Amway Corp. Co-Founder Jay Van Andel Honored in Bronze

Amway Corp. co-founder Jay Van Andel cast a large figure across West Michigan's landscape.

He founded an inter-national medical research institute, provided major funding for the city's public museum and with his partner, Rich DeVos, helped revive downtown with their redevelopment of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

A 7-foot bronze statue honoring his legacy was unveiled today on the plaza in front of Van Andel Arena, the 16-year-old sports and entertainment complex that also bears his name.

“The number of people who will see it there was a big part of it,” said Peter Secchia, whose family is funding and has endowed the series of bronze statues honoring the city's historical figures. Also, persons attending events at the arena are likely to be in an upbeat mood, he said.

“Jay Van Andel is of particular interest because he and Betty, his wife, provide the lead gift to the building of the arena, which is such an important attraction and gathering place for residents and city visitors,” said Steve Heacock, chairman of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority.

Van Andel, who died in 2004 at age 80, also served as the chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1979-1980 and chaired the 1982 U.S.-Netherlands Bicentennial Commission. He also served as the founding chair of the Right Place economic development program.

The large bronze statue was sculpted by J. Brett Grill, the West Michigan artist who recently completed a bronze sculpture of former President Gerald R. Ford that is featured in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. A duplicate of the custom bronze sculpture was installed at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum last week.

Joe Becherer, chairman of the Community Legends project, said the Grill was a good choice for the Van Andel tribute.

“He has a gift for dealing with contemporary or near-contemporary figures,” said Becherer, curator of sculpture at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. “I think people are going to be extremely pleased with what they see on Wednesday. It's a really, really fine work.”

The bronze monument is the third in a series of downtown sculptures that will eventually honor 25 historic figures.

In 2008, the project unveiled a statue of Lucius Lyon, one of the city's earliest settlers. The 5-foot 6-inch statue at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Lyon Street is the only life-sized statue rendering. The remaining large statues will be 7-foot-tall and mounted on 3-foot bases.

In 2010, the project unveiled a custom bronze statue of Noahquageshik, or Chief Noonday, the Native American tribal chief who was instrumental in the settlement of Michigan. The 7-foot statue was placed on the campus of Grand Valley State University.
Future subjects will include the Most Rev. Frederick Baraga, an early Catholic missionary to Grand Rapids; Stanley Ketchel, a Polish-born boxer who grew up in Grand Rapids and began world middle-weight champion, Helen Claytor, a civil rights leader and first African-American to become national president of the YWCA and Lyman S. Parks, the first African-American mayor of Grand Rapids.

Ivan Eyre Donates Monumental Bronze Sculptures to the McMichael Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is pleased to announce a significant gift to the gallery’s permanent collection from renowned Canadian artist, Ivan Eyre.

The bronze statues artist has generously donated nine monumental (twice-life-size) bronze sculptures encapsulating his creative lifework, to be installed this spring, inaugurating the gallery’s new outdoor Sculpture Garden, officially opening on Canada Day, July 1st. The McMichael is both pleased and proud to display such magnificent works of art.  These large bronze statues convey a deep appreciation of how line, mass, and form combine to create dynamic sculptural objects.

This tremendous donation to the McMichael is a generous gift of works by an artist at the peak of his career; but more importantly these special life size sculptures provide our visitors with a deep appreciation of the creative relationship between art and nature, embodied in this installation in our newly landscaped grounds.  

“The spectacular bronze sculptures by Ivan Eyre showcased in our new outdoor Sculpture Garden reflect the intrinsic relationship between art and nature,” said Dr. Victoria Dickenson, McMichael Executive Director and CEO. “How we view and think about landscape and our environment is at the core of the gallery’s mission.” Artist Ivan Eyre has also stated, “Each of the custom bronze sculptures constitutes a meeting between thoughts of the distant past and an anticipation of the future. The monumental size of the bronzes enhances that idea.”

