The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University presents a new virtual exhibition, “Form Foundations: Figure Studies by Marshall M. Fredericks”, which features twenty-five newly conserved Marshall Fredericks figure study drawings.

With the drawings conserved by the Midwest Art Conservation Center with grant support from the Institute of Museums and Library Services, this exhibition allows viewers to see before and after photos of the drawings, and witness how the conservation process brings new life to these important figure studies.

Along with the drawings there will be 360-degree views of several of Fredericks’s sculpture body parts for the viewer to participate by creating their own drawings.  There will also be a virtual interactive 360-degree environment in which you can move about the exhibition, explore the drawings, view Marshall’s drawing table complete with the actual tools he used, and learn about the art and science of conservation.

“In 2010, the Museum received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to identify specific drawings from the collection most in need of conservation,” states Megan McAdow, Director of the Museum. “Out of 129 drawings, these 25 were selected as the best representative studies for many of the artist’s figurative sculptures. They also illustrate Fredericks’s creative process of sculpture making, and offer an essential record of his human figure design.“

The museum has several engaging programs lined up for the community to virtually participate in, including:

• A FREE virtual event, “Why Draw?” with artist Armin Mersmann, who will share his experiences as an artist, his philosophy, his artwork, contour drawing, and graphite drawings and techniques you would learn in a beginning drawing class, January 30, 11 am – 1 pm.

• Try your hand at figure drawing from a live, nude model in a one-day virtual workshop with Award-winning American artist Valerie Mann, February 13, 1 – 4 pm.   Begin learning with quick gesture drawings and gradually move to longer pose drawings. Drawings will mostly focus on linear but will also include shading to add values and dimension. Mann will provide demonstrations to illustrate these drawing activities and feedback for class participants.

Guided virtual tours and field trips of the exhibition are available and can be scheduled by contacting the museum at 989-964-7125. The public is also invited to share their drawings with us as we build a gallery page of their works.

To view the exhibition, register for these events, and for a full up-to-date list of programming, visit the museum website at www.marshallfredericks.org.

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is located on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, University Center, MI. The Museum is currently closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, call (989) 964-7125 or visit the Museum’s website at www.marshallfredericks.org.