Maurice A. Ferre Park in Miami is being slowly and quietly dismantled. Why? | Opinion

There are more changes taking place in Maurice A. Ferré Park in downtown Miami than the unprecedented removal of a significant old tree and the installation of exercise equipment. Recently, I noticed that a Pi-shaped sculpture had been replaced by what appears to be a rusting metal sculpture.

One of the first times I volunteered at what was then Bicentennial Park, I noticed the imposing, yet graceful “Pi” sculpture perched on a knoll overlooking Biscayne Bay. Some time later, I noticed the imposing sculpture had been moved to the entrance of newly renamed Museum or Ferré Park.

This sculpture, El Nuevo Mundo, was dedicated in 1977 in downtown Miami and moved in the early 2010s. It was originally created for the ill-fated Interama Cultural Center, a permanent international expo center with cultural, educational, and trade activities planned mid 20th century at the site now occupied by FIU’s Biscayne Campus. Under the leadership of Miami’s Mayor Maurice A. Ferré, namesake of today’s park, and with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the sculpture by internationally known artist David von Shlegell was commissioned.

The recent lengthy article about the removal of the tree from Ferré park also shed light on the mysterious removal of El Nuevo Mundo. Like the tree, the sculpture seems to have been relocated to the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer facility with little or no oversight.

Where was the city’s Art in Public Places program in making this recent decision? This seems to be yet another one of Commissioner Joe Carollo’s heavy-handed visions for our precious public space.

Annette B. Fromm, Ph.D., is a museum specialist and folklorist/ethnographer.