Election Section

After 22 years of weathering the elements at the Berkeley Marina Mall, Calliope, a sculpture by Berkeley artist Joseph Slusky has received a facelift. The 11-foot steel sculpture recently got a new paint job and had its dent repaired thanks to the money from the city’s Public Arts Program.  

With salt air continuously blowing over the sculpture, much of the paint had begun to chip away at the piece’s bright pastel colors. Made from recycled steel, the sculpture is a combination of geometric shapes mean to represent a “fossilization of the imagination,” according to the artist. 

The piece was originally commissioned by the city’s Parks Department. It took two years to build and was unveiled in May of 1982.  

Slusky, a Berkeley resident, is a well-known artist whose work has been displayed throughout California. He also designed and built Helios, a steel piece that sits in a plaza on the Bayer Corporation compound in Berkeley. 

Slusky has taught art in the Bay Area for years and is currently a lecturer in the Architecture Department at UC Berkeley.ô