4-22-2026 10:23pm

Duck Tape Sculptures in Washington Park celebrate “America 250,” May 8–18

Beth Callahan Editor

Duck Tape® sculpture by Michael England featured in the 2025 “Duck Tape® at the Park” exhibition.

Story and photos courtesy of Game Day Communications

CINCINNATI, OH -- Vibrant, larger-than-life sculptures made entirely of Duck Tape® brand duct tape celebrating “America 250” will be on view in Washington Park from May 8 to 18 as part of the annual “Duck Tape® at the Park” exhibition.

The eight sculptures will be created by students and alumni of the Art Academy of Cincinnati College of Art & Design, local artists, and a class of sixth and eighth grade students from The Summit Country Day School, under the instruction of art teacher Samantha England.

In a semester-long Duck Tape® studio course taught by Joe Girandola, AAC’s president and CEO, enables students to work with the material to create and cover large-scale sculptures. The semester culminates in a public gallery exhibition at Washington Park in collaboration with 3CDC.

The course is sponsored by Shurtape Technologies, LLC, the company that markets Duck Brand®.

Girandola has partnered with Duck Brand® for 20 years. He has worked with the material in his independent artistic work and while teaching at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.

“There is so much magic to this DIY material,” says Girandola. “This material carries a kind of unexpected power. It starts as something utilitarian—meant for quick fixes—but in the hands of our students, it becomes a tool for building at full scale, for thinking differently, for transforming the ordinary into something incredible. In my opinion, duct tape is the quintessential American ‘oil paint’ and the theme this year of ‘America 250’ is perfectly aligned with this year’s sculptures.”

A reception for the exhibition will be held on Saturday, May 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., when attendees can receive free rolls of Duck Tape®, while supplies last.

The annual Duck Tape® exhibition has drawn crowds consistently and has piqued the interest of local and national media. In 2011 while Girandola was teaching at the University of Cincinnati, the transporting of Duck Tape® sculptures from Cincinnati to Avon was featured in an episode of A&E’s “Shipping Wars.”