PETER
W. MICHEL, Sculptor
● Sculpture in Celebration of Self, Relationship and Community
.
CELEBRATING
FATHERS and SONS:
A World Wide Public Art Project Proposal
100
"Fathers and Sons" sculptures: one in every state of the United States
and one in 50 other countries to match.
This project was inspired by the comments
of Brigham Young University professor David
Dollahite and the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
Click on underlined items for more information. See
Project News
Please participate in suggesting
places/communitites and partners to that might host the next
or future exhibit or sculpture placement.
..
The proposed launch phase would
include a traveling
exhibition designed to put forth the proposed project
and encourage participation by the community and especially engage in a
dialog about fathering, community building, structures of support,
caring
for the next generation, etc..
This phase would also
include an interactive web site, a print publication and an
application procedure for placement of the "Fathers and Sons"
sculptures.
..
.
It would be
the intention of the
project to form a partnership with organizations that are involved in
fostering dialog and supporting fathers, their children and families
as well as arts/cultural/govenmental organizations that would support
the design and/or presentation of exhibitions.
The National Center on
Fathers
and Families at the University of Pennsylvania, The National Fatherhood Initiative, The
Fatherhood Project of the Families and Work Institute,
and Fatherwork ,
a part of the Family Studies Center at Brigham Young University, are a
few of the many who are generating conversations and actions to promote
better fathering and communities which in turn support our children and
a world that works! See Fatherhood
links .
.
If you would like to have a presentation or a
display/exhibition about this project scheduled in your community or a
community you know about, or if you'd like to have a conversation about
placing a "Fathers and Sons" sculpture in your community please write,
send an email or phone to let me know or fill out the feedback form on
this website. See above for contact info.
"Fathers and Sons"
a 10 f oot tall painted aluminum sculpture shown at Chicago's Pier
Walk on the Navy Pier and at the Wandell Sculpture
Garden in Urbana, IL Also shown is a 6'-8" tall
wood totem version of "Fathers and Sons" A
variety
of models and drawings in the exhibition would demonstrate how each
sculpture in the World Wide Public Art Project would be unique.
"In a world in which we often find ourselves isolated and estranged
from one another, my work suggests and celebrates the
possibility
of relationship and community where love, support, playfulness and
individual self expression can flourish." -Peter W.
Michel
.
PROJECT NEWS:
Peter had a display about the project at the Planners Network
National Conference in Rochester, New York in June and gave a
2 screen slide presentation sub titled: "Public Art as a Tool
for Community Activation".
A fountain competition was entered for the city of Boulder
Colorado which included a "Fathers and Sons" component. as a part of
the total community. This very ambitious project, with a
budget
of $1,850,000 included a community totem in the center with 8
sculptures
encircling it, including "Fathers and Sons", "Mothers and Daughters",
"Fathers
and Daughters", and all the combinations!
A project was being pursued to develop a "construction" toy - a
kit of parts that can be used by communities to develop their own
unique
version of "Fathers and Sons" and which could be sold to generate funds
for the larger project.
