The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
I know I’ve already mentioned my home state of Michigan in
connection with the ArtPrize competition, but Michigan’s Grand Rapids area is
so full of art that I can’t help bringing it up again. The Frederik Meijer
Gardens and Sculpture Park is a place to be visited by all art lovers and
appreciators. I myself have visited once, and once is surely not enough to see
everything. You can take a trolley through the sculpture park and have a guide
give you the low-down about each piece, but I chose to walk the grounds and
have a personal experience while viewing the artwork. There are pieces by
Alexander Calder, Claes Oldenburg, and even a giant metal horse based upon the
drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. You can view metal heads without bodies, bodies
made out of metal letters, abstract shapes you’re not quite sure what to make
of, and an enormous red trowel stuck in the ground—all of these things you can
find here among so many others.
A favorite of mine, if I can really say that I was able to
pick a group of favorites, was a sculpture entitled Mad Mom by Tom Otterness. This large bronze sculpture, crafted in
2001, stands tall and depicts the “mad” feeling well through simple body
language and facial expression. With arms akimbo and a frowning face, this
mother figure exudes disappointment or frustration, but in a less than serious
way. The use of geometric shapes and simplicity tone down the negative emotion
in my opinion leaving the piece to be more accessible rather than off-putting
as anger usually is. I attempted to mimic the statue’s pose and expression and
I believe I ended up looking angrier than the Mad Mom. Perhaps I’ll have to use this stance and look when I’m
actually a mother.
There is much to see at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and
Sculpture Park. Over ten different types of gardens can be visited, a vast
sculpture park can be perused, changing indoor exhibitions can be viewed, and
there is also an amphitheater where concerts can be enjoyed. Again, if you’re
ever in southern Michigan and the weather is being cooperative, stop by and
enjoy all the art and creativity!
Article submitted by Alexadra Daily
Published by Contemporary Art Gallery Online
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