Sculpture in The Ram’s Garden Marshall Fredericks, one of the great 20th-century sculptors, often worked in the tradition of 19th-century French artists known as animaliers. The Ram’s Garden was originally made possible through a generous donation by the Kent Garden Club and is named after Fredericks’ Siberian Ram. The view from the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Ticketing Center to the newly reimagined Ram’s Garden includes major examples of Fredericks’ stylized bronze animal sculptures.
Marshall Fredericks. Siberian Ram, 1966 (cast 1995). Bronze.
Marshall Fredericks. Flying Wild Geese, 1955 (cast 1991). Bronze.
Siberian Ram depicts the animal known in North
In Flying Wild Geese, Fredericks accomplished
America as the bighorn sheep. Fredericks first
an almost impossible task: namely, to represent a
carved the ram in limestone and later cast it in
distinctive portrait of birds in flight. He created a
bronze. The noticeably compact sculpture balances
dynamic, rhythmic sculpture of the two creatures
different body elements: The lower part is relatively
flying parallel. Upon closer examination, it is
static, pointing slightly downward. The upper body
apparent they are traveling in a diagonal route.
rises in a counter movement, culminating in the
Canada geese return to our gardens annually to
curving and ribbed horns.
live along our wetlands.
Marshall Fredericks. Victory Eagle, 1946-1950 (cast 1995). Bronze.
Marshall Fredericks. Wings of Morning, 1987 (cast 1995). Bronze.
Victory Eagle, more easily visible from the James &
In Wings of Morning, Fredericks moved from the
Shirley Balk Café’s Grand Rapids Press Terrace, is
animal portrait into the realm of the spirit. Based on a
Fredericks’ striking portrait of a majestic bird one
verse from Psalms, he created a winged figure gently
rarely sees up close in the wild. The artist gave the
lifted by a large divine hand accompanied by birds.
eagle strong angular shapes, almost rendering the
Fredericks strove for clear narrative legibility in this
wings as abstract forms.
sculpture of deep spiritual content.
6 | SCULPTURE FEATURE
Kirstin Volkening, Erin Zacek
