Michigan Legacy Art Park

While on a business trip at the Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, MI, I had the opportunity to tour the Michigan Legacy Art Park. It is located in a preserved wooded area where a 1.5 mile path meanders you through various artworks placed into this natural setting.

Art from the sublime to the rediculous, I enjoyed my time documenting my journey. I hope you will, too.

First on the walk is one of the Sawpath Series by David Barr. All five of these sculputres are based on the Golden Mean - an infinite series of numbers in which each number after 1 is the sum of the two preceding numbers: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21... This progression has many examples in nature, such as pine cones and the nautilus
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The next thing that caught my eye was Solar Month, also by David Barr. I'm not sure how it represents the solar month, but I was intrigued by the lines and the uneveness of the angles.
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This is Sawpath Series #2 by David Barr. I found this one to be a bit more interesting than the first - how the lumber seems to twist upon itself and give the impression that the wood is curved.
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Frog by Bill Allen. OK, not the most original title. But it's cute.
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Just across from the Frog was this little gem tucked in next to a tree trunk. Unravel by Sandra Osip. I really liked this one, particularly how the weathering of the materials gave it so much character.
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One of my favorite pieces, Ontonagon by John Richardson. I just loved the huge, sweeping line that the steel beam provides. The stark white color also makes it stand out. The artist's intent was to reference the iron ore industry that used to flourish in Michigan.
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David Barr again with another work. This was actually quite moving, me being the closet hippie and all. The subject is not cultural diversity, but environmental diversity.
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Additional detail of Diversity by David Barr. A powerful statement - referencing the extinctions that have occured in Michigan over the last 100 years.
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This one I just plain liked. Table and Chair #3 by Nolan Simon. The off-kilter staging up against the hill is a nice touch.
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I really liked this piece as well. It's almost as if someone was in the process of building a fine boat and just gave up and left it. David Greenwood's intention is to have the viewer "reflect on the beauty of boat forms, on the forests from which they ar made, and the humorous absurdity of a boat being built in secret so far from water."
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So, I'm a sucker for framing within framing. I really liked the old wood and how it appeared be almost growing again. This was done as a project by Lawrence Technological University architecture students after studying rural architecture.
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I'm not sure of the title on this one. Robert Caskey called it Harbinger as like all other hats of the past, it is a harbinger foreshadowing change.

Looks like a goofy sombrero to me. But, it still caught my eye.
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Five Needles by Michael McGillis was huge. It's meant to represent the only virgin pine forest found in Michigan's lower peninsula which is located only a few miles away.
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More detail of Five Needles. The perspective from below was breathtaking.
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A piece, no an interactive structure, that I spent a lot of time in was the Stockade Labyrinth by David Barr. Every corner had something new to catch your eye - all referencing the early settlers of Michigan and their lives.
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Not sure why this caught my eye, but it did...
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This was probably the most creative piece in the whole park. Within the Labyrinth, there was a little cubby hole that was intended to represent a mine shaft. For whatever reason, I decided to bend down and take a look inside.

This is what I saw.

Something tells me many people miss this, which is too bad.
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Throughout the walk there were these rocks with little phrases or bits of poetry. I found this one particularly meaningful.
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Another piece that seemed to convey more than one feeling. Barn Chair by Gary Kulak at first seems to provide a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the wonderful vista of the valley below. It even frames it up for you as you approach. However, it also gave me the impression of a gallows.

Maybe another one of those intentional twists?
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Artist Martin Puryear never gave this one a title. I really can't think of one either. It does resemble a lattice-work basket overturned. I did like the curves and textures.
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This is what I like to call "junkyard art". I've always loved the goofy creativity of putting together a bunch of trash into something interesting. It's called the Wheels of Progress.
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I'm not sure of the name or the artist on this one, but I believe it is to provide homage to the Interlochen Music Camp near by. It took a bit to figure out until I noticed the fine wires strung from the tree down to the ground, attached to guitar tuning pegs.
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Sawpath Series #3 by David Barr. Another "twist" on the theme.
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Detail view of Sawpath Series #3. The crossing lines formed by the wood provided some interesting perspectives.
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Sawpath Series #4 by David Barr. The gentle curves of the saw against the tall timbers behind was an interesting contrast.
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And the last work I visited was Sawpath Series #5 by David Barr. I walked around this one several times trying to figure out how to capture it. I settled on this. It almost feels as if the piece is about to start flying away as soon as the tension is released.
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