 The McMichael Canadian Art Foundation has been instrumental in facilitating Ivan Eyre’s gift; it has raised funds for the installation of the custom bronze statues and created a fund within the Foundation to provide ongoing financial support for the upkeep of the Sculpture Garden for generations to come. Installation of the Ivan Eyre large bronze sculptures is generously funded by McMichael Canadian Art Foundation, Richardson Foundation, and Friends of R.T.E. Gillespie.

Custom Bronze Statues of Filipino Leaders to be placed at Cebu City Hall

Bronze statues of Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. and Vicente Rama will soon be erected in front of the old Cebu City Hall building.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said he already received a proposal for the nine-foot bronze statues which will be placed at the Plaza Sugbo grounds.

Custom bronze statues sculptor Juan Sajid Imao will handle the project. Each of the large bronze statues will cost P1.5 million each including the molding, sculpting, design and transportation from Manila to Cebu.

If Mayor Rama approves of the proposed design, it will be forwarded to the city engineering office for technical description and program of works and estimates and to the Philippine Tourism Authority for final approval.
Vicente Rama, who is called the Father of the City of Cebu, authored Act No. 58 creating the Cebu City Charter in 1937. He gained a reputation of being a formidable politician in 1916 when he was elected councilor and was then appointed by President Manuel Quezon as mayor of Cebu City in 1938. In November 1940, Rama won as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines up to 1949. His legacy lives as he is remembered in the annual celebration of the City’s Charter Day Anniversary every February 24.
Osmeña, known as the “Grand Old Man” of Cebu, began his 42-long career in public service in 1904. Don Sergio served as Cebu’s youngest governor at 25, and four years later became the speaker of the First Philippine Assembly. He assumed the presidency in August 1, 1944 when Quezon died. He was the fourth president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.

Contemporary Sculptures and Social Commentary

Although contemporary art refers to art of both the late 20th and early 21st century, it has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the last few years. People who are new to the art world are often attracted to this form of sculpture because it tends to speak to their situations and lifestyles in a way that art doesn't always do. Many artists specializing in contemporary sculpture are making a state ament about the current state of our world, and present a commentary on our priorities of modern society. One style of contemporary art that may people are widely familiar with is "pop" art as exemplified by the work of Andy Warhol.

One such artist who utilizes art to provide social commentary is world-renowned sculptor Robin Antar. She creates works of art out of everyday items such as denim jeans as well as household and food products. By making these dispensable items essentially timeless by capturing them in a form that will last for a very long time, she is demonstrating the importance of the everyday.

This is the key difference with certain forms of contemporary sculpture that sets it apart from other forms of art. By creating a 3-dimensional object that simulates a common object that could be found in most households, many people are now finally able to relate to art in a way that may have seemed out of touch in the past.

Although each artist creates art for their own reasons, it could be argued that one of the reasons that some artists are attracted to the contemporary style is because they able to communicate to the art admirer on a very basic level. This is especially important because many people may find fine art to be intimidating or difficult to understand. In some situations, this may be because the piece of art is very personal to the artist and the artist may find it challenging to express themselves in a manner that is inclusive. In fact, many people feel that art is not meant to be completely understood, and can at the most only be appreciated from a distance.

However, when an artist decides that they will take a common object and represent it in different form than it is usually seen, they are making a point of building a relationship with the observer. Because the sculpting process allows the piece of art to last indefinitely, the disposable becomes for all intents and purposes, permanent. This fact combined with an ordinary, everyday object chosen as the model for the piece of contemporary sculpture ensure that this type of art can be appreciated by both the very sophisticated and the admirer who is new to the art world.

Not all forms of art necessarily seek to express social commentary, but in many cases, contemporary art does fill this void. In particular, contemporary sculpture can create an opportunity to see a common object in a very different manner that allows you to question your assumptions and possibly understand the art and the artist in a way that previously seemed impossible.

