Abstract Tree

URBANA - Artist John David Mooney believes dusk is the "magic hour," when the colored lights on his 33-foot-high abstract sculpture outside city hall are at their most effective.That's the time the LED lights inside the stainless steel piece appear as subtle shades of blue and orange - his nod to the school colors of the University of Illinois."It's almost a relaxing, hypnotic effect". Others at the site commented and joked about the 22 years it took for the sculpture to finally see the light of day - or we should say, dusk.

After the abstract tree was planted, Urbana lawyer Carl Webber breathed a sigh of relief. For more than two decades he advocated and raised $200,000 for the mini-park. Along the way, the city kicked in money - no one at city hall seemed to know exactly how much, considering how long the project's taken. And local businesses provided in-kind donations.

"It's been a tremendous joint public-and-private project," Webber said. "We started with the concept of the city putting in a small park and small sculpture to give it a little interest. It moved from a small sculpture to a much larger sculpture that would be something of an identification of the area. All the while, Webber worked to make sure Mooney, who has completed large-scale installations internationally, would remain the sole designer of the mini-park, and that city council members would approve his ideas. See earlier blip.