Find What's "In Belknap"
Listing Title
Listing Category
Artist
Alexander Calder
Short Description
La Grande Vitesse, a public sculpture by American artist Alexander Calder, is located on the large concrete plaza surrounding City Hall and the Kent County Building in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Popularly referred to as simply "the Calder", since its installation in 1969 it has come to be a symbol of Grand Rapids, and an abstraction of it is included in the city's official logo.
The sculpture was the first public art work funded by the Art in Public Places program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Fabricated in Tours, France and assembled on the plaza, the steel sculpture is 43 feet tall, 54 feet long, and 30 feet wide, and weighs 42 tons. It is painted in Calder's signature bright red. The title is French for “the great swiftness" [2]which is synonymous with and ultimately translated as "The Grand Rapids".
The sculpture was the first public art work funded by the Art in Public Places program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Fabricated in Tours, France and assembled on the plaza, the steel sculpture is 43 feet tall, 54 feet long, and 30 feet wide, and weighs 42 tons. It is painted in Calder's signature bright red. The title is French for “the great swiftness" [2]which is synonymous with and ultimately translated as "The Grand Rapids".
Date Installed
1969
Location
Calder Plaza
Listing Title
Listing Category
Artist
Antonio Tobias Mendez, 2013
Address
Monroe entrance to the City-County Administration Buildings
Listing Title
Listing Category
Location
Between Gerald R. Ford Building and City Hall
Listing Title
Listing Category
Artist
Clement Meadmore
Short Description
Clement Meadmore's 1969 sculpture Split Ring is a monumental work of minimalist and abstract expressionist art, featuring a bold, twisted ring of steel. The iconic public art piece is known for its balance of geometric precision and dynamic, gravity-defying movement.
The sculpture was originally installed in downtown Grand Rapids in 1973 for the "Sculpture Off the Pedestal" exhibition. It was later moved to the Woodland Mall, where it remained for more than 40 years before being returned to its original downtown location at 300 Ottawa Avenue in 2016.
The sculpture was originally installed in downtown Grand Rapids in 1973 for the "Sculpture Off the Pedestal" exhibition. It was later moved to the Woodland Mall, where it remained for more than 40 years before being returned to its original downtown location at 300 Ottawa Avenue in 2016.
Date Installed
1970
Location
300 Ottawa Ave NW
Listing Title
Listing Category
Artist
Ryan T Schmidt
Location
Union Suites Apartments