Marshall M. Fredericks: From Sketches to Sculptures

An exhibition at the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum enables people to see the late artist's creative process, from conceptual sketches to finished sculpture.

It's called "Sketches to Sculptures: Rendered Reality, Sixty Years with Marshall M. Fredericks." The exhibit, which consists of 31 small-scale sculptures and 36 related drawings and sketches, debuted at the museum recently and will remain on display through June 12. The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University.

"We're pleased to have assembled such a strong exhibition, one that demonstrates the relativity of an artist's sketch to a completed sculpture," said Marilyn L. Wheaton, director of the museum. "Some of the sketches are pencil doodles on tablet paper, while others are beautiful four-color presentation drawings."

Wheaton said many of the sketches contain Fredericks' handwritten notes. His nice penmanship adds to the artistry of the sketches, she said. In many cases, what the artist presented originally in a sketch was different than how the finished piece ended up. At times, the organization that commissioned the work had something different in mind, and through repeated artist's drawings and communications, agreement was reached.

Seeing evidence of this process makes the exhibit completely educational, Wheaton said. A prime example of an artistic concept having changed is the Cleveland War Memorial Fountain: Peace Arising from the Flames of War. Fredericks sketched his concept as a nude male figure atop a globe, with a nude female figure rising from the man's arm, which was raised at a right angle. The finished sculpture depicts a man with his arm lifted high, with a flame from the bronze sear covering his loin. A fountain surrounds the figure.

The 35-foot male colossus reaches for the sky while standing on a globe, symbolizing mankind's desire to rise above the flames of war and violence.

"On the didactic label it's explained," Wheaton said. The Cleveland War Memorial commemorates those who served in World War II and other 20th Century wars. The work was 20 years in the making and was dedicated in 1964.

The Henry Ford Memorial is included in the exhibit. Wheaton mentioned that it has four drawings accompanying it, starting with a small sketch. The actual bronze sculpture, which is located at the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, was completed in 1975. But the impetus for the sculpture was a poll of Dearborn residents, taken in 1948, in which people voted to have a statue of Ford commissioned.

In the "Sketches to Sculptures" exhibit, most of the bronze models are no more than 36 inches high, Wheaton said. One exception is the replica of the Christ on the Cross sculpture, which stands 86 inches tall. The actual Christ on the Cross sculpture in Indian River, is a 28-foot figure is mounted on a redwood cross that's 55 feet tall and was made from seven trees.

In January 2012, the "Sketches to Sculptures" exhibition will begin traveling to various historical and art museums around the country. In addition to sculptures and drawings, the exhibit will include an exhibition catalogue and an interpretive DVD with excerpts taken from Fredericks' archival videos.

For more information about the exhibition, call 989-964-7125 or visit the museum's web site at www.marshallfredericks.org.

Marshall M. Fredericks versatility with art and sculpture creation is hard to match.