View larger image
Installed in 1985
Location: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1968
Location: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
About the Artist: Jerald Jacquard was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1937. He earned his B.A. in 1960 and M.A. in 1962 from Michigan State University. He established a sculpture department at the University of Illinois, Chicago in 1967 and was a professor of art at Indiana University for over twenty-five years. Jacquard has been awarded several fellowships, including a Fulbright Scholarship to Florence, Italy in 1963; a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 1972, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He has works in collections including: the Kresge Art Museum at Michigan State University; the Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Michigan; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; and the White River State Park, Indianapolis. (source)
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1976
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Bronson Park
About the Artist: While widely recognized as a sculptor, Newman was also a dedicated educator. He came to Kalamazoo in 1949 as part of the University of Michigan's extension program. Newman believed community art programs could be as stimulating and rewarding as those offered at the college level. He recruited a dedicated group of teachers to help develop the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts art school.
More about the sculpture: The reflecting pool, part of the original Ianelli design, was adorned with bronze sculptures of Kalamazoo children to commemorate the United States bicentennial in 1976.
"When justice and mercy prevail, children may safely play" is a biblical verse that Kirk used as his inspiration for the sculptures.
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow photographs by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Owner: Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. (DKI) ?
Location: Arcadia Creek Festival Place
About the sculpture: A 10-foot-long bronze turtle depicting the Native American story of the creation of Mackinac Island: For Downtown Development Authority, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, July 2011
Slideshow Photographs by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1998
Location: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
About the Artist: Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country, at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.
In 1968, after receiving a Fulbright Fellowship, he went to work at the Venini glass factory in Venice. There he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today.
His work is included in more than 200 hundred museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including eleven honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Information was retrieved from the artist’s personal website http://www.chihuly.com/biography.aspx
View larger image
Location: First Presbyterian Church
Installed in 1981
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
Installed in 2001
Location: Epic Center – 2nd Floor
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Location: Epic Center - 2nd Floor
Constructed in 1970
About the Artist: Deluca’s work stems from his emotional and intuitive responses to the environment. Objects that have been weathered, textured and time-worn are what he finds to be both inspirational and fascinating. Deluca’s pieces reflect such effects, more specifically the effects of light, atmosphere and shadow. Being of Italian decent, Deluca also discovered a majority of his inspirations from multiple trips to Italy as well as other European countries such as Portugal.
Deluca currently utilizes materials such as tar, cardboard, metal and wood for his pieces that are completed on large-scale canvases. Through his process of combining and layering materials, Deluca aims for his pieces to appear as a passage of time.
Information was retrieved from the artist's personal website: http://joedelucaartist.com/artist.htm
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View Larger Image
Installed in 2002
Location: Epic Center - 2nd Floor
About the Artist: In 1983, Martha received her B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design where she majored in Glass. She then went on to receive a Teaching Fellowship M.F.A. from Ohio State University’s Department of Art in 1991, where she also majored in Glass. Martha’s work is displayed internationally in places such as Goteborg, Sweden; Ebletoft, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden.
About the Sculpture: “Aurora’s Necklace” is a suspended kinetic sculpture with vibrant colors that was inspired by the Northern Lights.
Information was retrieved by the artist’s personal website: http://www.marthacroasdale.com/portfolio/
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow Photographs taken by Jade Wethy, 2013
Location: Epic Center
Installed in 2000
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Installed on June 14, 1985
Owner: Kalamazoo County
Location: Kalamazoo County 8th District Court, facing Bronson Park
About the Artist: Kirk Newman was born in Dallas, Texas in 1926 and began his artistic career experimenting with abstract sculpture and painting in the exciting post-World War II era. What increasingly intrigued him, however, was the human figure and how it could speak to the complexities of the modern world.
While widely recognized as a sculptor, Newman was also a dedicated educator. He came to Kalamazoo in 1949 as part of the University of Michigan's extension program. Newman believed community art programs could be as stimulating and rewarding as those offered at the college level. He recruited a dedicated group of teachers to help develop the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts art school.
