27SEPERATE PIECES

JUNE 141969

ALEXANDER CALDER

BIG

LAA

BRIGHT

STABILERED

GRANDE

THEGREAT

SWIFTNESSFESTIVALOF THEARTS

ARTPRIZE

THECALDER

VITESSERED AT THE

THE CITY

FOR ARTISTS

VANDENBERG

CENTERAKA

WITH HELP FROM

FUTURE PRESIDENT

GERALD R. FORD

THE CITY’S

LOGO

CALDER

PLAZA53

42TONS

30

FEET LONG

FEET LONG

FORTY

THREE

FEET WIDE

INSPIRATION

8 FOOT MODELSCALE

HEART OFTHING

GRANDRAPIDS

MI

“Meet me at The Calder”

Translated from its original French form, La Grande Vitesse literally means, “The Great Swiftness.” It’s only fitting that the sculpture resides in a city that’s named after the rolling rapids of the Grand River. But to many in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the big red sculpture is more commonly known as The Calder.

The identifiable silhouette of The Calder can be seen on the city’s logo, garbage cans and street signs. It is also a key component of the symbol for the city’s world renowned art contest, ArtPrize.

What started off as a piece of public art partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts has turned into a symbol, rallying point and an identity for the second largest city in Michigan.

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“The Great Swiftness”

In the late 1960s, the city of Grand Rapids was awarded a federal grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. The $45,000 grant was part of the newly formed “Art in Public Places” program. The grant money, combined with other private donations, would be used to construct the first civic sculpture in the U.S. to be financed by both federal and private funds.

To help decide on an artist and what kind of public work of art would be put in place, a sculpture committee was formed. The co-chairs of the committee consisted of Nancy Mulnix (now Nancy Mulnix Tweddale), a Grand Rapids resident and then vice president of the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s Women’s Committee, and Peter Wege, then secretary of Steelcase Inc. board of directors.

Mulnix was also instrumental in

obtaining the grant money from the National Endowment for the Arts. She wrote a letter to then U.S. Congressman and Grand Rapids native Gerald R. Ford requesting support to receive the grant.

In her letter Mulnix said that Henry Geldzahler, who was the curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, thought that Ford would be able to secure the funds for the city. In that April 10, 1967 letter to Ford, Mulnix said:

“In fact the minute he saw Vandenberg Center he began to talk about the sculpture for it – and about you. He said you can get it for Grand Rapids!”

Ford and Mulnix continued with their correspondence for years after The Calder was dedicated and even through Ford’s presidency. In a letter he wrote back to Mulnix on April 13, 1967, Ford noted:

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“I should like to express my appreciation for the unselfish dedication you have shown in contributing to the cultural enrichment of Grand Rapids.”

In another letter to Mulnix on May 13, 1967, Ford penned:

“Many thanks for your letter of May 7th concerning a sculpture to be placed in Vandenberg Center...You may be certain I will do everything I can to urge favorable action by Mr. Steven’s office.”

When the committee began the search to find an artist to create a sculpture for Vandenberg Center, Calder’s name came up as a recommendation from a member of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Alexander Calder was a well known and successful American artist in the 20th century whose most famous works of arts were suspended and interpretive structures known as “mobiles.”

Although Calder had not created many large structures, he did have experience working with outdoor sculptures. He was also known to be able to work quickly on

a sculpture, which was another plus for the committee.

In 1967, he was commissioned to create the sculpture for the city. A year later, the committee traveled to France, where he was living and had a studio, to meet with him and view the 8 foot model that he had created. This model went through extensive wind tunnel and stress tests before Calder began work on the full size version. In June of 1968, Calder’s design was approved by the Commissioning Panel in Grand Rapids.

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According to City Historian Gordon Olson, the design for La Grand Vitesse was a late entry. There were many community members who wanted a statue constructed with the grant, while others wanted a reflecting pool. Olson said that there was actually piping laid underneath the foundation of Vandenberg Center intended for a reflection pool.