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The History of Bronze Statues

The great civilizations of the old world worked in bronze for art, from the time of the introduction of the alloy for edged weapons. The Greeks were the first to scale the figures up to life size. Few examples exist in good condition; one is the seawater-preserved bronze now called "The Victorious Athlete," which required painstaking efforts to bring it to its present state for museum display. Far more Roman bronze statues have survived. The ancient Chinese, from at least 1200BC, knew both lost-wax casting and section mold casting, and in the Shang dynasty created large ritual vessels covered with complex decoration which have survived in tombs. Over the long creative period of Egyptian dynastic art, small lost-wax bronze figurines were made in large numbers; several thousand of them have been conserved in museum collections. From these beginnings, bronze art has continued to flourish.

Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Their strength and ductility (lack of brittleness) is an advantage when figures in action are to be created, especially when compared to various ceramic or stone materials. These qualities allow the creation of extended figures, as in Jeté, or figures that have small cross sections in their support, such as the equestrian statue of Richard the Lionheart. Modern statuary bronze is 90% copper and 10% tin; older bronze alloys varied only slightly from this composition.

But the value of the bronze for other uses is disadvantageous to the preservation of sculptures; few large ancient bronzes have survived, as many were melted down to make weapons in times of war or to create new sculptures commemorating the victors, while far more stone and ceramic works have come through the centuries, even if only in fragments.

Senegal's big bronze statue: Monument to liberty or authoritarian rule?

It’s been called Africa’s Statue of Liberty, but as the African Renaissance Monument was inaugurated in Senegal's capital, Dakar, on April 3, many were saying that it better represented many of Africa’s modern woes: megalomania and authoritarian rule.

President Abdoulaye Wade says the 170-foot-tall bronze statue of three figures is supposed to represent the fresh start African countries made when they declared independence 50 years ago. But the project has drawn criticism from nearly every sector of Senegalese society.

“It’s ugly and expensive,” said Ousmane Sow, Senegal’s most recognized sculptor. “It looks like one of those little plastic figures they used to give out in cereal boxes.”

It’s true that the design doesn’t exactly evoke traditional African themes. It looks more like the statue of Kim Il Sung in downtown Pyongyang. Indeed, it was built by a North Korean construction firm, which received the bulk of the $20 million earmarked for the project after President Wade personally intervened on their behalf.

Contracting the lucrative project out to foreigners caused outrage in Senegal, where unemployment sits at just under 50 percent. Many in the business community pointed out that a monument commemorating Africa’s emergence from centuries of intolerance and racism should at least be built by Africans themselves.

The entire process was plagued by what local transparency activist Jacques Habib Sy called “a confusion between the president’s personal interests and those of the nation.”

Mr. Wade drew the initial sketches for the statue with his own hand, and he’s now claiming 35 percent of its intellectual property rights. He will collect his share of tourist revenues and says the money will be put in a charitable fund.

“People feel it is a misplaced investment,” Mr. Sy said. “This statue has a sad reputation of being one man’s fallacy.”

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Quotes About Statues

Statues are such an influential part of history that notable people all around the world have recognized their beauty. Here are just a few:


"I have a bronze statue of myself. I have these really big curls and water comes out of every curl. It's hot."
~Macy Gray

"The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying, "Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and yelling, "You want a piece of me?"
~Robin Williams

"In every block of marble, I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to others eyes as mine see it."
~Michelangelo

"Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statues has never been erected in honor of a critic."
~Jean Sibelius

"The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as
are not needed--it is a process of elimination"
~Elbert Hubbard

"I have a wonderful make-up crew. They're the same people restoring the Statue of Liberty."
~Bob Hope

"The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal and hasten the resurrection of the dead."
~William Lloyd Garrison

"Only he who can view his own past as an abortion sprung from compulsion and need can use it to full advantage in the present. For what one has lived is at best comparable to a beautiful statue which has had its limbs knocked off in transit, and now yields nothing but the precious block out of which the image of one's future must be hewn."
~Walter Benjamin

"Bronze in the mirror of the form, wine of the mind. "
~Aeschylus

"The pigeon here is a beautiful bird, of a delicate bronze colour, tinged with pink about the neck, and the wings marked with green and purple."
~William John Wills