What Are Those Globes Across from the Aud?

You might be wondering about the newly installed globes in the median across from the Auditorium on Oriskany Street in Utica.

We were wondering and here's what we found out.

They are paper mache' art pieces made by Cornell University students and they were installed on Tuesday as part of a city improvement project.

"They're temporary," according to the City's Paul Buckley, who said the State Department of Transportation was against putting large flowers there.

We assume there's been some waterproofing done on the pieces in order to allow them to withstand the recent rain.

Buckley says it's all part of a beautification program in anticipation of Utica playing host to the AHL Calder Cup finals this week and the Boilermaker Road Race next month.

Updated at 3:04 p.m.  --  Councilman Joe Marino contacted WIBX and said the globes are actually spheres and they will be a permanent fixture outside the Aud.

They were made by Rust 2 green Cornell students at Sculpture Space and were hand crafted and painted by local artists.  They are staying.  The DOT didn't mind the large flowers, it was a collaborative consensus not to temporarily move the large flowers from Oneida Sq because the business owners would have thought they were going for good and too many people love them so we got the spheres and frankly it worked better. We aren't done yet either, wait til the finished product tomorrow.

Marino will be a guest on First News with Keeler in the Morning on WIBX Wednesday morning.