Creator of Merriman Valley statue revisits river's legacy with Cuyahoga Falls sculpture

April Helms, Akron Beacon Journal
·4 min read
Artist Peter Jones' sculpture titled "River Trade" rests in the walkway leading up to the City Building on Jan. 5 in Cuyahoga Falls.
Artist Peter Jones' sculpture titled "River Trade" rests in the walkway leading up to the City Building on Jan. 5 in Cuyahoga Falls.

A new sculpture greeting visitors outside Cuyahoga Falls' municipal offices pays tribute to the waterfall that gave the city its name — and a culture that long preceded the city's establishment.

The statue, created by Peter B. Jones and installed in early December, was commissioned by Cuyahoga Falls and funded in part through grant funds administered by the National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town initiative. The public artwork depicts what the Cuyahoga River meant to the indigenous people of the area.

Jones created the bronze sculpture “River Trade” to show how indigenous people utilized the Cuyahoga River to trade with their peers in surrounding settlements, with a Native American rowing a canoe and carrying goods aboard.

"I wanted to commemorate the waterfalls and river that goes through the town," said Jones, who lives in Salamanca, N.Y. "I have friends in the Akron area."

If the artistry seems familiar, that's no accident. In the 1990s, Jones was commissioned to create a similarly themed statue, "The Portage," along the Cuyahoga River corridor nearly 4½ miles west at the central crossroads of Akron's Merriman Valley. That sculpture shows a Native American carrying a canoe over his head.

Peter B. Jones stands near "River Trade," the bronze statue he created for downtown Cuyahoga Falls
Peter B. Jones stands near "River Trade," the bronze statue he created for downtown Cuyahoga Falls

Jones is an Onondaga who resides on the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York state. His work is featured in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. With his latest work finished for Cuyahoga Falls finished, Jones said his next effort was preparing for his one-man show at the Syracuse University's art museum, which opens Aug. 24 and is entitled Continuity, Innovation, and Resistance: The Art of Peter Jones. Jones said he will have around 30 pieces in the exhibit.

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Artist Peter Jones' sculpture "River Trade" rests in the walkway leading up to the City Building on Jan. 5 in Cuyahoga Falls.
Artist Peter Jones' sculpture "River Trade" rests in the walkway leading up to the City Building on Jan. 5 in Cuyahoga Falls.

Carrie Snyder, the director for neighborhood excellence, communications and community outreach, said Cuyahoga Falls is the first community in Summit County to obtain the Our Town grant, which was $50,000. The city also was required to raise a $65,000 match.

The money was used to both engage the community and create two public art pieces highlighting the Cuyahoga River and its importance in downtown Cuyahoga Falls, Snyder said.

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Snyder said the grant required creation of a public artwork communicating the ecological ramifications of having the river run through the downtown district; artist Stacy Levy oversaw that part. The same grant also called for the city to hire an indigenous artist to create a piece of public art focusing on what the river meant to the indigenous people of this region. Jones was selected for that portion.

Peter Jones' sculpture "River Trade" depicts the exchange of goods among indigenous people along the Cuyahoga River.
Peter Jones' sculpture "River Trade" depicts the exchange of goods among indigenous people along the Cuyahoga River.

The city sponsored three community events, including the All-City Art Walk hosted by Cuyahoga Falls City Schools, Snyder said.

"Stacy did a community chalk art painting on Lot 107 and Peter did a clay demonstration and brought the mold for his bronze sculpture for public viewing and feedback before taking it to the local foundry," Snyder said.

The city also hired local artists Gum Dip Theater, Tommy Lehman, Micah Krauss and Alison Miltner Rich, Snyder said. Each local artist was paid a stipend of $1,750, and each national artist was paid $16,500. The cost of River Trade by Jones and Topo Swale by Rich, which is at 1908 Front Street, was $36,827.

Jones used a local foundry in Cleveland for his bronze piece, Snyder said. The rock that serves as the base for his sculpture was donated and was dredged from the Ohio River. The city's Parks and Recreation Department installed both pieces.

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Both Rich and Jones are expected to return this year for a public dedication of their pieces, Snyder said.

Jones said that a friend, Dave Lieberth, reached out about Cuyahoga Falls looking for someone to create a bronze sculpture for the Our Town initiative. Lieberth is a former deputy mayor for Akron and a local historian. From there, Jones said, it took about a year to design and cast the statue.

Artist Peter B. Jones talks about his statue "The Portage" at North Portage Path and Merriman Road during the 2019 North American First People's Day Commemoration in October 2019 in Akron
Artist Peter B. Jones talks about his statue "The Portage" at North Portage Path and Merriman Road during the 2019 North American First People's Day Commemoration in October 2019 in Akron

"There is no question that public art enriches our lives and our community," said Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters. "We are proud to expand public art in Cuyahoga Falls with our latest installation, 'River Trade' by Mr. Jones, highlighting our river heritage and the lives of the indigenous people in the area."

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: New Cuyahoga Falls statue honors river culture of eras past