-scale projects from national and international artists on Public Square, Mall B and possibly Mall A for the next three years. First up? Italian collective Cracking Art’s recycled plastic meerkats, wolves, swallows, frogs and snails, which have invaded the Cleveland Public Library main branch and its Eastman Reading Garden. The rest will pop up around Public Square after the Republican National Convention leaves. Land Studio plans to host competitions asking regional artists to create projects for the public spaces, and the organization will also display local artists’ works on the cafe at the square’s outer wall. Char talks about the Fowlers’ gift, what they love about those brightly colored animals and why public art is an important piece of our city’s renaissance.
Grand design ⎬ In January, the Fowlers attended a large Palm Beach, Florida, art show where Cracking Art had a display. They struck up a conversation with the artists after admiring their work in other cities. Two days later, their daughter called with the Public Square proposal from Land Studio involving Cracking Art. “That was very serendipitous,” says Char.
Political divide: Cracking Art’s more than 300 creatures include an 8-foot red elephant created especially for the convention. “I would rather have a big blue donkey,” she says. “Can’t we make the elephant blue?”
Spider sense: In 2002, three of French sculptor Louise Bourgeois’ Spiders — a 30-foot-tall, 20,000-pound mother and two 15-foot-tall babies — were installed in Playhouse Square. “It was so cool,” she recalls of her favorite public art to come to Cleveland. “People did come down just to see that.”
Creepy connection: In 2013, she and Chuck stumbled upon another installation of Spiders while visiting Japan. “It’s just kind of fun to be able to connect cities,” she says “I definitely think public art can be a draw to the city.”
Renaissance period: “We love the direction that Cleveland has been moving in,” Char says, noting that art should play a part in that. “Cities that are bright and vibrant seem to have some public art. It’s something that helps pull a community together.”