About the Sculpture: There are four rectilinear columns about 6.5 feet tall topped by a portrait of a military man from the Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force, respectively.The portraits are each between 18 and 24 inches in height. There is a taller fifth column behind these four that includes an eagle at the top and a plaque that gives information about the reason for the installation.
Information was retrieved by the artist's personal website: http://www.kirknewman.com/theartist.html
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Installed in 1913
Location: Bronson Park
About the Artist: Charles Keck trained with leading American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and studied at the National Academy of Design. He later won the Rinehart Scholarship, allowing him to attend the American Academy in Rome from 1901 to 1905. In a long and active career, Keck produced many sculptures and architectural reliefs, now on view from upstate New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Working out of a New York City studio, he created several heroic statues of Abraham Lincoln; an equestrian statue of Stonewall Jackson now in Charlottesville, Virginia; and various busts and statues of politicians, generals, and other notable individuals. (source)
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Installed in 1923
Location: Bronson Park
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
Artist: George Rickey (1907-2002)
Material: Stainless steel
Installed in 1973
Location: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
About the Artist: George Warren Rickey was a world-renowned American artist who was one of the first artists to create kinetic, or moving, sculpture. Born in Southbend,Indiana, Rickey studied history at Oxford University and became interested in art while taking classes at Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art. After teaching for several years, Rickey served in WW11 as an engineer for the Army Air Corps. His work as an engineer in the war sparked inspiration for his studies at the Chicago Institute of Design when he began making kinetic sculptures in the 1950’s. Rickey's work is held by several collections, including the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. (source)
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Installed in: 1973-1974
Location: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
About the Artist: While widely recognized as a sculptor, Newman was also a dedicated educator. He came to Kalamazoo in 1949 as part of the University of Michigan's extension program. Newman believed community art programs could be as stimulating and rewarding as those offered at the college level. He recruited a dedicated group of teachers to help develop the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts art school.
About the Sculpture: "One of the figures in the row of the fashionably elite sports an inverted paper bag, a kind of silly gesture that pops up at parties as social inhibitions loosen. For Newman it offered a way of gently satirizing the game-playing that underlies almost any social interaction.’’
The nine figures that make up that work are "comic, ample, ridiculous, gangly, absurd, lumpy, buxom and perhaps political, enigmatic and appealing," - quote from the Kalamazoo Gazette, 1974.
Information retreived from artist's personal website http://www.kirknewman.com/theartist.html
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1961
Location: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
About the Artist: "There are things one does for the pure love of form and color, in the easy abandonment to the moods and the fancies of the moment. These are my watercolors. Then there are the versions imprisoned in the rock and the vistions deep in one’s soul- the things one does in seeking for the inner rhythms of nature and life. In the journeys into the unknown region where one can grasp only mystic fragments from the great subconscious that surrounds us. There is much of pain and exhalation in creative work. A resistless, relentless power that makes one ever create, this is my sculpture…” - William Zorach
Information was retrieved from http://zorachart.com/zorach/william.html
Photograph by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
c.1868
Location: East Michigan Avenue, Downtown Kalamazoo (Next to the Huntington Bank)
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Installed in 2002
Location: Kalamazoo Mall, Arcadia District
About the Artist: Mark Lere was born and raised in LaMoure, North Dakota. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Metropolitan State College, in Denver, Colorado, and a Master of Fine Arts from UC Irvine. Language, used in a title or as part of a piece, is an important element in his work. He has had solo exhibits in various galleries in Los Angeles as well as in the North Dakota Museum of Art. In 1989 he did a temporary installation for Piedmont Park, in the city of Atlanta and he has done public art commissions in Seattle, Irvine and Los Angeles. He has been a design team member in various redevelopment projects in Phoenix, AZ and Santa Monica, CA. He currently lives and works in the Los Angeles area.
