December 1, 2004

Art work finds home in TC's 'Central Park'

'Wing Form' sculpture first piece of art placed at the Village on GT Commons

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       With their first foray into public art, last month members of the Minervini group helped to install a sculpture by Bob Purvis on the grounds of the Village at the Grand Traverse Commons.
      The contemporary piece entitled "Wing Form" is nestled in an alcove near the entrance of Trattoria Stella restaurant in the former Building 50 complex. This loan by a local artist may be the first step in a longer-term vision of bringing a range of art to Traverse City's 'Central Park.'
      "I'd like to see us come up with more of a plan, but right now we're looking at it on a case-by-case basis," said Christie Minervini, owner of Gallery Fifty, which opened last week at the Village. "We're looking at making this a respite from what's happening in the city all around, it's the heart of the 'Central Park' of Traverse City and we're wanting to do much more with public art on the grounds."
      "We thought that contemporary art up against this building would be a good fit," she said of "Wing Form."
      As for Purvis, a renowned sculptor and metal worker who lives and works in Suttons Bay, this is his second piece of public art. He also has a large sculpture situated in front of the MTEC building on Aeropark Drive.
      Purvis' bread-and-butter work is commissions, with customers hiring him for a specific piece of furniture or sculpture for their homes or offices. His family owned a steel company, Purvis Brothers, Inc., in Traverse City for 29 years and Purvis learned to weld when he was nine. He has been sculpting for more than three decades.
      "Wing Form" began its move into the public realm after a conversation between Purvis and Mini Minervini about a year ago. They were discussing the renovation efforts and plans for the former State Hospital building. Purvis suggested it would be a perfect venue for public art.
      He thought of his elegant, steel sculpture, seeing in his mind how it's distinctive, tomato red color would complement The Village's light yellow, acid-washed brick exterior. Purvis had previously entered "Wing Form" in a juried art show in Petoskey. When it did not sell, he brought it home and was contemplating its future.
      "It was either, 'I'm going to stick it in my yard or I should do something public with it,'­" he recalled. "So I just approached Mini and said, 'would you guys like this sculpture?' and she said, 'Well, yeah.'­"
      Given the Village at Grand Traverse Commons' historic foundation in 'beauty as therapy,' as hospital founder Dr. JD Munson envisioned the surroundings, Purvis hopes that one day the grounds will feature a variety of pieces.
      "It seems to me that the grounds of the old State Hospital is just a gorgeous setting for public art," Purvis said. "It was very carefully landscaped by the people who started it back in the 1880s. It was the place where they took the opportunity to put in just about all the trees that grow in Michigan."