There’s a new kid in town. He can be seen at the Shaw Park playground. Don’t worry; he’s easy to recognize at about 16 feet tall and weighing 17 thousand pounds.

The newcomer in question is the latest piece of public art to grace Clayton streets. Named “One of Us On a Tricycle,” this monumental sculpture is the work of South-African born and English-educated artist Steven Gregory. The stylized elephant sits astride a small blue tricycle, and boasts a head resembling the opening of a saxophone. The whimsical nature of “One of Us On a Tricycle” is characteristic of Gregory’s work. Gregory, who is a graduate of the prestigious St. Martin’s School of Art, often incorporates childish elements into his work. The Cass Sculpture Foundation concurs, describing “One of Us On a Tricycle” as “unnervingly humorous and wonderfully kitsch.”

The sculpture was first installed in Shaw Park on June 23 as part of a long-standing cooperation between the city of Clayton and the Gateway Foundation. As Patty DeForrest, director of the Clayton Parks and Recreation Department, put it, “The Gateway foundation really works on identifying places they would like to see works of art in throughout the St. Louis Community.” Then, the Foundation places whichever works it has at its disposal in those locations. In doing so, they work closely with local authorities.

Prior to selecting the Shaw Park playground, Foundation officials toured Clayton with the help of the Clayton Public Art Advisory Committee, the city’s chief advisory body on all things art. Out of the three potential locations they found, the one in Shaw Park finally won out. Once the site had been chosen, the plan was subject to approval by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, and finally the Board of Aldermen.

Having successfully passed both bodies, the sculpture still needed to garner the support of the Clayton community. Clayton has a rich tradition of public art, with some pieces, such as Fernando Botero’s “Man on a Horse” on Wydown Blvd.  also coming by way of the Gateway Foundation. Public art, according to DeForrest, is an integral part of life in Clayton. “Public art adds to the character of the city,” DeForrest said. “[It] makes people talk about art and think about art. People in Clayton have a very fine appreciation of art.”

So far, the general response has been mixed. Initially, there were quite a few negative comments on the piece, with some even referring to the sculpture as scary. DeForrest explains that this is quite normal for public art, especially when it happens to be more abstract in style.

“Art, as people always say, is in the eye of the beholder,” DeForrest said. “What one person likes another person doesn’t. So we’ve just got to be really careful in deciding whether we like that piece. Does it have value, is it a sculptor who’s known for doing things people enjoy looking at?”

Recently, though, DeForrest has started to see a shift in public opinion.

“Some people like it, love it, some people hate it,” she said. “Some people don’t know what it is, most people ask me why it doesn’t have a head, but I’ve starting hearing sort of a turn in the conversation that maybe it is a nice piece to have by the playground, it’s supposed to be fun and childlike.”

Even more importantly, the citizens of Clayton are becoming increasingly comfortable with the sculpture.

“Just this past weekend,” DeForrest said, ”I received a photo of a family that climbed on it, and it is climbable, we don’t have a sign that says don’t climb that, as some art does, so we encourage people to climb it.”

One of the benefits of “One of Us On a Tricycle” is that it is so approachable, despite also being high in quality.

“[It] helps people interact with art, and learn about the beauty of it,” DeForrest said.

An added charm of “One of Us On a Tricycle” is that it comes free of charge. The Gateway Foundation covers all transportation expenses, and has pledged to pay for maintenance costs throughout the sculpture’s tenure in Clayton. Although the piece is on loan to the city of Clayton for at least the next twelve months, DeForrest expects it to stay for 20 to 30 years. This truly means a lot, for were it not for the Foundation’s funding, such a long residence could potentially incur tens of thousand of dollars in expenses to the municipal budget.

The latest in a string of overseas émigrés to come to Clayton, “One of Us On a Tricycle” adds to the city’s highly globalized culture. However, Clayton’s public art also has local connections, such as numbering one of Clayton High School’s own graduates, Ernest Trova, among its ranks.

“I think we’ve got it all,” DeForrest smiles, “we’ve got a guy from Colorado, we’ve got a Clayton graduate, we have a guy that is from South Africa. I think it’s really exciting to have different [types of] art. I think it’s nice to know that we have stuff from around the world, and a few local artists too.”