Information was retrieved from the artist's personal website:http://marklere.com/index.html
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow photographs by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1989
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park
About the Artist: Coming from a family of peace and social activists, Reinertson’s work has an underlying humanism that can be seen both in her poetic ceramic figures with animals, to her more historic public commissions that express ideals of peace and social justice. Her work combines a realism rooted in figurative art traditions, with a contemporary expression of social and psychological content.
Reinertson completed her MFA at UC Davis in 1984, studying with Robert Arneson, and Manuel Neri. She has taught at several universities and colleges in Northern California including CSU Chico, Santa Clara University and UC Berkeley. Her ceramic work has been in exhibitions and museums nationally and internationally, and is in several public and private collections including the Crocker Art Museum, the ASU Art Museum and the Mint Museum. Reinertson has completed over 20 public commissions in bronze.
About the Sculpture: The base of the statue is inscribed with the following quotes from Martin Luther King Jr:
• "True peace is not merely the absence of tension: It is the presence of justice."
• "Every man must decide if he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgement. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others'?
• "Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history which cuts without wounding, and enables the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals."
Information retrieved from the artist’s personal website http://lisareinertson.com/content_set.html
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Installed in 1997
Location: Chemistry Building, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Dennis Smith is as much a philosopher as he is an artist. His work is a window into who he is and his views on life. His impressionistic style captures his exuberance for life and embodies his passion for transcendence –expressed through the spontaneity of children, reflections of the past, and hopes for the future.
Information was retrieved from the artist's personal website:http://www.smithsculpture.com/
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1997
Location: Chemistry Building, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Dennis Smith is as much a philosopher as he is an artist. His work is a window into who he is and his views on life. Smith's impressionistic style captures his exuberance for life and embodies his passion for transcendence –expressed through the spontaneity of children, reflections of the past, and hopes for the future.
Information was retrieved from the artist's personal website: http://www.smithsculpture.com/
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 2006
Rood Hall, Western Michigan University
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Size: 16' x 12' x 7'
Installed in 1999
Location: Wood Hall, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: “The pursuit of art is more about being resourceful than divine inspiration. I approach my work in the studio like an 8 to 5 job. I like to get to the studio early and stay in that environment all day. I don't like to plan ahead what my work patterns will take and I never try to force a perceived idea. I prefer to improvise incrementally and take advance of the discoveries. The information that I realize during the process is usually 10 times better than I could plan. Real time and space should always effect the creative process. Regardless of the subject matter, this formula works for me. The individual is the most important part of any process.” – LeVergne
About the Sculpture: "This sculpture consists of four larger-than-life figures in an acrobatic configuration. This composition, fabricated in steel, was an investigation both in process and human anatomy. The piece addresses the conflict between human limitations and spiritual expectations. The struggle to achieve and maintain physical balance develops a spiritual harmony." - LeVergne
Albert Levergne has been a member of the faculty of the School of Art since 1990.
Information was retrieved from the artist's personal website: http://allavergne.com/
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
Installed in 1989
Location: Everett Tower, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Payne was a 1959 graduate of Beloit College, earning a MS in Graphics, Painting and History. He then eventually earned an MFA in Sculpture Research and 3-D Design from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. While obtaining his MFA, Payne also studied alongside Arne Jakobsen, a renowned Finnish Urban Designer. Payne went on to attain the position of Associate Professor of Sculpture at Western Illinois University. He was then offered and accepted a position at Governors State University as the Visual Arts Program Coordinator, where he remained until his retirement in 2002. (link)
"The mind hungers. People need art, just like they need the sun. Without art, the world would be an ugly, gray place," – John Payne (encouraging art students to continue with their work) (link)
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1988
Location: West Michigan Roundabout, Western Michigan University
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
Size: 42" x 20' x 1 l'
Location: Gilmore Theatre Complex, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Truman Lowe has established himself as an innovator in Native American sculpture. He has been able to successfully translate the elegance of traditional wood use by his Winnebago ancestors into his contemporary sculptures.
