mark reigelman serves up the great picnic for 100 people

mark reigelman serves up the great picnic for 100 people
all photos by mark reigelman II and marty hudzik of communications exhibits inc.

artist mark a. reigelman II is known for envisioning larger-than-life installations which invite the public to fully engage with his works. ‘the great picnic’ is a continuation of his sizable sculptures, in which he has enhanced the great american tradition of eating outdoors with a modular unit that brings to life the confluence of people and ideas that picnic tables encapsulate.

‘the great picnic’ situated within cleveland’s case western reserve university plaza

each module is composed of three individual intersecting tables constructed from wood that ranges from certified reclaimed heart pine and knotty douglas fir, to african mahogany and white oak. they present subtle shifts in form, color and material, directly reflecting the notion of convergence, both physically in the design; as well as the intended role of the picnic to act as a meeting place for individuals to enjoy food and conversation.

each module consists of three individual intersection tables

reigelman’s interpretation of the en plein air interaction was commissioned by kathy barrie, director of the putnam collection, who invited the brooklyn-based artist to develop picnic table designs that seated 100 people. in its entirety, ‘the great picnic’ covers a distance of over 60 feet, and can accommodate more than its originally intended amount of individuals. it is positioned adjacent to the museum of contemporary art (MOCA) cleveland in the case western reserve university (CWRU) plaza.

subtle shifts in color, form and material highlight the design’s physical intersections, as well as the convergence of people

‘the great picnic’ was developed and fabricated by communications exhibits inc. (CEI), with engineering provided by paul dannels of SDI structures, and paul endres of endres studio; and was made possible by contributions of the cleveland foundation and toby devan lewis.

intersections of color and form

‘to destroy the form is to destroy the history and characteristics that go with it. it is imperative that the identity of this icon remains intact!’ – mark a. reigelman II

each modular unit is approximately 12 feet across and weighs approximately 1,000 lbs.