Saginaw Art Museum Presents “The Last Whistle”

ArtPrize sculpture a Tribute to Blue Collar Workers and Significant Addition to the Museum's Permanent Collection

    icon Jul 27, 2017
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The Saginaw Art Museum welcomes The Last Whistle sculpture, created by Ken Newman, into their permanent collection. The sculpture was donated to the Saginaw Art Museum by the Jury Foundation and will be permanently placed outdoors on a specially designed patio, in front of the museum. 

The Last Whistle is a tribute to those gentlemen who worked with their hands, proud of what they produced. Personal ambitions were sacrificed to better provide security for their family. Many loved the occupation, others the quality of life. A time when a fair day’s pay equals a modest family vacation, a college fund and retirement/security. The sculpture is a wonderful depiction of Saginaw’s blue-collar history and is a logical addition to the Saginaw Art Museum permanent collection. The artist, Ken Newman, is a widely celebrated artist whose work has received numerous awards and been displayed throughout the country at several fine art museums.  The Saginaw Art Museum is honored to be the recipient of Newman’s beautiful bronze sculpture and pleased to accession it into their permanent collection.

Saginaw is cherished within the Great Lakes Bay Region for providing a rich and cultured history among the area. To embrace the beauty of the city, community members are encouraged to visit The Last Whistle in its permanent home at the Saginaw Art Museum. 

A unique landscape at the front of the museum has been designed to show respect and appreciation for the blue-collar workforce. Comprised of brick pavers, the bricks are being sold to provide the platform for the sculpture.  The public is invited to honor their own laborer, share a special message or tribute by purchasing one of three sizes of bricks. Options of large, medium and small bricks range in pricing from $50- $250+ and can be engraved with a message or logo. To purchase a brick, please contact events@saginawartmuseum.org or by phone at 989-754-2491

There will be a Labor Day free community picnic and dedication celebration, sponsored by Meijer, on Thursday, August 31st from 4:00pm-6:00pm at the Saginaw Art Museum.

About Ken Newman Sculptures:

Although our journeys are not the same- there are common threads that connect us. I have chosen to share and express through sculpture a lived journey, a small window into a living history. As our world changes, a sense of loss emerges- a disconnect to our immediate past and a distancing from nature. The desire to share these observations has become the motivation in creating my art. 

As artists, we have a responsibility to capture or interpret current attitudes and their influences, to document and create dialog. Without artists, who visually captures the uniqueness of society? If we don’t interpret and capture it, time has proven it will be gone tomorrow. 

There are no political agendas, just a story of reflection on one’s influences and journeys, a show of respect for the simple and subtle rhythms and elements in life as they are in nature. Through ART a connection is made- a memory rekindled- the ultimate goal achieved. 

About the Saginaw Art Museum:

The Saginaw Art Museum is a vibrant arts and cultural resource for Saginaw and the Great Lakes Bay Region. Since 1947, the Museum has brought more than 4,500 years of creativity to the area through visual, auditory and performance arts from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Housed in an historical 1904 Georgian-Revival mansion with Italianate gardens and two award-winning modern wings, the Museum has a permanent collection of art in excess of 2,000 objects, a dynamic exhibition program, a major art reference library, collaborative education programs, and special events. Various levels of membership offer access to the Saginaw Art Museum and its historic gardens as well as reciprocal benefits to more than 800 museums and 450 gardens throughout North America.

For additional information about membership and other events at the Saginaw Art Museum, visit the Museum’s website at www.saginawartmuseum.org or call 989.754.2491.

 

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