LOVE Sculpture Returning Tuesday With Mini Parade

PHILADELPHIA – Just in time for Valentine's Day, the iconic LOVE sculpture is returning to JFK Plaza/LOVE Park Tuesday, Feb. 13 and will even get a mini parade through the city in celebration of its return after being taken in for work about a year ago.

The sculpture will parade through the city as it is transported to LOVE Park for installation Tuesday, city officials said.

The public can see "LOVE on the Move" at seven designated stops along the route for a short photo opportunity where the public can snap pics of the sculpture. This will also be the first chance to see the sculpture in its original colors – red, green and purple.

LOVE on the Move starts at 10 a.m. at 25th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the Joan of Arc statue, according to officials.

Below are stops the sculpture will make Tuesday, not including its starting point at 25th and Pennsylvania:

• 10:10 a.m. – The Philadelphia Museum of Art at Eakins Oval
• 10:20 a.m. – 20th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• 10:30 a.m. – Logan Square
• 10:45 a.m. – 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
  
• 11:00 a.m. – 16th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
  
• 11:15 a.m. – Arrival at JFK Plaza/LOVE Park for installation

The arrival times are approximate and may vary due to traffic conditions, officials said.

"We are thrilled to welcome the newly restored LOVE back to its home in LOVE Park," said Margot Berg, City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s Public Art Director. "LOVE on the Move is a first chance to see the sculpture since being restored to its original colors. It also offers the unique opportunity to see it travel through the streets of Philadelphia and alongside other beloved City of Philadelphia public art sculptures and cultural institutions.

As part of the sculpture conservation and overall renovation of LOVE Park, the LOVE sculpture was taken off-site in February 2017 to be stripped, repaired and re-painted with the original colors.

In addition to restoring the sculpture, a new rectangular pedestal was designed in keeping with the way Indiana’s other works, like the AMOR (1998) sculpture, are displayed. This project was undertaken by Materials Conservation, LLC and Iron Studio, Inc.

The LOVE sculpture was placed on loan to the city in 1976 for the Bicentennial celebration, and was subsequently donated to the City by F. Eugene (“Fitz”) Dixon.

In 1988 and 1998, when the sculpture was taken down to be restored, the colors codes on file resulted in it being painted red, green and blue.

City officials believed this to be the correct color information for the sculpture, as all photos and documentation on file showed the sculpture with the light blue color.

However in 2017, the artist’s representative informed the City that Philadelphia’s LOVE was originally purple, not blue and provided confirmation from the sculpture fabricator’s records from the 1970s.

Photos from the Temple University Archives of the Bicentennial, were found that again confirmed the purple hue.

The correction makes Philadelphia’s version of Indiana’s iconic LOVE unique, as it is the only one with purple color.

Funding for the restoration was provided by a generous contribution from Mrs. Edith R. Dixon.

"We encourage the public to come out and see LOVE on the Move to celebrate its return and the debut of its new colors," said Kelly Lee, Chief Cultural Officer. "Be part of LOVE on the Move by following @CreativePHL on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and use the #LOVEontheMove hashtag when you see LOVE in your neighborhood."

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)