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.

Creator

Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998

Date

1970

Rights

Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

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

1991.060.jpg

Citation

Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998, “Friendly Frog [Plaster],” Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, accessed March 29, 2024, https://omeka.svsu.edu/items/show/5109.