Calder himself was not a controversial figure, but his work was very surrealist in nature. Even though Grand Rapids was a city in the midst of an urban renewal, Calder’s structure didn’t come without opposition. Olson said that one of the most outspoken opponents of La Grande Vitesse was Robert Blanford, the county supervisor.

“He was adamant. And for years after, he would write a letter to the editor every year on the month of the dedication complaining about this waste of money,” said Olson. “And he wasn’t the only one, he was just the most outspoken.”

Jennifer Geigel Mikulay, who teaches communication at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wrote her dissertation on the impact of public art

in a community, specifically focusing on La Grande Vitesse. She said that Grand Rapids’ decision to go forward with the surrealist sculpture would set the city apart from others.

“Large scale abstract sculpture was just becoming popular when La Grande Vitesse was installed. Chicago had recently installed its Picasso. Leaders at the time felt that a sculpture like La Grande Vitesse would make Grand Rapids distinctive,” she said. “I think it has become popular over time because it has been heavily promoted by civic boosters and used in everyday life by average citizens throughout its lifespan.”

La Grand Vitesse arrived in Grand Rapids in 27 separate pieces, and it took crews five days to put it together. Calder, Ford and Mulnix were all present at the dedication ceremony at Vandenberg Center on June 14, 1969.

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(Right) Grand Rapids Mayor

Christian Sonneveldt greets Alexander

Calder and Nancy Mulnix.

(Far right) Grand Rapidians gather at the dedication

of La Grande Vitesse. (Bottom left) Construction begins

on The Calder in June 1969.

“Erecting the Calder stabile, [Mulnix] maintains, served as a catalyst for the future and ‘gave us the courage to dream, to imagine, to create.’”

“Calder symbolizes a dream come true.”The Grand Rapids Press

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Heart of the City

Painted in his classic “Calder Red,” the vibrant sculpture has become the center of the arts culture in Grand Rapids. Olson said that the dedication of The

Calder came at the same time that people were probing for an arts festival.

“After the dedication, the idea was for a much larger festival of the arts to be held downtown. And I think that’s where the combination of The Calder and the festival and the beginning of the notion of the symbol of the city starts,” he said. “It gave people a reason, a cause to hold a larger festival.”

While there were a few smaller arts festivals prior to the dedication of La Grand Vitesse, the first large scale Festival of the Arts was established a year after the dedication. The festival takes place during the first week of June, which coincides

with the dedication of The Calder and offers artist exhibits, music and other entertainment. This year marks the 42nd Festival of the Arts in downtown Grand Rapids. Calder even designed the logo for the festival and donated it to the city; yet another impression that he has left upon Grand Rapids.

The arts community was immediately impacted by the dedication of The Calder. Shortly after the dedication, a new home for the Grand Rapids Art Museum, a symphony hall and a civic theatre were built.

“The other thing that’s going on while this is happening is the arts community is continuing to try to try to develop this notion of Grand Rapids as a center for the arts,” said Olson.

In 2009, ArtPrize, part art competition and part social experiment, took over

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Grand Rapids for 18 days. 1,262 artists from 41 states and 14 countries submitted work to the competition, which was then scattered across the city in 159 venues. Visitors voted for their favorite works of art with the winner receiving $250,000 in prize money. The competition grew to 1,713 artists and 192 venues in 2010, and the 2011 event expects to bump up those numbers even more.

At the center of ArtPrize is La Grande Vitesse. The logo, designed by Grand Rapids based Peopledesign, emobodies the silhouette of The Calder. They purposefully turned The Calder on its side, calling it a “happy metaphor for the kind of momentum and energy the event brings to downtown.”

While ArtPrize has grown to become one of the defining events and symbols of Grand Rapids, the driving force behind it and the other art movements in the city continues to be The Calder.

Take a closer look at the ArtPrize

logo, and you can see the silhouette

of The Calder flipped on its side and balancing on

top of an “A.”

Calder designed the logo for the first Festival of the Arts and donated it to the city. It is still used in conjunction with the festival.

