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In Pictures: Sculpture, gardens, music and more in Grand Rapids
By Tom Adkinson
October 13, 2023
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The docent’s narration on a tram tour of the outdoor sculpture portion of the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is better than any art lecture you could attend. A bonus is that you can stroll among the works of art at your leisure after the tour. The sculpture collection – more than 200 pieces outdoors and indoors across a 158-acre campus – would be a worthy attraction by itself, but it is just one part of a destination you can’t take in on a single visit. The complex is among the 30 most visited art museums in America. Other components include a collection of botanical gardens, a Michigan farm garden, a children’s garden and a soothing Japanese garden. And as if that wasn’t enough, an amphitheater adds live entertainment to the mix. The most recent season included Ben Folds, Lyle Lovett, Maren Morris, Melissa Etheridge, Jason Isbell and Trombone Shorty.
‘A horse is a horse, of course, of course’
“Massive” barely describes “The American Horse”, the work of sculptor Nina Akamu, who was inspired by a never-realized project Leonardo da Vinci designed for the Duke of Milan in the late 1400s. Fred Meijer advocated for the sculpture, and two bronze casts were made in the late 1990s – one for Meijer Gardens and one as a gift to Milan. It stands 24 feet tall. Image by Tom Adkinson
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All about ‘Eve’
Auguste Rodin envisioned “Eve” to help frame his monumental “Gates of Hell” bronze sculpture work for a never-completed decorative arts museum in Paris. It became one of Rodin’s most celebrated depictions of the female figure. This bronze in Meijer Gardens is one of 12 known full-scale casts of the sculpture. Image by William J. Herbert/Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
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‘Julia’
‘Julia,” named for a friend of artist Keith Haring is the only portrait sculpture Haring created. In stark contrast to the realism of Rodin’s “Eve,” this work still prompts thoughts a lithe human dancer. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Listening to an ‘Aria’
Alexander Liberman’s piece titled “Aria” towers more than 42 feet above the Michigan terrain. A description of the sculpture notes that an aria is a melody sung by a single voice and that the elements of “Aria” seem to suggest musical notes. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Getting that look from ‘Mad Mom’
Sculptor Tom Otterness, who described his own mother as “a tough gal,” said he created this piece called “Mad Mom” as a cartoonish reminder that every child has been stared down by an upset mom. “Mad Mom” is strategically placed at the entrance to a children’s garden. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Searching for ‘Utopia’
Marble works by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa adorn the walls of the welcome center at Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. The work is called “Utopia,” and it was commissioned for this space. A different face is on each 19- x 86-foot wall. The faces are meant to be universal symbols of the beauty in humanity. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Trip-planning resources: MeijerGardens.org and ExperienceGR.com
(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available on Amazon.com.)
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