Open End (sculpture)
Open End is an abstract public sculpture by Clement Meadmore. It was created in August 1984 and is made of silicon bronze and steel sheet metal. The piece stands about 11 feet tall, measures roughly 27 feet long and 8 feet wide, and weighs around 5 tons.
Today it sits on the grounds of St. Xavier High School in Springfield Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. It used to be in downtown Cincinnati, at the corner of Sixth and Vine Streets in front of the Cincinnati Commerce Center (later the Convergys Center).
The sculpture features a hollow, bent metal beam that rises from the ground, bends 90 degrees to run along the horizontal, folds back, rotates slightly counterclockwise, then folds again and slopes toward a pedestal before curling in the same direction as the second fold. Meadmore designed it as a bridge between pedestrians and the surrounding building.
Because its two large prongs could hit passersby, a 10-inch curb was installed around the installation to protect people, including the blind.
In 1992, the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project noted some gouging and minimal graffiti, and suspected water was collecting inside the pedestal. In June 1999, Prudential Insurance restored the sculpture and donated it to St. Xavier High School. It was moved to its current location at the Math Wing entrance outside Berning Gymnasium on October 20, 1999, where it is visible from West North Bend Road.
Students have compared the sculpture to Gumby. An artist’s proof of Open End, about 12 by 5 inches, was sold at auction in 2011 to benefit the Cleveland Play House.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:16 (CET).