Address: 751 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Dedicated: May 12, 2008
Sponsoring Organization:
History and design concept: The history of the Azerbaijanni Cultural Garden stems partly from the positive experiences of visitors from Azerbaijan to Cleveland and their desire to showcase their community here.
The garden’s primary feature, the sculpture “Hearth,” was created by Khanlar Gasimov. Made of polished stainless steel, the bowl-shaped sculpture allows viewers to see the reflection of the earth and sky in its exterior and interior curves.
“Hearth” was inspired by the 12th century Azerbaijani poet Ganjavi and the 14th Century Azerbaijani philosopher Imadeddin Nasimi. The sculpture embodies contradictions. According to Gasimov, “its physical form, with its definitive height and diameter, represent limits, containment, and the finite, while the circles represent boundlessness, openness.”
When the garden was dedicated, critic Karl Turner wrote in The Plain Dealer, that “A chorus of ‘wow’ resounded when the white canvas fell away and a giant stainless-steel bowl shimmered on the wet green grass.”