For nearly a decade, Lowe has been experimenting with metal as a medium for his work. He began by creating small (averaging three feet in height) bronze pieces directly from his wooden pieces. Lowe has also been pushing the limits of his monumental pieces by fabricating them directly from his designs using aluminum, instead of wood. (source)
About the Sculpture: The large aluminum effigy has a 25211 wing spread and is reminiscent of the small delicate effigies made of wooden sticks woven together. "Bird Effigy" is made with aluminum "sticks" that have been welded together to create a "woven" etherial lattice work of silver. The large bird figure appears to hover above the ground. (source)
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Installed in 1971
Location: Western Michigan University – between Brown Hall and Gilmore Theatre Complex
About the Artist: Jerry Dumlao was a former faculty member in the WMU Sculpture Program before going on to retire at from the faculty at San Diego State University. (source)
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Artist: Phil Vander Weg
Material: Bronze
Location: Gilmore Theater Complex, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: From childhood, while growing up in upstate New York and southwest Michigan, Phil Vander Weg enjoyed building things and working with malleable materials. Eventually those early endeavors became more sustained creative efforts. Tactile possibilities with materials and explorations with real and illusionary space have been a focus for many years. Working with the tension created by ambiguities of materials or playful associations with forms within more critical context is central to the dialogue. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Design and Master of Fine Arts in Art with an emphasis in sculpture degrees from the University of Michigan. Phil Vander Weg is Emeritus Professor of Art, Gwen Frostic School of Art at Western Michigan University.
Information retrieved from the artist's personal website: http://www.philvanderweg.com/
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
For information about the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission and public art throughout Kalamazoo County and Southwest Michigan, email publicart@kalamazooarts.org
Artist: Veryl Goodnight
Installed in 1997
Stands: 9.5’ X 14’
Weight: 1,800 lbs
Location: Student Recreation Center, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Veryl’s various animal sculptures were inspired by growing up in the American West and having a lifelong love for animals. Working from home allowed Veryl to be outdoors and spend more time with the animals that continuously fueled her passion for sculpting.
During Veryl's sculpting career she has placed work in private and corporate collections throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Her seven ton bronze monument to freedom, "The Day the Wall Came Down," is located at the George Bush Presidential Library. In 1998, a second or "sister" casting of this monument was delivered to Germany by the U. S. Air Force and unveiled at the Allied Museum in Berlin by former President George Bush. In October of 2000 Veryl was the recipient of the Central Intelligence Agency's "Agency Seal Medallion" for this sculpture.
Information was retrieved by the artist's personal website: http://verylgoodnight.com/biography.html
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 1982
Location: Light Fine Arts Building, Kalamazoo College
Sesquicentennial gift of the Women's Council of Kalamazoo College, 1982.
Fabricated by David Volosky and Leon Hillman
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Installed in 1993
Location: Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, Kalamazoo College
Made possible through the support of the Kalamazoo College Artist In-Residence Endowment.
About the Artist: My career in sculpture began in 1955. It was then, while still a student, I began to exhibit my sculpture around Chicago in all sorts of places-art fairs, small galleries, local art centers, and the like. During the twelve years that followed, my sculptural development grew as a private, independent, studio-based, self-generated activity that responded to the stimuli I supplied and the skills I could master.
Then in 1967, I began work on Play, a commissioned sculpture which my studio could not accommodate. I started to work on sculpture for the first time outside of my studio, on a time and material basis in a metal fabrication shop, with the help of other men and machines. Play, as I look back on it, began what has been a second career for me, that of a public sculptor. The dimensions of this second career, which remains inextricably linked with the first, were not clear in that beginning, and have only become apparent to me with time and reflection on its course. - Richard Hunt
reproduced from Richard Hunt, New York: Dorsky Gallery, 1989.
