Grumman Greenhouse

Dec 15

Turn down Cherry Street next to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ (PAFA) magnificent Furness-Hewitt building and go past the imposing bright-orange 51-foot-high Paint Torch by Claes Oldenburg.

Then you’ll spot something really jarring — a misshapen U.S. Navy S2F Grumman Tracker that looks like it crashed at the end of Lenfest Plaza.

This stunning sculpture is the work of Jordan Griska, a 2008 alum of the PAFA-Penn BFA program (see URL below). And his arresting public artwork offers many other surprises, too.

Interesting Oddities:

Once a submarine hunter during the Cold War, the aircraft was mothballed, then later used to fight fires in California. It barely avoided the scrap heap.
The remodeled nose and belly of the aircraft now serve as a place to grow what PAFA calls “nutritive and medicinal plants” provided by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
LED grow lights powered by solar panels on the wings spark “edible growth,” PAFA says. It’s then used by City Harvest to feed low-income families in the area.

Griska purchased the aircraft on eBay for about $300,000, says Joann Loviglio of the Associated Press. It cost another $40,000 to modify and install the plane.

According to Loviglio, “The school provided an undisclosed amount of funding, described as an honorarium, and the artist did fundraising of his own for the project.”

Today, instead of being armed and ready for action aboard an aircraft carrier, the S2F Tracker sits quietly between two buildings — growing vegetables and serving humanitarian needs.

This extraordinary piece of public art is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

In 2011, the placement of “Grumman Greenhouse was supposed to be temporary. Lucky for us, the aircraft is still here ten years later. And I, for one, am glad it is.

I hope “Grumman Greenhouse” becomes a permanent exhibit!

FAST FACTS

Name: “Grumman Greenhouse”

Artist/Sculptur: Jordan Grist

Installed: August 2011

Location: Lenfest Plaza, 1537 Cherry Street, next to main PAFA Building

Aircraft: Grumman S2F

Inspired by: Origami

Length: 45 feet

Wingspan: 73 feet

Note: The Grumman Greenhouse is being moved the week of August 15, 2022. Expected to be in place for one year, it lasted 12. The artist is now looking for a new location.

Some Sources:

https://www.pafa.org/museum/exhibitions/grumman-greenhouse

https://www.pafa.org/school/academics/undergraduate/penn-bfa

https://www.spottedbylocals.com/philadelphia/grumman-greenhouse/

http://www.jordangriska.com/about

https://www.philart.net/art/Grumman_Greenhouse/786.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_displayed_Grumman_S-2_Trackers

https://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/grumman-greenhouse.html

It’s a plane. It’s a mini-garden. It’s amazing