James Clover Sculpture

Seagull sculpture finds new home on the waterfront

An 18-foot-high seagull statue took flight on a flatbed Wednesday morning, where it made its way through Grand Haven to its new home along the Grand River channel.

The sculpture, created by former Grand Valley State University sculpting professor James B. Clover and titled "The Lake's Edge," was moved from the R.V. Terrill Department of Public Works building on Jackson Street to an area on South Harbor Drive near Lighthouse Connector Park.

"It took about 45 minutes to get it from the public works (building) down to the site," Grand Haven Facilities Manager Dan Vivian said.

The statue received a police escort from the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety across U.S. 31, and the Board of Light & Power assisted with lifting power lines.

City Manager Pat McGinnis said a $10,000 grant from the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation's Marian A. and Ruth K. Sherwood Fund made prepping and moving the sculpture possible.

The sculpture was bought by Ottawa County in November 1990 and was originally located near the old county courthouse until the new courthouse was built in 2008. It was then moved to the Terrill building.

McGinnis said the sculpture is technically owned by Ottawa County, but a letter of understanding is being crafted that says the sculpture is permanently on loan to the city as long as it's publicly viewed art.

Local artist Pam Tarchinski said she has researched Clover and has discovered that he has work in other local communities and other states. She said as he made his art, municipalities and others likely bought his work.

Tarchinski said the pieces Clover created have been appraised to be worth in upwards of $30,000.

With the city in search of a site for the sculpture, those involved in the process decided to put it near an environment matching its theme.

"A lot of people thought that it should be near the lake," said Randy Smith, a board member of the Grand Haven Main Street Downtown Development Authority.

The advantages of the location along the boardwalk are that the sculpture can be viewed by people on boats, in cars and by foot, he said.

According to Smith, the location is also in a natural setting; and once the dune grass grows around the sculpture, it will appear the birds are flying from the grass.

Those involved also wanted to get the sculpture in placed before Grand Haven's first ArtWalk, slated for Sept. 22 through Oct. 9. The seagull sculpture is one of two large public art pieces that will be placed - the other being a pendulum sculpture designed by Mike Westra.

"We wanted to have two large sculptures to compliment everything else we're doing," Smith said.

Tarchinski said she is thrilled with the fact that the sculpture has found a new, more prominent home.

"It has classed up Grand Haven immensely," she said. "It looks gorgeous and it just raises our cultural IQ."