Information was retrieved from the artist's personal website:http://www.richardhunt.us/pages/mainpage.html
Photo by Patrick Jouppi, 2011
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Eleanor Street, near Mr. President Lounge
About the Artist: "I was raised in Portage, Michigan, with the goal of becoming an automotive designer. I have always been interested in all things mechanical and this extends to art. After my first semester at Western Michigan University, I transferred to the art education program. After receiving a B.A. I realized that I had only scratched the surface of what I wanted to know about sculpture. I went right on to the M.A. Studio art program at WMU. After graduating I wandered through several jobs that included teaching and working as a clay modeler at Chrysler. Eventually I found my niche as a Psychiatric Social Worker for nineteen years. While I continued to build sculpture, homes, boats, and cars on a part time basis. In 2003, I turned again to sculpture, which is my primary focus." - Douglas M. Greuzinga {link}
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: 415 Stockbridge Ave
Photograph by Jack Urban
View full size
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Mountain Home Cemetery, 1402 West Main St.
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Mountain Home Cemetery
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: Kalamazoo County
Location: 227 West Michigan Avenue
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: City of Kalamazoo
Location: Metro Transit Bus Station
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: 241 West South Street
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Kalamazoo City Hall
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Mayors’ Riverfront Park (ball field entrance)
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Jack Coombs Trail (east of Harrison Street)
Photograph by Jack Urban
Artist: Unknown
Material: Geomaterial, wire, wood
Owner: City of Portage
Location: Portage City Hall grounds (NW Corner)
Photograph by Jack Urban
For information about the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission and public art throughout Kalamazoo County and Southwest Michigan, email publicart@kalamazooarts.org
Owner: The City of Portage
Location: Portage City Hall Lobby
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: E. Michigan Avenue at the Kalamazoo River Bridge
Photograph by Jack Urban
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Mayors’ Riverfront Park, behind the ball field
Photograph by Jack Urban
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: Mayors’ Riverfront Park, behind the ball field
Photograph by Jack Urban
Owner: C.L. Mahoney Mechanical Contractors
Location: 438 Forest St.
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
Artist: John McNally
Material: Painted steel
Owner: McNally Elevator Co.
Location: 223 West Ransom St. City of Kalamazoo
Photograph by Jack Urban
Artist: Unknown – copy after Luca Della Robbia
Material: Limestone
Owner: -
Location: Zelinger House, 133 West Vine St.
Photograph by Jack Urban
For information about the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission and public art throughout Kalamazoo County and Southwest Michigan, email publicart@kalamazooarts.org
Made in 1953
Owner: Mount Ever-Rest Cemetery
Location: 3941 South Westnedge, City of Kalamazoo
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: Jeff Weisman
Location: 131 W. Kalamazoo Ave.
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The Park Club
Location: 219 West South St.
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Owner: The City of Kalamazoo
Location: 251 East Michigan Avenue
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Location: 137 North Park St.
Photograph by Jack Urban
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
For information about the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission and public art throughout Kalamazoo County and Southwest Michigan, email publicart@kalamazooarts.org
View larger image
Owner: The Arcadia Condominiums
Location: E. Water Street at Burdick
Photograph by Jack Urban
Slideshow photograph by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Location: 512-524 North St.
Photograph by Jack Urban
Artist: Unknown
Material: painted and unpainted steel
Owner: Unknown
Location: 513 Riverview Drive
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Location: 308 Hilbert St.
Photograph by Jack Urban
Artist: Conrad Kaufman
Owner: AAMCO Transmission Center
Location: 514 Portage Street
Photograph by Jack Urban
For information about the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission and public art throughout Kalamazoo County and Southwest Michigan, email publicart@kalamazooarts.org
View larger image
Owner: AAMCO Transmission Center
Location: 514 Portage Street
About the Artist: “I spent my childhood on a remarkable farm outside of Bangor, MI. My parents called the farm the School of Homesteading and used it for teaching young people organic farming and self-sufficiency. It was a real working farm where the weather and seasons guided the work we undertook. A farm and livelihood that resulted in cold feet and fingers in winter, the wonderful flavor of maple syrup in spring, sweat and sore muscles from summer haying followed by a farm fresh BLT, and autumn’s storing of firewood in the midst of Michigan’s kaleidoscope of colors.
