Public Art In Grand Rapids, Part I

   Public art in Grand Rapids, Michigan unapologetically begins with Alexander Calder's La Grand Vitesse (French for "The Great Swiftness"). Created expressly for the city over a nearly 2 year period spanning from 1967 to 1969 by the talented (and prolific) American sculptor.

   This monumental work (43' X 54' X 30', weighing in at 42 tons) sits in Calder plaza, which fronts Grand Rapids city hall and is surrounded by government administration buildings and courthouses.

   Calder's works can be seen in cities all over the world, from Chicago to Montreal to Hannover to Barcelona to Seattle (the Seattle one used to be in Fort Worth, but that's another story), and all of them are striking in scale and effect. Those cities are all proud of their Calder creations and have them prominently displayed, but none of those cities have taken to their particular Calder as Grand Rapids has - heck, it's incorporated into the city logo and as such has become the symbol of the city.

   All that being stated, the Grand Rapids public art collection is hardly limited to one big Calder Red sculpture (yeah, it looks orange but the color is known as Calder Red) - that's just the tip of the G.R. public art iceberg. To do this city proper, I'll feature the pieces I saw as I was out and about in a few posts - one post would be just too overwhelming.

                                        Jaume Plensa, the Four Elements, Stainless Steel, 2021 

 Faces, Bodies, Hands, Chroma Acrylic Paint on Brick (I think) -Not the actual name, but I could find no attribution, so I made it up.

Terrific Mural Featuring Musicians, no attribution found

The White Bull, unknown material, unknown sculptor

Dennis Oppenheim, Journey Home, Zinc-Coated Steel, Aluminum, Translucent Colored Plastic, 2009

Mosaic in front of the G.R. Children's Museum, no attribution found

Ed Dwight (yes, the Ed Dwight, former USAF test pilot and renowned sculptor who has a studio in Denver and became the oldest man in space last month at the age of 90), Rosa Louise Parks, bronze, 2010

                                        Clement Meadmore, Split Rings, Cor-Ten Steel, 1969

                  Robert Indiana, Love, Polychromed Aluminum. One of the over 75 Love sculptures (or alternate language variants, such as the Italian, Chinese, Hebrew and Spanish versions) installed in cities all over the world, from Armenia to Thailand

                      Four Story Mural, Chroma Acrylic Paint on Brick (I think), no attribution found

 

                  Abdoulaye Conde, Raining Wisdom, Chroma Acrylic Paint on Brick (I think) 2023