After hearing a number of people in the community wondering about a striking statue that appeared on the Lefton Esplanade, Kent State Today wanted to share more about this meaningful campus landmark.
Honoring Their Contributions
Pizzuti Park was approved by Kent State’s Board of Trustees in September 2022 and dedicated in November 2023. It is located on the section of the Lefton Esplanade between The John Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design and downtown Kent. The park honors the contributions of Ronald A. Pizzuti.
Pizzuti is a Kent State alumnus, businessman, philanthropist and art collector who grew up in Kent, just blocks away from the park. He and his wife Ann are strong supporters of the university and downtown Kent. Pizzuti served on Kent State’s Board of Trustees for more than a decade and was a longtime member of the Kent State University Foundation Board.
‘Tower of Snow’
The park’s dedication was an intimate ceremony, attended by family, friends and university leadership. A Google search for information about the statue doesn’t produce results beyond the announcement of the initial approval of the park. So, unless someone walks by and reads the plaques, the story of this new addition to Kent State’s sculpture walk is a mystery to many.
The 15-foot-tall, bronze statue, a gift from Ron and Ann Pizzuti, was installed in Pizzuti Park when the park was dedicated. Its name “La Torre de Nieve” means “Tower of Snow.” It was created by the sculptor Enrique Martinez Celaya in 2012 as a “visible monument to the suffering of those displaced by war.”
The form of the statue reflects Celaya’s memories of escaping Cuba with his family at age eight, fleeing to Spain and later, Puerto Rico. The weight of these memories has shaped Celaya's work. As an adult, he learned that he was not alone in experiencing Cuban exile as a child - there were thousands like him. However, unlike Celaya, who as fortunate enough to stay with his family under the radar of the Cuban Government, between 1960 and 1962 more than 14,000 unaccompanied minors were sent by their parents from Cuba to Miami and were placed in foster homes, orphanages and with relatives. Celaya said that the burden of carrying one’s home from one dangerous locale with your family to a relatively safer place without your family is a struggle barely expressible with language.
The young boy depicted in the statue strains against his crutches with the weight of a house that is carried on his back, secured with a strap around his neck. The statue continues to speak for the 65-70 million displaced persons in the world today whose safety and welcome are not guaranteed when they reach their destinations, sometimes in camps and sometimes separated from their families.
Before being moved to its present location, “La Torre de Nieve” was part of The Columbus Museum of Art at the Pizzuti collection. The Pizzutis’ goal is to continue to add meaningful art and sculptures to Pizzuti Park in the future, for the city and university communities to enjoy.
‘All are Welcome Here and Opportunity Awaits’
Valoree Vargo, vice president for Kent State University’s Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement and the CEO of the Kent State Foundation, said "Ron and Ann Pizzuti have been generous supporters of the university, the city of Kent and of art, especially that of Cuban artists. Ron wanted to meld together his love of the university, the city where he spent his youth and art through the donation and installation of this sculpture, as the first installment in what we hope will be a garden featuring several sculptures in the future. The symbolism of this sculpture and its placement between the city of Kent and the university was deliberate and represents the sense that all are welcome here and opportunity awaits."