Artist Annie Stout Unveils New Public Art Sculpture That is Representative of the Community
The Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum is excited to partner with Creative 360 to celebrate a new public art project in Midland. The sculpture by Midland-based artist Annie Stout is part of the “NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region” initiative and will be permanently installed at Creative 360.
This public art installment is the culminating chapter in the ten-month long initiative centered on the book “The House on Mango Street” by Hispanic author Sandra Cisneros. The book's themes, particularly "neighbors and "neighborhoods" were also the basis for three community artmaking projects throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region.
For the Midland piece, artist Annie Stout created a steel house frame approximately 7’x8’x12.5’ that has two open ends for visitors to walk through and two sides and a roof where keys can be hung. “Everyone, regardless of the age or artistic ability, will be able to come together to create a shared community artwork they can take pride in. It is special experiences like these that provide high quality of life in the region,” states Megan McAdow, director of the Marshall M. Fredericks Museum and lead on the NEA Big Read initiative.
“The house structure is representative of the community as a whole,” Annie Stout said. “I want to invite the community to help complete the sculpture by adding keys all over the walls. The keys represent the individuals in our community with open hearts, minds, and doors, which is how we can make real connections and strengthen relationships with our neighbors.”
Community members are invited to join the opening celebration and add their own key, or one of the collected keys, to the artwork. Light refreshments will be provided.
Funding for this portion of the “NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region” comes from, the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program in partnership with Arts Midwest, the Hemlock Semiconductor Community and Regional Empowerment Fund, the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, and the Midland Area Community Foundation who provides philanthropic leadership to strengthen our community by fostering collaboration and giving today and in the future. For more information about the initiative visit the project’s website at www.marshallfredericks.net/bigread.
Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday noon to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (989) 964-7125 or visit the Museum’s website at www.marshallfredericks.org.
