FeedsSculpture behind schedule
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A scale model of the “Canton Community Arch” was presented to the township in May.It may be September before a Blissfield sculptor unveils the crown jewel of the Ford Road public art exhibit in Canton Township.
Practical matters have intervened in the creative process for the “Canton Community Arch,” a massive abstract sculpture commissioned by the Canton Downtown Development Authority.
The permanent home—once it’s finished—will be the southeast corner of Ford and Canton Center roads, in a plaza near the TCF Bank.
When it will be finished is still uncertain. The special steel needed for the project is on back order and may not arrive at artist Ken Thompson’s studio for another week.
A different sort of arrival also played a hand.
“Two of my employees had babies in the last couple weeks, so I spent some time at the hospital,” added Thompson. “You know, sometimes things just conspire.”
After the steel and limestone comes in, it will take about three weeks for Thompson and three others at his Flatlanders studio in Blissfield to complete the arch.
Debbie Bilbrey Honsowetz, recreation and facilities manager for Canton, had planned a late August dedication ceremony for the work. Now, an autumn unveiling is looking more likely.
The most noticeable element of the piece is a curved, wing-like feature made of the special Cor-ten steel, a proprietary material ideal for outdoor installations, since it partially corrodes and seals itself to the elements after a period of time.
It’s one of the reasons the piece costs more than $50,000. The DDA approved the expenditure earlier this summer.
“It’s going to be worth the wait,” said Honsowetz.
