Beyond the Graven Images

Sculptor's campus presence stirs debate after death

Marshall Fredericks, the sculptor who created the "Ann Arbor Eagle" statue at the stadium as well as the reliefs on the LSA Building, died a year and a half ago. Yet the Michigan institution found a way to live on through his work, despite several ongoing controversies surrounding it.

Since his death in April 1998, Fredericks' children lost a battle to rezone his Royal Oak home and studio, four of his sculptures were stolen from his Birmingham house in August and the expansion he dreamed of for his museum is now well on the way t

MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily The "American Eagle," one of the works of Marshall Fredericks.

o being realized. Even the energetic Fredericks, who continued working until three days prior to his death at the age of 90, would find it difficult to keep pace with the changes.

Yet Fredericks' legacy faces no danger of disappearing, at least from the public consciousness, as is shown by the unsolved theft. Birmingham Police Detective Doug Manigold said the estate manager Pam Pangborn reported four sculptures missing from the grounds Aug. 23, including two figures from the Animal Kingdom Collection and two baboons sculptures. "I find it hard to believe whoever took these items didn't know they were Marshall Fredericks statues," Manigold said.

The 18-inch, 30-pound pieces taken from the estate were valued at $8,000 each, although they would be difficult to resell without documentation. Manigold said he believes the thief either had already located a buyer or intended to keep the statues. "Maybe it's a collector who wanted something of Fredericks'," he said.

In spite of the theft, the public retains access to many of Fredericks' sculptures, including several on the University campus. "Ann Arbor Eagle," sculpted in 1950, sits at the entrance to the football stadium. It represents an important theme in Fredericks' work, remembering the veterans of World War II. The eagle holds a wreath in its talons in memory of the students who died in the war. Since Fredericks fought in the war himself, this subject remained important to him throughout his career.

Fredericks used symbols such as eagles and images of people flying for several war memorials he was commissioned to create, including the Detroit Veterans Building and a fountain in Cleveland. He wished to illustrate the courage of the soldiers without showing guns or uniforms. "He produced what was really a pacific memorial," said Michael Panhorst, director of the sculptor's museum.

In contrast, his fun-loving side shines through on his other campus creation, the reliefs on the LSA Building from 1949. Fredericks' teacher, Carl Milles, who sculpted the campus fountain "Sunday Morning in Deep Waters," gave him a connection to the University for getting the job. The main sculptures present a young boy's dream of adventure and a girl's dream of having a family.

These sculptures became the center of History of Art 332, Prof. Margaret Root's course "Art on Trial: American Public Monuments and Political Controversy." Students in the class write a paper and take an opinion poll examining the potentially sexist implications of Fredericks' "Dream Plaques."

Other reliefs on the LSA Building contain less controversial topics. Some of the pieces depict "Hiawatha" and "Aesop's Fables." Another relief, "Scientists and Musicians," shows baboons playing musical instruments and using microscopes.

Copies of Fredericks' works from around the state, including "Ann Arbor Eagle," are also displayed at the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Gallery at Saginaw Valley State University. The museum contains over 200 of the sculptor's pieces and is now growing thanks to the donation of additional pieces by Fredericks' widow and five children.

To provide these pieces with a place in the gallery, the museum is currently raising funds to implement a construction project that Fredericks planned himself. "The biggest impact of his death was to increase the urgency for expansion," museum director Michael Panhorst said.

The expansion adds an octagonal gallery to hold sculptures the Fredericks family had in storage as well as an audiovisual room to accommodate larger numbers of visitors to the gallery. All of Fredericks' business records will be housed in a separate archive room to assist researchers looking at the process of sculpture. "When this is done, the Smithsonian will come to us," Panhorst said.

The sculptor's family devised a program to help fund the $2.5 million construction project. Miniature versions of Fredericks' 10 most famous sculptures, including "Ann Arbor Eagle," are being cast in bronze as a limited edition to reward generous donors on a first come, first serve basis. "If you give a donation to the university, you get a token of our appreciation," Carl Fredericks, the sculptor's son, said.

This limited edition contains 15 copies of each of the 10 sculptures, which have an edition stamp to protect their value. The museum produced the edition using the same foundry and production assistants Fredericks used during his 70-year career. "One of the things we are committed to with this project is to produce sculptures worthy of Marshall's approval," Panhorst said.

Museum officials already promised at least 35 sculptures thanks to an advertising campaign that included sending out 8,000 brochures. Including other donations, the museum has earned $1.5 million for the expansion project. Fundraising committee chairman Sue Vititoe said the committee hopes to realize more than $1 million from the sculptures alone.

The largest of the miniatures, "The Spirit of Detroit," will fetch $60,000 for each piece, while the 15 copies of "Mouse," the smallest sculpture in the limited edition, brought in $2,000 in donations each. In addition to "Mouse," which is no longer available to donors, "Leaping Gazelle" and "Ann Arbor Eagle" pieces are the most in demand.

Ten "Ann Arbor Eagle" sculptures remain available to the public in exchange for a $5,000 donation for each piece. Museum officials, however, have no way of knowing how long generous fans will be able to take home a limited edition piece. "Once those are gone, they're gone," Vititoe said.

The limited edition pieces will protect Fredericks' memory by funding the museum expansion. Due to projects such as this, even in the face of the theft from Fredericks' home, his family takes comfort in the knowledge that his art survives for sculpture lovers to enjoy. Carl Fredericks said, "We're all very aware of the legacy component that this museum represents of my dad's life's work.."

Works by Marshall Fredericks

Courtesy of the Marshall Fredericks Museum

Ann Arbor EagleThe Lion and the Mouse

Spirit of Detroit

Two Bears

Star Dream

Flying Wild Geese

The Thinker

The Boy and the Bear

Torso of a Dancer

Mother and Child

Wings of the Morning

John F. Kennedy

Mercury

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