“Phronesis” Sculptural Installation Dedication

Join ArtWorks and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County to celebrate the completion of sculptural installation Phronesis, Wednesday, October 16 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the downtown main branch (800 Vine St). ArtWorks is proud to have led the call to artists for this public art project. Free and open to the public.

Created by internationally acclaimed artist Jen Lewin, Phronesis is a large-scale light sculpture on the South Plaza of the Main Library. Seven of the sculpture’s light pillars are installed outside the Library’s Vine Street entrance, and a single interior light pillar is immediately inside the building’s atrium.

Derived from Ancient Greek, the word phronesis is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, opens a new window as “understanding” and “practical judgement.” 

With Phronesis, Lewin looks both into the past and the future. Inspired by the search of Dr. Stephen Bertman, a professor of Languages, Literature, and Cultures at the University of Windsor in Canada, Lewin crafted eight large illuminated sculptures, each representing a guiding principle of ancient Greek wisdom:

• Humanism
• The Pursuit of Excellence
• The Practice of Moderation
• Self-Knowledge
• Rationalism
• Restless Curiosity
• The Love of Freedom
• Individualism

These principles and their ancient roots remind us of the vast breadth of human knowledge, curiosity, and history, much of which is preserved and shared through the Library.

Image provided by the Library