Friendly Frog [Plaster]
Dublin Core
Title
Friendly Frog [Plaster]
Subject
Animal sculpture--20th century
Description
Friendly Frog, 1970
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.048
Fredericks designed this large, friendly, appealing sculpture as a children's slide. The original cast of this sculpture was located at the Hudson wing of the Genesee Valley Shopping Center in Flint, Michigan for 16 years where children did use it as a slide. In 1986 the mall donated it to the Flint Children's Museum and when they moved to their new quarters (1602 W. Third) in 1993, the building's floor was not strong enough to support the frog's 6,600 pound concrete and terrazzo weight. So, for 11 years the frog was stored at C & S Motors on Dort Highway, a trucking company whose owner served on the Flint Children's Museum Board. In 2004, newspaper articles in the Flint Journal Press ("Lonely Frog: Artist would croak if he could see 'Friendly' sculpture now") and letters to the editor prompted the relocation of the frog from the trucking company's storage area to Applewood Estates, the Charles Stewart and Ruth Rawlings Mott Estate. The Ruth Mott Foundation purchased the sculpture from the Flint Children's Museum in 2004, and now it resides permanently on the 30-acre estate that is open to the public several days each year for special events and festivals.
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.048
Fredericks designed this large, friendly, appealing sculpture as a children's slide. The original cast of this sculpture was located at the Hudson wing of the Genesee Valley Shopping Center in Flint, Michigan for 16 years where children did use it as a slide. In 1986 the mall donated it to the Flint Children's Museum and when they moved to their new quarters (1602 W. Third) in 1993, the building's floor was not strong enough to support the frog's 6,600 pound concrete and terrazzo weight. So, for 11 years the frog was stored at C & S Motors on Dort Highway, a trucking company whose owner served on the Flint Children's Museum Board. In 2004, newspaper articles in the Flint Journal Press ("Lonely Frog: Artist would croak if he could see 'Friendly' sculpture now") and letters to the editor prompted the relocation of the frog from the trucking company's storage area to Applewood Estates, the Charles Stewart and Ruth Rawlings Mott Estate. The Ruth Mott Foundation purchased the sculpture from the Flint Children's Museum in 2004, and now it resides permanently on the 30-acre estate that is open to the public several days each year for special events and festivals.
Creator
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998
Date
1970
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
30" x 30"
Materials
Plaster 1/4 scale
Catalog Number
1991.060
Object Location
Sculptor's Studio
Provenance
1989 March, 22 Gift to Museum and SVSU Board of Control
Files
Citation
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998, “Friendly Frog [Plaster],” Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, accessed November 21, 2024, https://omeka.svsu.edu/items/show/5109.