Client

Location: Grand Rapids, MI, United States

Completion date: 2010

Artwork budget: $30,000

Project Team

Artist

John Merigian

Industry Resource

Henry Mathews

Director of Galleries, GVSU

Overview

This work was originally created in response to the dynamics of students walking through a very busy section of the city center campus. It captures the movement, pace, energy, and mental disposition of four distinct figures. It was placed in Grand Rapids in association with GVSU’s ArtPrize exhibition in 2010.

Goals

Having participated in Grand Rapids' first ArtPrize in 2009, I was contacted by Grand Valley State University and asked to create something for their venue. We walked the site and selected the main entrance to the city center campus. The goal was to reflect the space, and engage the students, connecting them to ArtPrize.

Process

The four figures in this sculptural composition each have a unique story to tell. In music the expression "a phrase" is used to identify a unique part of the composition. This particular set of four phrases express how differently the students moved through the space - after spending hours observing. Each of these works have gone on to participate in different exhibitions across the country separately.

Additional Information

"Four Phrase Movement" was featured on the cover of GVSU’s WInter 2011 magazine. It was later selected to be placed in the Knoxville Art In Public Places Exhibition. An image of the sculptural work was featured in a promotional campaign for the following year’s exhibition, including a full page add in Sculpture magazine.