''Orion'' is a
public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
work by artist
Mark di Suvero
Marco Polo di Suvero (born September 18, 1933, in Shanghai, China), better known as Mark di Suvero, is an abstract expressionist sculptor and 2010 National Medal of Arts recipient.
Biography Early life and education
Marco Polo di Suvero was bor ...
located at the
University of Michigan Museum of Art
The University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan with is one of the largest university art museums in the United States. Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university's fallen alumni from the Civil War, Alumni Memorial Hall ori ...
in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
.
The sculpture is an
abstract form; it is installed on the lawn in front of the museum, at 525 South State Street.
Description
The sculpture is composed of juxtaposed steel elements, painted bright red-orange.
It is named for the Greek mythological hunter
Orion,
and stands at 53 feet tall and 21,220 pounds.
History
''Orion'' was created in 2006,
and was first on display at Chicago's
Millennium Park
Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in 2004 and intended to celebrate the third millennium, is a prominent civic center near ...
.
It first arrived at UMMA as a long-term loan in 2008, helping to celebrate the Museum's new Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing.
In April 2018 it was removed in preparation for
stormwater
Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...
system repairs nearby, and was sent back to di Suvero's studio for a fresh coat of paint.
In 2019, UMMA purchased ''Orion'', and it was reinstalled.
Di Suvero visited UMMA for the reinstallation, and the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
awarded him an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.
External links
''Orion'' at the University of Michigan Museum of Art
References
Public art in Michigan
Outdoor sculptures in Michigan
2006 sculptures
Steel sculptures in Michigan
Works by Mark di Suvero
University of Michigan campus
Culture of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Abstract sculptures in the United States
Millennium Park
Modernist sculpture
Tourist attractions in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sculptures of classical mythology
2008 establishments in Michigan
American contemporary art
Contemporary works of art
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