Plugging Away At Art


Think public art is just a pipe dream for most cities? South Carolina may prove you wrong... or right as the case may be.

(c) Get Hep Studios

Get a new angle on the Columbia's "Busted Plug"

A sculpture of an erupting fire hydrant occupies the corner of a parking lot on Taylor Street in Columbia. Declared "The World's Largest Hydrant" by roadside aficionados, the work is actually entitled "Busted Plug." A local Columbia artist named Blue Sky erected it.

Just behind the spewing hydrant is a 50' x 70' mural that might cause some drivers to do a double take. "Tunnel Vision" creates the illusion that a throughway bores into the center of the Federal Land Bank Building. It was also the work of Blue Sky in 1975.

(c) Get Hep Studios
The artist is also known for creating a giant chain, which links two of Columbia's buildings together. More of his work can be found in other South Carolina cities.

When not decorating the Palmetto State, Blue Sky Gallery on Saluda Avenue offers custom framing. Of course, you can buy posters depicting of all of his creations as well.

Busted Plug & Tunnel Vision
1400 Block of Taylor Street
Columbia, SC

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