Two pieces of public art will find new homes in the City Centre this year, says Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver. “The City of Southfield,” a steel sculpture by Melvin Leiserowitz and commissioned for the city’s 25th anniversary in 1983, has been tucked away toward the rear of the Southfield Municipal Campus and is ready for a move.
“For years it sat on a hill at the rear of the Civic Center. Recently the piece, which is in need of restoration, had to be moved to storage because a water main break occurred under it,” says Mayor Siver.
Following restoration, the sculpture will have a visible home in a more prominent location. “Our plan is to place ‘The City of Southfield’ to the south of the main entrance circle in front of City Hall,” he says.
A second sculpture is new to the growing collection of public art in the Southfield City Centre.
“Yin Yang,” a steel sculpture by Michigan Modernist sculptor David Barr, was purchased from the private collection of Southfield resident Skip Davis by the Friends of Southfield Public Arts. Davis recently sold his home to downsize and move to another location within the Southfield City Centre. “Obviously, he could not take the piece with him. Rather than see it leave Southfield, the Friends of Southfield Public Arts purchased it,” explains Mayor Siver.
A recommendation to restore and place the unique sculpture in a new location in the Southfield City Centre was proposed to the Southfield City Council by the Southfield Public Arts Commission and the Friends of Southfield Public Arts. This recommendation was approved by the Council and when restoration is complete, the piece will be installed in the large traffic triangle bounded by Evergreen Road, 10 Mile Road and the Northwestern Highway northbound service drive.
