Gateway
Gateway is a monumental stainless-steel sculpture by Zenos Frudakis that brings together ideas of human growth, knowledge, movement, and possibility.
At the center of the sculpture is a double helix, a visual metaphor for growth and the unfolding of human potential. Seen as a whole, however, Gateway also takes the form of a human figure. The circle at the top suggests the head, while an outstretched arm reaches upward toward it. The central structure becomes the body and the strands of DNA, while two legs extend to the base.
The result is both architectural and human—a monumental form that rises upward while inviting people to move through it.
Monumental Sculpture
Dimensions: 41 feet high × 8½ feet wide × 5¼ feet deep
Circle Diameter: 7 feet
Granite Base: 2 feet high
Total Weight: 20 tons (40,000 pounds)
Media: Stainless steel
Location: Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park, Edmond, Oklahoma
Installation: To be installed
From Model to Monument
Conceptualized and designed by Zenos Frudakis, Gateway developed over more than a decade through a series of increasingly detailed models. The process began with 12-inch and 24-inch maquettes and progressed to a 7-foot-high scale model, from which the monumental sculpture was enlarged.
The completed stainless-steel structure rises 41 feet above its granite base. The 2-foot-high granite footing elevates the sculpture to a total height of approximately 43 feet and creates a dramatic walk-through archway at ground level.
Designed to function as a gateway, the sculpture changes as the viewer moves around and beneath it. Looking upward, the repeating forms create a sense of movement and an upward flow, giving the monumental structure a lyrical quality.
Gateway at Uncommon Ground
Gateway will be the first of three monumental sculptures by Zenos Frudakis to be installed at Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park in Edmond, Oklahoma. Freedom and Reaching will follow.
According to the park's press materials, the three sculptures are expected to be among the signature works of the collection when the 62-acre park opens in November 2027. Together, they will introduce visitors to three very different monumental works by Frudakis while contributing to the park's larger exploration of sculpture, place, and human experience.
“I’m especially pleased that Freedom, Reaching, and Gateway are coming to Uncommon Ground,” said Zenos Frudakis. “There is something very fitting about these works being in Oklahoma, with its history of pioneers, movement and new beginnings—all three sculptures, in different ways, speak to the human desire to reach beyond limitations, move forward and embrace possibility.”
Related Links
The Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park