The Head of The Spirit of Detroit [Plaster]
Dublin Core
Title
The Head of The Spirit of Detroit [Plaster]
Subject
Figure sculpture, American--20th century
Description
The head of The Spirit of Detroit, 1958
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.035
This is the only surviving portion of the full-scale plaster original model for The Spirit of Detroit, a sixteen-foot tall bronze statue at the entrance to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, Michigan. Except for the quarter-scale model of the sculpture (located near the hallway windows in the Main Exhibit Gallery), all other models and molds were destroyed shortly after the bronze sculpture was cast in Norway.
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.035
This is the only surviving portion of the full-scale plaster original model for The Spirit of Detroit, a sixteen-foot tall bronze statue at the entrance to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, Michigan. Except for the quarter-scale model of the sculpture (located near the hallway windows in the Main Exhibit Gallery), all other models and molds were destroyed shortly after the bronze sculpture was cast in Norway.
Creator
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998
Date
1976
Rights
Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum
Relation
Type
Sculpture
Coverage
University Center (Mich.)
Sculpture Item Type Metadata
Physical Dimensions
38" h
Materials
Plaster full-scale
Catalog Number
1991.035
Object Location
Main Exhibit Gallery
Provenance
1987 July, 1 Gift to Museum
Notes
Molly Barth copy:
The next piece is the full-size head of The Spirit of Detroit. That was cast in bronze as part of the sculpture on the City/County Building in Detroit. It was dedicated in 1958. It is a beautiful piece which has become a symbol for the city of Detroit. The last head, on the left, is John F. Kennedy. A bronze cast of it is located in Mt. Clemens, one of the first places he made a speech when he was running for president. It was dedicated in 1970 and it is outside their city government buildings. You can look up inside both Kennedy and Churchill to see how the plaster models are constructed. See the reinforcing pipes seisel, or hemp, which helps hold the plaster model together. Like these, all of the plaster models in the gallery are hollow. The bronzes are also hollow.
The next piece is the full-size head of The Spirit of Detroit. That was cast in bronze as part of the sculpture on the City/County Building in Detroit. It was dedicated in 1958. It is a beautiful piece which has become a symbol for the city of Detroit. The last head, on the left, is John F. Kennedy. A bronze cast of it is located in Mt. Clemens, one of the first places he made a speech when he was running for president. It was dedicated in 1970 and it is outside their city government buildings. You can look up inside both Kennedy and Churchill to see how the plaster models are constructed. See the reinforcing pipes seisel, or hemp, which helps hold the plaster model together. Like these, all of the plaster models in the gallery are hollow. The bronzes are also hollow.
Files
Citation
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998, “The Head of The Spirit of Detroit [Plaster],” Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, accessed April 23, 2024, https://omeka.svsu.edu/items/show/5084.