9th Regional Biennial Sculpture Exhibition Showcases Vibrant Creations Spanning the Great Lakes States

As our region’s premier showcase for experiencing the broad range and jaw-dropping beauty of 3-Dimensional artistry, The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum stands as one of the crown-jewels populating the Great Lakes Bay Region, if not the State of Michigan. 

Located on the Campus of Saginaw Valley State University, something you won’t want to miss this summer Is the 2025 Regional Biennial Juried Sculpture Exhibition - a vibrant collection of sculptural excellence featuring 57 works from talented artists across the Great Lakes states including, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Showcasing diverse styles, media, and artistic perspectives, this impressive collection highlights the innovation and craftsmanship of contemporary sculptors and will be running throughout the summer until August 30^th. Highlighting diverse sculptural techniques, concepts, and visions of these talented artists, the Exhibition also recognizes four Merit Award winners for their creations.

“We are thrilled to have Greg Glasson as the juror for this year’s exhibition,” notes Megan McAdow, Museum Director at SVSU. “His experience and dedication to the field of sculpture align perfectly with our mission to support living artists and foster creativity in the Great Lakes Bay Region.   As President of the National Sculpture Society and renowned sculptor and owner of Glasson Sculpture Works, Greg brings his expertise in managing large-scale sculptural projects to this year’s exhibition.”

“His keen eye for design and technical mastery ensured a thoughtful selection of this year’s featured works, as well as the merit award winners,” she continues. “Each year the museum selects a juror for the Biennial Exhibition based upon their expertise and experience; and this year we chose Gregory for his excellent background and experience managing large-scale sculptural projects.”

“This exhibition brings exceptional sculptural works to the Great Lakes Bay Region, a caliber typically found in major metropolitan art scenes, and we proudly present this unique collection alongside rotating exhibitions that amplify remarkable artists from around the world.”

“The pre-selection process was very difficult this year because the submissions were so strong,” comments Glasson.  “It was hard to choose first through fourth place, but it was a pleasure to go through so much strong work and  good to see the art and quality of the work in the area.”

Sculptures submitted this year are representational, abstract and non-representational, created in a wide variety of media and styles. The artists themselves represent a range of unique careers and backgrounds. Many artists represented have works in public places, museum collections, and private collections. Overall, the exhibition boasts a unique variety of sculptural forms.

As their new Collections & Exhibition Manager, Gretchen Linzner served an an Intern at Marshall Fredericks and attended the University of Michigan where she studied art and museum history,  and also worked doing historical art research prior to starting her new role at the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum.  Having worked on the Biennial exhibition two years ago, she is enthusiastic about the way this exhibition has evolved over the years and expanded in terms of public engagement.

“By extending the reach of this exhibition by adding more states surrounding the Great Lakes, we’ve really expanded the definition of what the word ‘regional’ means,” she reflects. “This year we had nearly 240 submissions collectively from all the states involved, and from those submissions narrowed it down to 57 featured works in the show.”

“All the states submitting work for this exhibition operate with a unified set of criteria under the same set of rules, and each artist can submit two pieces of work,” she explains. “In fact, with our large gallery we are featuring the primary submissions that were selected, and in our smaller gallery we are featuring manyt of the second works submitted from these artists.”

“By expanding the scope geographically in terms of who we accept, we’ve managed to get a more diverse selection of artwork. This year we had a lot of works in wood, metal, and the fiber arts as well, which is my personal favorite. And with the work that was submitted utilizing these different materials, we’ve managed to steadily increase attendance each year with people impressed by the diversity of media presented.  For our Grand Opening Reception on June 7th we had over 100 people showing up, so each year attendance keeps growing.”

Running in tandem with this year’s Biennial Exhibition are various ancillary activities and events. “Our theme for this summer is ‘Celebrating Sculpture’, so because Marshall Fredericks was such a prolific sculpture artist creating major works around Michigan as well a nationally, we wanted to showcase people sculpting today along with Fredericks’ historic work, so are staging a pair of Sculpture Garden Parties that will happen on July 19^th and August 16^th that are free and open for people to register on our website to attend.”

“This summer we are also encouraging people to check our online virtual showcase known as Public Art Passport, which is a way for people to experience and take a virtual tour to view all the public sculptures and artwork available throughout Saginaw, Bay City, Midland, and Mt. Pleasant, and we will be adding more works to this collection.”

“Presently we have over 300 works displayed on the website and this is an interactive site where new works are added by members of the community. We are also super proud and very happy to have won the All Area Arts Award  this year for  our Public Art Passport project.”

As for the prizewinners at this year’s exhibition, they consist of the following:

1^st Place • Dinosaurs of the Future Series 1 • Norman Kleiner  • Multi Media • $2,500 Prize

Norman’s passion for design, once dismissed in high school, led him to a successful career in automotive styling, and now fuels his creation of bold, abstract 3D forms. Dinosaurs of the Future Series 1 was the result of a multi-year (4-5) process of random development, intentional delay, and ever-increasing  modification, finalized in an intensive refinement phase of 6-9 months. He responds to what the sculpture wants and gives it what it needs.

2^nd Place • Red Hot & Ready  • David Petrakovitz  • Welded & Powder Coated Steel • $1,500 Prize

David’s sculptures, shaped by his Detroit roots, mergeindustrial and primitive forms, repurposed materials, and vibrant color to evoke mystery and purpose. Red Hot & Ready is an abstract sculpture, designed to visually include the surrounding environment through its negative spaces making them become part of the art works statement. The red color, a complementary to the green, alerts observers to its presence.

3^rd Place • Endangered Sumatran Orangutan • Susan Aaron Taylor • Wood, bark, beads, metal screening, paint • $1,000 Prize

Susan Aaron-Taylor’s mixed-media sculptures weave mythology, psychology, and nature into deeply personal yet universal narratives, uniting humanity and the natural world through symbolic, tactile artistry. The Endangered Series portrays creatures that are at imminent risk of extinction. Wild habitats that are critical to their survival are being destroyed. Many of these amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles are also menaced by animal predators and big game hunters seeking exotic trophies.

4^th Place • Bird Lady • Diane Marie Kramer • Concrete, vintage buttons, glass, steel mesh, pigment, paint, broken tile &  1 rock • $750 Prize

Diane’s work is shaped by intuition and dreams, allowing her to explore the passage of time and inner worlds through imagery that connects to the unconscious. Bird Lady is wise and knowing. She protects and is a nurturing mother in spirit and purpose. A totem. She serves as potent totem symbols for us all on the spiritual journey. She has an ability to traverse between sky and earth mirrors our own access as women to intuitive realms. Birds signify finding direction from signs, journeying between worlds, awakening inner vision.

As home to the legacy of America’s premier Public Sculptor Marshall Fredericks, who is known for such iconic works as The Spirit of Detroit, the Museum serves as a vital cultural hub for showcasing meaningful and monumental sculptures that resonate with communities, creating a passion for artistry and public engagement that continues to inspire generations.

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is located on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, University Center, Michigan. Exhibition Support is derived from the Huntington Bank – Maxwell K. Pribil Trust

Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Scheduled guided tours are available on Saturdays at noon.

For more information, call (989) 964-7125 or visit the Museum’s website at www.marshallfredericks.org.