#FREE stamp

[longlistshort]

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen created Free Stamp, the 70,000 pound sculpture, pictured above, in 1985.

Cleveland Historical, which has detailed numerous historical sites in the city, provides a detailed history of the sculpture. They also have an app to simplify exploring the city.

Below is a section from their website about Free Stamp–

…Commissioned by the Amoco Company in 1982, the Stamp was designed and fabricated in 1985. At the time, Amoco owned Sohio (Standard Oil of Ohio) and the building now known as 200 Public Square, and the piece was intended to reside in front of the building. But in 1986, before installation could happen, Amoco, Sohio and the building were acquired by BP America. The new owners refused to mount the sculpture—perhaps believing that “Free Stamp” was a metaphoric aspersion. Art historian Edward J. Olszewski has also noted that, in England, Pop Art is viewed more cynically and politically than in the United States, where it is considered primarily whimsical. Oldenburg is on record as saying that “free,” references the emancipation of American slaves during and after the Civil War—a plausible explanation given the piece’s planned proximity to the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument.

So instead of adorning Public Square, the Free Stamp was denied its freedom: imprisoned instead in a warehouse in Illinois. There it gathered dust for five years before then-mayor George Voinovich invited Oldenburg and van Bruggen to Cleveland in hopes of selecting another site.

It eventually was decided that the Stamp should be located in Willard Park on Lakeside Avenue just west of East 9th Street; and BP agreed to gift it to the city of Cleveland with all installation and maintenance expenses covered. However, disagreements arose about how the sculpture would be positioned. The original intent was for the Stamp to stand face down on Public Square. However, Cleveland city planners felt that this approach was not right for Willard Park and the Stamp ultimately was mounted angularly, with the faux-rubber “FREE” proudly visible. According to Oldenburg, it was as if “a giant hand picked up the Free Stamp and angrily hurled it several blocks to its current location at Willard Park.” Not surprisingly, the Stamp—formally dedicated on November 15, 1991—aims directly at 200 Public Square “It’s pointed on a diagonal to the 23rd floor, which were [BP’s] corporate offices,” notes Olszewski. “It leads the viewer back to the original site.”

[foxymaskmike]

GRUNKLE STUNKLE WINS THE FUNKLE BUNKLE

[zegalba]

[wacky-wonders]

made tcm stamps =]

[couterror]

@erisolweek

[fullcravings]

Easy Copycat Vegan Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

[frog-juice]

made these for funsies, if anyone would like to use them :>

[lycanthrop-ee-art]

brief multi-media zine about lycanthropy and depersonalization <33

printable version under the cut !

[weibikara]

🩸Gloomy Bear (+ Hanyo Usagi) Graphics ! illustrations by Mori Chack / stamps templates by me

[furby-swag]

some (mostly) silly bill cipher stamps!

[lemuriz]

More Colourful Stamps (feel free to repost)

[banana-dawg]

₊˚♡ Dialtown userboxes + stamps! All f2u, credit not needed but highly appreciated // requests open! stamps and userboxes ^_^

Stamps below vv

These are a little old so apologies if they aren't that good (these were reposted to toyhouse and deviantart)

blinkies coming later :]

[zegalba]

Free Palestine

[heuldoch7b]

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ freakin STAMPS. use however u want wherever u want!!

first set can be found here

[wacky-wonders]

made some horror stamps :]

[stat--ic]

actually becoming obsessed with making stamps i need to make more