In 1981 I graduated from Bangor High School. With steady and purposeful stride I walked through my high school’s gates and straight to the hallowed halls of Western Michigan University. I was intent on a dual math and art major. Diligently I began the mandatory beginning art classes and floundered in boredom. Forsaking both art and math I spent the next seven years studying Anthropology. I graduated in 1986 with Bachelors in Science and discontinued the pursuit of a Masters in Anthropology short of completion. " - Conrad Kaufman (source)
Photograph by Jack Urban
View larger image
Installed in 1987
Owner: Kalamazoo College
Location: Stadium Drive at Academy Street
About the Artist: Black is recognized internationally for his monumental public sculptures. His sculptures are what he calls ‘proto-architecture’, which is combining architectural elements such as pillars, arches, open canopies and use of light. Black’s community landmarks engage their environments spatially and culturally, ensuring a connection with the viewer. His projects are serious and complex, but lifted by buoyancy and spirit. Black received his BA from Wesleyan University-Connecticut, and his Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) from Indiana University. He then went on to be a professor of art at Ohio State University where he worked for many years.
Black has been granted many honors/awards such as an “Individual Artist Grant” from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as being presented the “Career Recognition Award” by the Ohio House of Representatives.
Being internationally recognized, Black’s sculptures are found all around the world in places such as Berlin, Germany; Nagano, Japan; Belmont, California; New York City, and Duisburg, Germany.
Information was retrieved from the artist’s personal website http://www.davidblacksculpture.com/Bio.html
Photograph by Jack Urban
Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Owner: Western Michigan University
Location: Spindler Hall façade facing Oliver St., East Campus
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 2013
Location: N. Kalamazoo Mall
About the Sculpture: “Keeping Watch” was dedicated to The Kalamazoo Public Safety in honor of Officer Eric Zapata who was killed while on duty April 18th, 2011. The sculpture also serves as a honor to officers who continue to sacrifice their own lives for the safety of the community.
Photographs by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Location: Studio 246 Building, between N. Kalamazoo Mall & Eleanor St.
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Size: 6’x5’x3’
Made in 1993
Installed in 1999
Location: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
About the artist: “I began to fabricate in metals when I was a graduate student at Berkeley. I enjoyed working in large scale and I needed to work in a medium that was more durable than clay and wood. Several of my earlier, larger sculptures were fallen apart when I tried to move them. I could not afford to cast bronze and bronze casting didn't allow me enough freedom to be innovative during the process. I wanted the freedom to revise my concepts whenever the notion arrived. Many artists from the bay area who were fabricating by using geometric and found steel shapes had similar flavors. I quickly realized that I would need more personal forms to speak in my own voice. I soon discovered that once I had developed the basic welding skills, any shape could be built. This was an epiphany, and the beginning of my vocabulary.” --- LeVergne
Information was retrieved by the artist's personal website: http://allavergne.com/bio/background.htm
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
Type: Ten Inch Columbiad
Installed in 1890
More about the sculpture: The cannon was used by Union Forces during the Civil War. The ten inch Columbiad was then brought to Kalamazoo to serve as a veterans’ memorial.
Information was retrieved by the Kalamazoo Public Library website. Any additional information regarding the history of the cannon can be found in a scrapbook located in the Kalamazoo Public Library. (H 973.7 K14)
Photograph by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Installed in 2010
Location: Western Michigan University, near Faunce Student Services
About the Artist: “My artwork is an attempt to create a meaningful connection between the natural world and myself. Often this connection seems fleeting. It is based on observation and the physical act of working with material such as clay and wood. This physical relationship allows me to explore my spiritual, emotional and psychological concerns for the human experience.” – Shay Church
Information was retrieved from the artist's personal website: http://shaychurch.com/index.php
For more information about the Kalamazoo Public Art Commission and public art throughout Kalamazoo County and Southwest Michigan, email to publicart@kalamazooarts.org
View larger image
Location: Siebert Administration Building, Western Michigan University
Installed in 2003
About the Sculpture: “The Gift of Knowledge” is also Western Michigan University’s Centennial Time Capsule. The capsule is scheduled to be opened on the University’s Founders Day, May 27, 2053. Items were selected based on what best represents 2003, the university’s centennial year.