“‘I knew what was going to happen with it, and it did.’ [Mulnix] says, noting how The Calder is a drawing point now for everything from protests to festivals.”

“Calder symbolizes a dream come true” The Grand Rapids Press

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The Big Red Thing

The Calder measures in at 54 feet long, 43 feet high and 30 feet wide. And just about everywhere you look around Grand Rapids, you notice its lasting impacts. From the sides of garbage trucks to the city’s logo, La Grande Vitesse has evolved into the symbol of the city.

In addition to the ArtPrize and City of Grand Rapids logos, there is also a cab service named Calder City Taxi, a Calder City Glass company, and it even shows up on an alternative jersey for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Vandenberg Center, the official name of the space that holds La Grand Vitesse, is unofficially known as Calder Plaza.

Calder’s 8 foot model of La Grande Vitesse, completed before he began construction on the 42 ton final, is on loan

from the Calder Foundation in New York and currently resides in the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Calder also painted the rooftop of the Kent County Administration Building in Vandenberg Center. Painted in the same “Calder Red” and with shapes that are reminiscent of La Grande Vitesse, this rooftop painting is called “The Calder on the roof.”

There is also a third Calder in the city. In the lobby of city hall in Vandenberg Center is a five foot long replica of a plane that Calder painted in similar style of The Calder for the now defunct airline Braniff.

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“The Calder on the roof” was painted by Calder on the top of the Kent County Administration Building.

Red, prominent and free flowing, The Calder acts like a pin point from above.

“One of the things that you want a public sculpture to do is exactly what this piece has done. It has become a rallying point in some places and it spawned other interest in other kinds of public sculptures around the city.”

Gordon Olson, City Historian

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One of The Calder’s main functions is as a gathering point. Olson said that when you think about the biggest object in the city, something that can serve as a rendezvous point, you immediately think of The Calder.

“If you get a little lost and people wander off, by the hundreds of thousands over the years, parents and families have said, ‘We’ll meet you at The Calder,’ he said. “It becomes a gathering point, it becomes a very visible symbol in the heart of downtown.

“By in large, people know what you mean. It’s known as The Calder.”

Jennifer Geigel Mikulay has also started a Web site called thebigredthing.org. It

was part of a research project while she was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin that aims at learning how the city interacts with the sculpture.

“I created the site to try to get a ground-level view of the sculpture. Art historians, civic leaders, and cultural boosters have their views on the sculpture, but I wanted to learn from average people who live with La Grande Vitesse every day,” she said.

Citizens of Grand Rapids are encouraged to take and submit pictures of The Calder to document their experiences with the iconic structure.

“‘How much better off we are,’ [Mulnix] continues, ‘to celebrate those good qualities of human nature. That’s what art can do in its highest form – tell us who we are, where we’re going and what it means to be a human being.’”

“Calder symbolizes a dream come true” The Grand Rapids Press

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Everywhere you look in Grand Rapids, you see the image of The Clader on street signs, garbage bins, and even manhole covers.

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Lasting Impact

Up until his death in 1976, Calder had a special connection with Grand Rapids. He kept in contact with Mulnix, and as Olson described, he appreciated the fact that his sculpture was becoming the city’s symbol.

“Because Calder liked Grand Rapids, a lot of people liked him,” he said.

Olson recounted another story when Calder came to visit Grand Rapids after the dedication. By that time, the city had adopted The Calder as part of their logo and it was on things such as street signs and garbage trucks. According to Olson, they placed a garbage truck, emblazoned with a painting of The Calder, next to Calder’s plane when he landed in the city.

“And he got the biggest kick out of it. So he appreciated it,” said Olson.

As part of the 40th anniversary of the dedication of La Grande Vitesse in 2009, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park showcased more than 30 pieces of Calder’s art created in 1969 in connection with his sculpture. There are a number of Calder sculptures that reside at Frederik Meijer Gardens, and four of his works are currently on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

Since its dedication in 1967, La Grande Vitesse has meant many things to Grand Rapids. It has served as a rallying point, a symbol for the city and as an inspiration for artists.

