LigoranoReese's Melting Ice Sculpture Targets Both Trump and Clinton Conventions
During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, artist duo Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese installed a melting ice sculpture reading 'The American Dream' outside both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia. The 1,800-kilogram, 9-meter-long work was designed to melt over 24 hours, symbolizing the erosion of opportunity and social inequality. Unlike Shepard Fairey's iconic 2008 'Hope' poster, no single artist created a defining political symbol for this election, though many targeted Donald Trump. The bipartisan critique by LigoranoReese aimed to capture delegates' and media attention at both conventions, funded via Kickstarter.
Key facts
- Artist duo Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese created a melting ice sculpture saying 'The American Dream'.
- The sculpture weighed 1,800 kilograms and was 9 meters long.
- It was installed outside both the Republican convention in Cleveland and the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.
- The ice letters melted completely within 24 hours.
- The work criticized both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
- The artists stated the melting sculpture highlights the erosion of opportunities and social inequalities.
- Funding was raised through a Kickstarter campaign.
- No artist created a symbol as influential as Shepard Fairey's 2008 'Hope' poster for this election.
Entities
Artists
- Nora Ligorano
- Marshall Reese
- Shepard Fairey
Institutions
- Artribune
- Kickstarter
Locations
- United States
- Cleveland
- Philadelphia
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania