Entry No. 21 — the Cleveland file — filed under: outdoor
Judy's Hand Pavilion
A surreal, 21-foot-tall, 7-ton fiberglass and steel sculpture of a hand with its fingers resting on the ground, designed by artist Tony Tasset using a cast of his wife's hand.
The story
If you find yourself on Toby's Plaza outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, you will come face-to-wrist with a seven-ton, 21-foot-tall silver hand planted fingertip-first into the concrete. Chicago artist Tony Tasset constructed the steel-reinforced fiberglass behemoth for the inaugural FRONT International Cleveland Triennial in 2018. The hand is not a generic horror prop—Tasset took an actual 3D cast of the hand of his wife, artist Judy Ledgerwood, and scaled it up into a gargantuan architectural roof.
Rather than isolating the piece behind a velvet rope, Tasset engineered Judy's Hand Pavilion as functional public shelter. Its giant fingertips are packed with concrete to anchor all seven tons against Lake Erie winds, while the hollow, arched palm creates an open canopy high enough for you to walk right underneath. You didn't hear it from us, but standing beneath the silver wrist curve feels less like admiring civic art and more like waiting to be scooped up by a dormant titan.
Because it sits on Case Western Reserve University's open pedestrian plaza along Euclid Avenue, the sculpture operates as an everyday outdoor lounge. Students sit under its knuckle archways between classes, while ground uplights illuminate the painted polyurethane finish after dark. It remains a piece of domestic life blown up to absurd proportions and left standing out in the open.
What it's like
Visiting is as friction-free as walking down the sidewalk on Euclid Avenue, since the sculpture sits entirely outdoors on Toby's Plaza with zero entry gates or ticket booths. You can walk right up to the knuckles, touch the silver-painted fiberglass surface, or stand dead-center under the palm for a mind-bending perspective shift. Because it sits adjacent to moCa Cleveland and surrounding University Circle cafes, the plaza gets steady student foot traffic by day, but swing by after dusk when the lights hit the hand from below for the most striking photo angles.
The move: Walk right under the massive palm and weave between the giant fingers for a mind-bending perspective, then grab a coffee at a nearby University Circle cafe.
- 📍 University Circle
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 11400 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Dittrick Medical History Center — A three-minute walk away on campus, this collection of 19th-century surgical tools and anatomical curiosities keeps the odd medical aesthetic going after standing under Judy's fingers.
- The Bombed Thinker — Located 0.4 miles away in University Circle, this bomb-damaged Rodin bronze offers another piece of heavy, dramatic public sculpture nearby.
- The Haserot Angel — Under a mile away in Lake View Cemetery, this life-sized bronze monument weeping oxidized black tears continues your tour of uncanny Cleveland monuments.
Good to know
Where is Judy's Hand Pavilion located?
It sits on Toby's Plaza at 11400 Euclid Avenue in University Circle, directly outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa) on the Case Western Reserve campus.
How much does it cost to visit and what are the hours?
It is completely free to view 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as it is an open-air public sculpture installed on an outdoor plaza.
What materials make up the hand sculpture?
The piece is constructed from steel-reinforced fiberglass finished with silver polyurethane paint, with concrete filled inside the fingertips for stability and weight.
Can you walk underneath or touch the sculpture?
Yes, it was designed specifically as a functional pavilion, allowing visitors to walk directly beneath the palm and weave between the giant fingertips.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: artsinohio.com · smithsonianmag.com
last checked: 2026-07-21