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Cloud Gate Case

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The intention behind Millennium Park was to create a crowning glory to the city of Chicago. In 1999, during the planning of Millennium Park (Chicago), two proposals were submitted for an installation sculpture. One by American artist Jeff Koons and the other by Anish Kapoor, in which Anish Kapoor’s design for Cloud Gate was chosen. A lot of speculation regarding the financing aspect surrounds Cloud Gate and other works in Millennium Park. They were funded by 125 private donors who contributed $230 million and with cost overruns; Chicago’s public coffers were tapped in to source an additional $270 million . Initially, the park was projected to cost $150 million, and open in 2001.

However due to a four-year delay, it was finally inaugurated in 2004. At this time Cloud Gate …show more content…

The initial estimate given earlier was $5 million . After a few transitional acquisitions during its construction, its technical name was revealed as ‘Cloud Gate on AT&T Plaza’. AT&T contributed $3 million towards the project while Millennium Plaza Inc. funded the remaining amount.

In order to maintain the sculpture’s reflective surface, cleaners come twice a day, once in the early morning, and once at night, to polish and clean the entire structure . Another batch of cleaners come and wipe down the bottom six feet (to get rid of fingerprints) up to seven times a day! This is because visitors have an instant urge to touch the sculpture’s shiny silver surface. Tax money pays for services such as the maintenance and security of Cloud Gate.

While Cloud Gate has brought global attention to Chicago and helped bring in millions of dollars into the local economy, it has also been criticized. It is suggested that the money used for its construction and maintenance could have been directed towards philanthropic efforts in order to promote local artists, thereby enriching the local art

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