LOCAL

New sculpture aims to draw attention to Lansing's Museum District

Lansing State Journal

A new sculpture is photographed on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Museum Drive in Lansing. The work, titled "Portrait of a Dreamer," was created by St. Johns artist Ivan Iler. The large bust features a crank that when turned moves gears that protrude from the forehead of the figure.

LANSING - Lansing's newest landmark was unveiled Monday afternoon.

"Portrait of a Dreamer," a sculpture by Ivan Iler, was brought from St. Johns last week and installed at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Museum Drive.

The nearly two-ton sculpture is made of aluminum and steel, and it stares down at Lansing's Museum District.

"I remember going to Impression 5 and the R.E. Olds Museum when I was a kid," Iler said, "and after reading that the reason they wanted something designed and built for the spot was to draw attention to the cultural district, I realized that, even though I had fond memories of these places, I couldn't have told you where they were."

More:

At the Broad, the art behind Destroy All Monsters

Half-ton sculpture creates buzz at otherwise drab intersection in Lansing

Free screening of 'I Am Not Your Negro' film Thursday at WKAR

Sculptures and other public works of art can do more than just draw people's eye, said Bob Trezise, president and CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership.

"Placemaking projects, from our economic development perspective, directly lead to creating new business opportunities and drawing new business here, but also attracts talent, because we showcase that we are a very creative environment and we're a city on the move," Trezise said.

Trezise said this is the first of what will be several new placemaking objects installed as part of the Arts Impact Project, in partnership with the Arts Council of Greater Lansing. The next is planned for south Lansing.

City Council approved $150,000 for the first two projects, with "Portrait of a Dreamer" costing $75,000.

A detailed look at the large gears of a new sculpture on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, installed at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Museum Drive in Lansing. The work, titled "Portrait of a Dreamer," was created by St. Johns artist Ivan Iler. The large bust features a crank that when turned moves gears that protrude from the forehead of the figure. According to a Facebook post on the City of Lansing's page, a ribbon cutting ceremony and press conference is scheduled for Monday, December 11, 2017, at 2:30 p.m.

Acknowledging that some are critical of the city spending on art instead of things like road repairs, Bernero said doing so reflects the value art has for the city and its residents.

"We're spending a tiny portion out of the $200 million in the city budget, we're spending a minuscule portion on art," he said. "We're saying art is somewhere in there as a priority, and I'll tell you, my friends, we have to fight for that."

Iler said he and his team had three months to turn his proposal into a full-fledged sculpture. The gears inside the head can be turned with a crank at the base, which, in turn, turns the gears that extend out toward the Museum District.

While it's not his first piece of public art, it his first large-scale piece of art viewers can interact with. More of Iler's work can be found at www.ivaniler.com.

Ken Palmer contributed to this report. Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.