“Grand Rapids arts advocates view it with pride and put forward that image in connection to the city. I also think that its

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site generates some of its profile – it is the focal point of a huge empty plaza at the city’s civic center with numerous festivals, rallies, and other events happening there year-round,” said Geigel Mikulay.

The Calder has helped to grow and shape the arts culture in Grand Rapids over the past 40 years, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact it will have on the future generations of the city.

One thing is for sure, it’s hard to ignore that big red thing.

While the cityscape of Grand Rapids has changed dramatically since The Calder was dedicated in 1969 (left), it firmly remains as one of the iconic symbols of the city.

“By in large though, you say Calder in Grand Rapids, and people know exactly what you mean. Now if you if you say La Grande Vitesse, not so sure. It is know as The Calder.”

Gordon Olson, City Historian

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My Calder Experience

My fascination with The Calder began in the summer of 2010 while I was studying abroad in Spain. We made a stop at the Fundació Joan Miró, and directly outside of the museum was a colorful, red structure that caught my eye. I thought to myself, “Wow, that looks just like that one sculpture back home.” That structure in Spain, which I later learned is titled “Quatre Ailes” or “Four Wings,” reminded me of a miniature version of The Calder.

As much as it pains me to admit it now, I had never before visited La Grande Vitesse in downtown Grand Rapids, which is right outside of my hometown of Rockford, Michigan. Nor did I even know its official name. I only knew of Calder Plaza but really nothing more. I actually had to look up The Calder on Google to figure out the exact location of the sculpture.

But I took the time to visit Vandenberg Center when I returned home for a long weekend, and I’m glad I did. It was a chilly March afternoon, which meant that I had The Calder all to myself. It is a towering figure comprised of red slabs of wavy steal, but it is also a welcoming and calming site. It felt like I was able to gain a different viewpoint and interpretation of the structure as I walked around it.

It still amazes me that The Calder has had such a profound impact on Grand Rapids. While the city is known for it’s once booming furniture business and the Medical Mile, the growing arts culture is just as important to the city’s identity. And much of that credit is due to the presence of La Grande Vitesse.

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When I saw “Quatre Ailes” outside of the Fundació Joan Miró, I felt like I had seen a structure similar to it back home in Grand Rapids. It was the push I needed to began my research into La Grande Vitesse and Alexander Calder.

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Work Cited

Gordon Olson, Grand Rapids City Historian

Jennifer Geigel Mikulay, Alverno College

“Initial Public Art Project Becomes a Landmark.” National Endowment for the Arts. http://www.nea.gov/about/40th/grandrapids.html

Kimelman, Molly. “Abstract Icon: Grand Rapids exhibits mark 40th anniversary of Calder’s ‘La Grande Vitesse’” The Grand Rapids Press/mlive.com. June 7, 2009. http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/06/abstract_icon_grand_rapids_exh.html

“La Grande Vitesse.” Grand Rapids Public Library. http://www.grpl.org/research/photo_essays/calder/

Rademacher, Tom. “Calder symbolizes a dream come true” The Grand Rapids Press. March 17, 1992.

The Nancy Mulnix Collection, courtesy of the Grand Rapids Public Library

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Photo Credits

Page 2: La Grande Vitesse (John Kalmar)

Page 6: Construction of La Grande Vitesse (Timothy John Bartnick via bigredthing.org), Calder at the dedication, crowd shot of dedication (The Nancy Mulnix Collection)

Page 8: Festival of the arts logo (jshaa.com), ArtPrize logo (peopledesign.com)

Page 10: Calder on the roof (Google Maps), La Grande Vitesse (John Kalmar)

Page 12: Images of Grand Rapids logos around the city (bigredthing.org)

Page 14: 1969 image of La Grande Vitesse (The Nancy Mulnix Collection), 2011 image of La Grand Vitesse (John Kalmar)

Page 16: Quatre Ales (John Kalmar)

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