Photo by Teresa Lousias
Brian Ferriby’s “Purple People Eater” — one of 12 works of art placed throughout Dearborn as part of the community’s 2012-13 Art in Public Places – Midwest Sculpture Initiative — is at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Brady Street.
DEARBORN – Twelve sculptures have been placed throughout Dearborn as part of the community’s 2012-13 Art in Public Places – Midwest Sculpture Initiative. Each month a different sculpture and sculptor are highlighted.
“Purple People Eater” by Brian Ferriby is the featured sculpture for November.
The sculpture stands at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Brady in west Dearborn. The 10-foot-high abstract piece, constructed from painted pressure-treated wood, reflects Ferriby’s interest in creating sculptural forms that intertwine his passions – architecture, music and nature. The Farmington Hills-based sculptor chooses to work with materials common to the Midwest and is often influenced by history and geography of the area.
A video about the “Purple People Eater” sculpture will air on Dearborn cable television during November and can be viewed online at www.cdtv.pegcentral.com.
Ferriby’s work has been featured in galleries across Michigan. A graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art and the University of Michigan, the sculptor teaches art and design courses at the Art Institute of Michigan in Novi. He is represented by the River Gallery in Chelsea, and by Arterra in Bellevue, Wash.
He continues to work on commissioned pieces for placement across the Midwest, and in 2010, a Ferriby sculpture was installed into the permanent collection at the Michigan Legacy Art Park in Thompsonville.
“I Spy Dearborn’s Art in Public Places” cards, which include photos and locations for the 12 MSI sculptures and two Pockets of Perception pieces, are available upon request or on the Dearborn Community Fund web page at www.dearborncommunityfund.org.
Funding for the project is provided by the Dearborn Community Fund and the East and West Dearborn downtown development authorities.
For more information on Dearborn’s 2012-13 Art in Public Places Midwest Sculpture Initiative, including information about purchasing the sculptures, contact the Dearborn Community Fund office at 313-943-5478.