Statue of the week: Portlandia

Sculptured by Raymond Kaskey and located in downtown Portland, Oregon, Portlandia is the nation’s second-largest hammered-copper statue, behind the Statue of Liberty.  Weighing in at a hefty 6.5 tons, the trident-wielding lady is based on the city seal and will celebrate her 30th birthday in 2015.

A relatively unknown work of art, Portlandia is at the center of an artistic controversy with Kaskey claiming full copyrights even though the statue was commissioned and paid for with public funds. All commercial reproduction of the statue is strickly forbidden, so don’t anticipate a 30 yr commemorative postage stamp anytime soon.