Giving Olympia’s Ra Obelisk a refresh
October 24, 2018
One Columbia and Columbia Development Corp partner to restore the mural
One Columbia for Arts and History and the Columbia Development Corporation have partnered to complete a restoration of the Ra Obelisk located in a City of Columbia park in the Mill District (Olympia, Whaley and Granby Mills). Local historian Hardy Childers initiated the project with One Columbia because of his interests in the more esoteric side of Columbia culture. The mural will be a key location on the forthcoming Mill District public art trail being developed by the 701 Center for Contemporary Art.
In 1989, construction workers were instructed to demolish an old railroad trestle in the Olympia neighborhood with a wrecking ball. When the structure refused to crumble, they left it standing. Now, the old stone looks as though it could be an ancient artifact.
A South Carolina artist and muralist named Richard Lane thought the weathered sandstone pillar looked like an Egyptian obelisk. In 1993, he painted a mural on the structure depicting Ra, the Egyptian sun god, along with various symbols and hieroglyphs.
Some of the symbols translate to the titles of Beatles songs “Here Comes the Sun” and “All You Need is Love.” The artist would not give the meaning to the message on the right side; only saying it was an ancient concept and invited others to try to translate it. In 1995, The State newspaper offered to reward a reader with a session at a tanning salon if they could reveal the meaning.
Underneath Ra’s throne is a scarab, which in mythology rolled the sun across the sky. If you stand at the base of the obelisk on a sunny day, the light from the sun will create a glow above Ra’s head, which means the scarab is working.
In 2004, the obelisk became the centerpiece of a “pocket park” with benches around it as well as a sidewalk leading up to it. This past week, artists Jeff Donovan and Georgia Lake matched colors, aligned symbols and repainted the mural of Ra keeping true to the work of Richard Lane. The new coat of paint will bring fresh energy to a unique park in the City of Columbia.
“The Mill District has a history as a place for workers and artists, and it continues to be a community of passionate people. Public art physically demonstrates a place of pride and One Columbia is privileged to be a part of preserving the unique creative spirit of the Mill District,” says One Columbia Executive Director Lee Snelgrove.
As Fred Delk, Executive Director of the Columbia Development Corporation explains, “The revitalization of the Ra mural will aid the Olympia and Granby neighborhoods in their revitalization efforts and promote arts and culture, pedestrian connectivity and healthy living in this creative and historic downtown neighborhood.”
About One Columbia for Arts and History
One Columbia for Arts and History is a non-profit organization that develops collaboration among citizens, the cultural community, and city government through celebrations of Columbia’s arts and historic treasures. Its goal is to enhance the quality of life for our residents, attract tourist dollars to our city, and further build our vibrant community. Since establishment in 2012, the organization has facilitated the creation of over 30 pieces of public art for the City and is currently coordinating the development of a comprehensive cultural plan for the Columbia area. Visit the One Columbia website (http://onecolumbiasc.com) for a continuously updated master list of art and cultural activities occurring throughout the city.
About the Columbia Development Corporation
The Columbia Development Corporation promotes public-private partnerships and catalyst projects in the City of Columbia in an effort to enhance commercial and neighborhood districts in the city. Created in 1983 the CDC made its mark on Columbia guiding the 20 year redevelopment of the Congaree Vista, the former warehouse and railroad district, into a premiere arts and entertainment destination. Now the CDC serves a huge area of the city including the Vista and Five Points entertainment districts and the Devine Street shopping district, as well as the vibrant downtown neighborhoods including Shandon, Olympia, Rosewood, and many others. More about the Corporation can be found at https://columbiasc.gov/cdc .
