"Triumph" Finds a Home in Downtown Champaign

Triumph

by Benjamin Pierce

Photo by Della Perrone

The Public Art League is proud to announce the purchase of Triumph by M2 on Neil, LLC.  The piece, created by Benjamin Pierce of  Cape Girardeau, MO, is currently installed in the breezeway of the M2 building in downtown Champaign.

From the beginning of the Public Art League's sculpture program, artwork has been installed in numerous locations around the downtown buildings known as One Main and M2.  Dave Jones, President and CEO of One Main Development, LLC states:  "On behalf of the ownership group, M2 on Neil, LLC is pleased to have completed the purchase of Triumph for permanent public display at the entrance to the M2 building at 301 N Neil Street in Downtown Champaign.  We appreciate public art and believe in the mission to promote creativity and improve the community aesthetic.  For me, this piece elicits a simultaneous response of focused vision and a new way to look at the same things.   The installation was previously sponsored by Cody Sokolski & Marci Dodds, and One Main Development, until purchased by M2 on Neil in 2019."

When originally leased and installed in 2015, the artist (Benjamin Pierce) stated:  "The center oculus will capture space and create a window for the viewer to look through. We live in a society that has forgot how to enjoy our surroundings, with our faces always in a laptop or smart phone it’s difficult to be able to stop and smell roses. My hope for this work is to capture someone’s attentions long enough for them to see something unexpected through my sculpture."

A big thank you to M2 on Neil, LLC for their continued support of public art by the purchase of this piece!