Tag: sculpture restoration

For the past 24 years, artist Roger Abramson’s seashell menorah has been erected in Miami Beach at the beginning of Hanukkah.

Each year as it was installed for the holiday season, Abramson would assess the 1,600-pound structure for damage — the delicate seashells plastered around it would sometimes crack or fall off, and he’d replace them with new ones he collected from Florida beaches.

But this year, the iconic menorah has suffered damage that makes it unusable for Hanukkah, and Abramson says the menorah is damaged beyond repair.

“The menorah is completely destroyed and not fixable,” the artist told the Miami Herald after he visited the storage unit where the menorah and the dreidel he made using similar materials had been held.

The dreidel, he said, can be fixed, but the menorah structure has “rotted wood,” which means the menorah would have to be rebuilt from scratch. The artist said he thinks the structure was damaged in transit and may have been stored improperly as well.

“It’s gone, just totally gone,” he said.

Abramson, 91, said he sold the sculpture to the city of Miami Beach “for pennies” last year so that future generations could continue to enjoy it. The city bought the sculpture for $6,000, according to Axios Miami.

Though he is “upset” about the damage, Abramson said he understands that things happen, especially considering the fragile materials. “Shells are like glass. They’re very fragile,” he said.

Repairs are not uncommon for such a fragile sculpture. Last year, Abramson and his team of “helpers” had to repair some major damage.

“We had to redo it because it was in such deplorable condition. And now this year, it’s no longer available.”

Abramson said he plans on reaching out to the city and that he would be open to creating a new one, if the city funds it, with the help of a team.

The city spokesperson Melissa Berthier confirmed to the Miami Herald that the sculptures were damaged and that the city is “working with the artist” to be able to “display it again next year.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t anticipate the repairs being completed by this holiday season. There’s currently another menorah and dreidel at the Euclid Oval,” she said.

Shells loved by all

For years, the sculptures have served as a gathering point on Lincoln Road during the holiday season.

The sculpture was built in 2001 using over 35,000 shells, most collected on Miami Beach.

Speaking with the Miami Herald in 2014, Abramson, who was a concert producer by trade and artist on the side, said he got the idea after seeing that a similar public sculpture made of concrete and wood was defaced and did not withstand the elements. Wanting to make one that would last, Abramson decided to use seashells at the suggestion of his wife, who died in 2017.

Abramson said the sculpture was loved by people of all religious backgrounds, and that the loss of it will be felt by local Jews and others.

“It presented a community … it wasn’t only for Jews. We had lots and lots of every flavor there,” he said. “I liked it because it was represented, certainly in my mind, love and respect.”

This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Kahlid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzi Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.