Totem - Cherry Hill, NJ
N 39° 55.230 W 075° 00.256
18S E 499635 N 4418933
Totem (1998) is a multi-level, metallic sculpture in front of the Cherry Hill Public Library which resembles an abstract totem pole. It was just permanently placed outside, having been inside since 2005.
Waymark Code: WM7JQ3
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 11/01/2009
Views: 5
This statue was placed inside of the library, where the little coffee shop is located. It was then moved in the summer of '09 to the reading room/computer room on the first floor, by the door. The last week of September, 2009, a concrete base was prepared out front and to the left of the main entrance. During the first week of October, the sculpture was permanently placed outside of our library on the prepared base.
The metallic sculpture features interlocking levels of metal, geometrically sound, extending upwards in kind of a rectangular prism shape. It terminates after about 8 feet (8'X3'X3'). The artists signature can be found at the base off to the left and in the middle is the name plaque with the artists name. The plaque (just placed last week) explains the sculpture is a gift of the Friends of the Cherry Hill Public Library. The Smithsonian Inventory, back when this was surveyed in 1998, says it was on loan by by Ascalon, Eric & Tanya, Berlin, New Jersey. This is now permanent. It also seems that perhaps the librarian was wrong and the sculptor lives up the road a bit in Berlin.
(The librarian told me the artist, David Ascalon, is a resident of our town, Cherry Hill.)
The following excerpts comes from the Smithsonian Inventory page for this sculpture.
SOURCE
Original Inscription (no longer applicable)
"(On stone plaque mounted at base of sculpture:) "TOTEM"/By DAVID ASCALON/FABRICATED BRONZE, 1998/ON LOAN FROM THE COLLECTION OF/ERIC & TANYA ASCALON/CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY signed"
Description
"An abstract sculpture consisting of an array of curved shapes stacked vertically.
"
Remarks (no longer applicable)
"The sculpture is on long term loan to the Cherry Hill Public Library for display at the library's new building, which opened in early 2005. IAS image on file shows the sculpture in its previous outdoor location."
According to this
SITE, the Ascalon Studio is in Cherry Hill. The artist is a second generation sculptor with strong Jewish connections to Cherry Hill, and his family, with connections to Europe. The workshop is a multifaceted art studio dedicated to the creation of monumental sculpture and art for the adornment of worship and public spaces. The have done a lot of work for local synagogues.