A few items located in the Centennial Time Capsule include:
• Michigan House of Representatives centennial proclamation
• Michigan Senate centennial proclamation
• WMU Alumni Association centennial holiday ornament
• Inauguration/Centennial Gala ticket and parking permit
• Centennial pin and centennial necktie
• Photos of selected centennial events and activities
• Replica of centennial banner with East Hall cupola
• Music CD of Avery’s composition performed by Gold Company and GCII
• Centennial Cocoa-Cola bottle
• Centennial Homecoming t-shirt, postcard and events brochure
• Audio CD of Centennial Homecoming Parade
Information was retrieved by an article written in the WMU News, April 19, 2004: http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/2004/0404/0304-x230.html
Photograph by Jade Wethy, 2013
Artist: Hubertus von der Goltz
Material: Steel
Installed in 1998
Location: North side of Friedman Hall, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Hubertus von der Goltz was born in Germany where he received his education, as well as attending school in Italy. His work is known internationally and is represented in the United States by the Fassbender Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.
"The theme of my work focuses on the individual and the balance between thought, action and existence - a basic human experience. Each figure exhibits a specific relationship to its environment, and the viewer's own reflection and participation endows the figure with purpose and meaning. The beginning and end of each balancing act is unseen, and discontinuous events are fused by spatial structure into a single new reality." – Goltz
Information was recieved by the WMU Permanent Art Collection. (source)
View larger image
Installed in 1985
Location: Near the flag plaza at the center of campus, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Born in Ukraine, Kruglak immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1904. Kruglak received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1934 and Master’s Degree in 1936, both from the University of Wisconsin. In 1944, Kruglak began working as an assistant professor in Physics at Princeton University. After receiving positive recommendations on his teaching capabilities from Princeton, Kruglak went on to receive his Doctorate’s from the University of Minnesota in 1951. In 1954, Kruglak joined the WMU faculty as an associate professor in astronomy and physics. From 1963-64, he was a fellow in the National Science Foundation Faculty and in 1977 received a distinguished service citation from the American Association of Physics. Kruglak was the author of three books and over 100 journal articles, research reports and laboratory manuals.
About the Sculpture: The idea for the sundial was initiated and carried out by Kruglak. When it came to designing the sundial, Kruglak received help from former physical plant mechanical engineer, David Martin. The sundial was named after Haym Kruglak by the Board of Trustees. The sundial reaches 20-ft in diameter and has a 12-foot stainless steel gnomon, or arm. (source)
Information was recieved an article from the WMU News. Office of Relations. June 25, 2003
View larger image
Installed in 1999
Location: Battle Creek’s Monument Park
About the Sculpture: The sculpture is a monumental tribute to Sojourner Truth, a woman who traveled the Underground Railroad on a mission for human equality and the humane treatment of slaves, women and the poor. Sojourner Truth was inducted into the Woman’s Hall of Fame in 1983. Truth lived in Battle Creek for 26 years.(source)
Former Battle Creek Mayor Ted Dearing officially welcomed Sojourner back to Battle Creek. "She will serve as a constant reminder of her messages of dignity, respect and freedom for all, messages that are just as relevant today as they were 100 years ago," Dearing said. "Let her serve as a reminder that though we have come far as a city we can do better, and let us not rest until all have freedom and equality." (source)
View larger image
Size: 14’ high, 28’ long
Installed in 1994
Location: Kellogg Foundation Headquarters
About the Artist: Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, Ed left his hometown in 1953 to join the U.S. Air Force. After completing pilot training, he served as a military fighter pilot and obtained a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Arizona State University. In 1961 Dwight was chosen by President John F. Kennedy to enter training as an Experimental Test Pilot in preparation to become the first African American Astronaut candidate.
