The history they want. The statue they don't want.
That's the best way to sum up the latest effort by the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse.
The "Full Circle" re-imagining of Saint Mary Circle, a.k.a. Columbus Circle, in Syracus is to re-do this area of the city WITHOUT the Columbus Monument.
Backed by the Mellon Foundation, the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) put in place a nine-member "Curatorial Committee." This was a secret group. They operated in the shadows. Their identities were never publicly disclosed. Their meetings were kept behind closed doors. They sought artists' submissions to "re-imagine" Columbus Circle. This was supposed to be a competition—open and approachable. Instead, the selection was an invitation-only process.
Local and regional artists, including artists from Syracuse and Albany who sought to participate, were eliminated before the public ever had an opportunity to compare their ideas.
Instead, the finalists emerged through a process managed by Forecast Public Art, a Minneapolis consulting firm hired by OHA.
A Forecast Without Columbus—Not So Fast!
Native Americans, African-Americans, some Muslims, perhaps, maybe a few Asians, seem to be the only artists supported by grants and other incentives by Forecast Public Art. Murals on public walls, what seems to look like graffiti art, not to mention native folk songs, makes up the inventory of creativity cherished by Forecast Public Art. Would a group like this embrace the Columbus Monument, now standing tall in Syracuse?
Why overlook artists who understand the city's history, neighborhoods, and heritage in favor of an outside process over which the public had little influence?
The Columbus Monument Corporation believes the answer lies in the broader goals of the Mellon Foundation, which funded the project. The foundation has openly supported efforts to reinterpret, relocate, or remove historical monuments, while Forecast Public Art describes its mission as helping communities "reframe public history." To critics, the process appears designed to reach a predetermined conclusion rather than encourage genuine public debate.
Forecast Public Art web site page and a sample of some of the art projects they fund
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"Here We Go Again"
The Columbus Monument Corporation, led by former Onondaga County Executive Nicholas J. Pirro, gathered this week in Syracuse to challenge what it describes as the latest effort to remove the city's Columbus Monument.
"Here we go again," the organization declared. "First they came at us through Interfaith Works during Mayor Ben Walsh's 'Columbus Discussion Circles.' Now they are coming through the Onondaga Historical Association with their latest sham, the 'Full Circle Design' process."
The group argues that while OHA presents itself as neutral, it has once again "stacked the deck" by relying on an outside consultant whose stated mission emphasizes social justice and reimagining public art.
"They are here to change Syracuse's historic Columbus Circle, and for no other reason," the organization said. "The OHA secretively selected nine nameless curators to decide what all of Syracuse should want."
Nicholas J. Pirro, center, in blue, leading the way to preserve Columbus in Syracuse
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Italian Americans—Mobilize!
For the Columbus Monument Corporation, this is about far more than a single statue.
The 1934 monument, sculpted by Giuseppe Baldi, honors not only Christopher Columbus but also the immigrant communities—Italian, Irish, Polish, Jewish, Ukrainian, German, and others—whose labor helped build Syracuse. Columbus Circle is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, providing important legal protections.
The organization notes that previous attempts to remove the monument ultimately failed because of those protections and widespread public opposition. Now it is asking Italian Americans and preservation supporters to speak out once again.
The Columbus Monument Corporation urges Italian Americans to contact the Onondaga Historical Association at Lisa.Moore@CNYHistory.org and express support for preserving the Columbus Monument at St. Mary's Circle.
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Editor’s Note: The web site for the Columbus Monument Corporation is https://columbusmonumentsyracuse.com
Make your voice heard. Please send an email to Lisa.Moore@CNYHistory.org and tell her to preserve the Columbus Monument in Syracuse.
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