Featured photo Thomas Lillie, Lynne Hurand and Eureka McCormick
The Flint Institute of Arts (FIA) unveiled its new Hurand Sculpture Courtyard centerpiece, Paradise, at its Members Preview event on Friday, May 7. Paradise, a 9-foot-tall bronze sculpture by artist Hubert Phipps now serves as the focal point of the courtyard. Weighing over 1.5 tons, the piece is on indefinite loan at FIA and is one of three.
During the Members Preview, guests enjoyed live music and a welding demonstration while getting a first look at Paradise as well as other sculptures in the courtyard by Eric Fischl, George Rickey and David Barr.
“Growing up in rural Virginia I loved roaming the countryside,” said Phipps. “There was a creek with a swimming hole and a rock formation that my sister and I would frequent in summer. We called it ‘paradise.’ It seemed appropriate to call this sculpture Paradise as it evokes the natural wonder that I found in that landscape. I also love the rock formations in places like Monument Valley out west. The other worldliness of those shapes also inspired this piece.”
Flint Institute of Arts is Michigan’s second-largest art museum and one of the largest museum art schools in the nation. The FIA’s mission is to advance the understanding and appreciation of art for all through collections, exhibitions and educational programs. For more than 93 years, the FIA has been responsible for acquiring, protecting and presenting a collection of art and artifacts spanning continents and 5,000 years. FIA has 19 permanent collection galleries, six temporary exhibition galleries, an outdoor sculpture courtyard, a library, a print library, a 330-seat theater, a 3,900 square-foot hot shop with stadium seating for demonstrations and a 3,000 square-foot multi-purpose room for events and rentals.
“I have discovered Hubert is not afraid to take risks,” said FIA Executive Director John Henry.
“Whether in painting, drawing or sculpture, he creates bold, provocative images and forms,” Henry added. “In Paradise, we see a powerful shape that is both otherworldly and earthbound. It is organic and muscular, animates the space and reveals a creative energy that knows no bounds. The FIA is excited to include a large-scale abstract bronze by artist Hubert Phipps in its outdoor courtyard dedicated to sculpture.”
For more information on Hubert Phipps, please visit hubertphipps.com. For more information on FIA, please visit flintarts.org.
