Deborah Kass, OY/YO at the Weitzman: Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

Beginning on Saturday, April 30th, Brooklyn-based artist Deborah Kass’ monumental “OY/YO” sculpture will open on the grounds of the Weitzman, at 5th and Market Streets on Independence Mall, for the next 12 months. The bright yellow aluminum statue is creative word play using just two letters, with several meanings. One side says “YO,” referencing the attention-getting phrase used throughout Philly, as well as “I” in Spanish, while the other side reads “OY,” a popular Yiddish phrase used in Jewish and American culture.

At 8-feet tall, 16-feet wide, and 5-feet deep, “OY” will become part of Old City’s cultural fabric and a destination for tourists and locals alike. Kass first created “OY” as a painting in 2011 and, in 2015, turned it into a sculpture that sat in New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2015.

“I created OY/YO thinking about the American promise of equality and fairness and our responsibilities to make the country a better place for all,” says Kass. “With hate and division now on the rise, it is urgent to see our commonalities, what we share, and what brings us together.”