Someone Leave A Cake Out?
Denver PrideFest celebrates marriage equality with landmark sculpture by artist Lonnie Hanzon.
By Rex Fuller
My goal as a creator is to reach the largest audience possible with images and messages of joy, history, and faith in the human spirit,” says artist Lonnie Hanzon. Known internationally for his monumental works of public art, Lonnie is preparing to bring his artistic vision to Denver PrideFest in celebration of the event’s 40th anniversary.
Equality Cake will be a temporal sculpture created in the heart of the Denver’s LGBT pride festival. At 20 feet tall, it will serve as a glittering, celebratory centerpiece adding a fun and colorful element to the festival while also articulating important concepts about marriage equality and the history of the LGBT political movement.
Timed with the pending decision in the U.S. Supreme Court that could possibly make marriage equality the law of the land, the sculpture will be created from steel, foam, and mirrored disco balls. (Yes, disco balls.) Lonnie has a unique way of combining all kinds of objects into appealing and engaging public artworks that morph into interactive, one-of-a-kind events. Equality Cake will provide festival attendees with a dramatic backdrop for selfies and social media. In a combination of whimsy and seriousness, it will also list all of the 1,138 benefits, rights, and privileges of marriage as defined by the US General Accounting Office. Lonnie wants crowds to be attracted to the sculpture’s colorful glitz while being moved by its content and intent.
“After being ‘illegally’ married for 33 years, I’m anxious to have the same legal rights in my partnership as others have,” Lonnie says. “I think the next few months might be looked back on as a ‘sea change.’”
Recent polls indicate that nearly 60 percent of American citizens support marriage equality. “I want to help define the imagery and memories of this time. If the Supreme Court comes back with a negative decision, I plan on turning the work into a protest.”
Lonnie’s sculpture will be created through community input. He is currently in the process of setting up a Kickstarter campaign that will launch April 7. “We have to raise funds to pay for supplies, construction, and installation costs,” he explains. He’s also setting up a series of rewards for supporters who contribute to making the sculpture possible.
“Cue the Donna Summer!” Lonnie jokes as he prepares for a giant cake in the park. “I want this work to be fun about a very serious subject. Campy and empowered and impassioned.”
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