Art on the Move at CALS Library Square

Fusion, a spherical sculpture made of limestone sitting on a limestone base, was commissioned as a memorial to Vernon C. Johnson Sr., who was a security guard at the Central Arkansas Library System for more than twenty years. After Johnson’s death in 2006, the CALS community commissioned the artwork from sculptor Michael Warrick. The sculpture was installed in 2009 at the corner of 2^nd St. and Commerce, where it was visible from the street and from the CALS Main Library parking lot. Many people over the years fit their hands into the impressions, fusing themselves with the sun-warmed artwork for a moment.

Last month, due to downtown construction plans and a possible re-routing of the trolley tracks, the sculpture was moved to a different spot in CALS Library Square, the seating area across from the Cox Building. The move of this heavy limestone piece—undertaken by artist Michael Warrick, his son Phillip Warrick, Brian Beitzel of the CALS maintenance department (driving forklift), and CALS art administrator Colin Thompson—was not an easy job!