Ed’s childhood dream was to become an artist, but was encouraged by his father to become an engineer. He received a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Arizona State University in 1957. With little formal art training, his first serious artistic endeavor began with a commission to create a sculpture of Colorado’s first Black Lt. Governor, George Brown in 1974. From this first artistic endeavor, he was commissioned by the Colorado Centennial Commission to create a series of bronzes entitled “Black Frontier in the American West.” The series depicted the contribution of African Americans to the opening of the West. Few facts were known about Black pioneers, explorers, trappers, farmers and soldiers. Through using his newly developed and unique artistic style, Ed opened the minds of viewers to this unknown history of the American West. The Series of 50 bronzes was on exhibit for several years throughout the U.S., gaining widespread acceptance and critical acclaim.
About the Sculpture: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation commissioned this memorial. The sculpture is the largest memorial to the Underground Railroad in the United States. It features Harriet Tubman leading a group of escaped slaves, Erastus and Sarah Hussey and the Station Masters for the Southern Michigan Underground Railroad Operation ushering slaves into their basement.
Information & photograph was retrieved from the artist's personal website: http://www.eddwight.com/
Artist: David Henderson
Material: Carbon fiber, steel, paint
Size: 228’’ x 104’’ x115’’
Made in 2008, Installed in 2013
Location: Near the Dorothy Dalton Center, Western Michigan University
Courtesy of Western Michigan University Art Collection
Photograph & Slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
For more information about the artist and their work, visit http://davidhenderson.org/
View larger image
Installed in 1989
Location: Knaus-Dunbar-Friedman Courtyard, Western Michigan University
Artist: William Millmine
Material: Diamond plate steel
Installed in 1993
Location: North ‘lawn’ of Sindecuse Health Center, Western Michigan University
View larger image
Installed in 1995
Location: East side of Sindecuse Health Center, Western Michigan University
View larger image
Size: 76-5/8 x 433 5/8 x 93-3/4 inches
Installed in 2012
Location: Richmond Center, Western Michigan University
Collection of the artist, courtesy of Marlborough Gallery, New York
Photograph and slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Completed in Fall 2012
Location: South side of the Richmond Center, Western Michigan University
About the Artist: Brouwer graduated with an MA/MFA from Western Michigan University in 1976.
About the Sculpture: “Wonder Wood” was a collaborated effort between artist Charlie Brouwer and selected WMU students. The collaborated sculpture that intends to reflect multiple life-affirming emotions while engaging viewers’ attention and imagination with this fabricated environmental grouping. The sculpture is also part of the 2012 -2013 WMU Sculpture Tour.
Information was retrieved from WMU’s Gwen Frostic’s School of Art.
Photograph & slideshow images by Jade Wethy, 2013
View larger image
Constructed in 2011
About the Sculpture: Parts and pieces revealed within the concrete burial chambers prompt a number of possible questions. As we examine this graveyard we might ponder about the nature of these items, their useful lifespan, contribution to our times, and the duration of their prominence.
Information was retrieved from the Gwen Frostic School of Art
Photograph by Jade Wethy, 2013
For information about the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission and public art throughout Kalamazoo County and Southwest Michigan, email publicart@kalamazooarts.org
Artist: Unknown
Location: On the corner of S. Burdick and S. Kalamazoo Mall
Tuck Langland
"Circle of Life" Monument
Bronze
5' H Figures on 5' H Pedestals
Part of the permanent collection of Bronson Methodist Hospital (Kalamazoo, MI).
The "Circle of Life" monument is composed of four figures: "Dance of Being", "Dance of Transformation", "Dance of Dormancy", and "Dance of Beginning".
The two male and two female dancers each represent a different ethnicity and point in the circle of life. The first, an African woman, symbolizes the beginning of life. The second dancer takes the form of a European man and represents maturity. Third is the Indian sculpture of transformation, representing death. Finally, the Native American figure represents dormancy before the cycle begins again.
"My concept for the setting," says Langland, "came from the fact that hospitals are places where people are born and die - so I suggested the theme of life." It was an idea that Langland had been working with for some time, and Bronson Hospital provided the perfect stage for the four bronze dancers he eventually crafted.
