Joel Dinda's photos with the keyword: bronson

Alfonso Ianneli's Fountain of the Pioneers dominates Bronson Park. I've always thought it was gorgeous, though that opinion seems a minority view. I've also known that the fountain's "message" was politically suspect since I was a kid in the 1950s, something more recent commentators seem not to realize. More information here . Some, but hardly all, of the controversy is a deliberate misreading of the sculptor's intentions. I know enough about the Potawatomi Removal to be certain there's no way to portray it without offending someone. It's very clear that many white settlers in southern Michigan recognized the event as a tragedy even as it was occurring. I do support the notion of adding an explanatory plaque to the display. When everything's functioning, this is a stunning work, with many water flows and colored lights. But that is, at best, a summer function, and for most of the year the fountain's just a sculpture. In real life, the fountain's often been offline even in summer, as the upkeep has always been expensive. I'm guessing that when the sculpture's gone, that will be the official reason for its removal. ========== This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps . 366 Snaps project discussion and stats for November 30 .

Kirk Newman's sculpture in Bronson Park's reflecting pool, with the long title given above, was dedicated on July 4, 1976. I sang in a choir at that event. (That band shell's relatively new, but the location's where we were standing for the Bicentennial celebration.) Newman's sprawling work of art is impossible to photograph as a whole, partly because it's spread out and partly because the potential backgrounds are very busy. This angle, with the added real-life children, catches most of Newman's children and shows the general shape of the piece. But you need to walk around the pool, looking at faces and poses, to fully appreciate Newman's accomplishment. Besides the 366 Snaps photo, I published three more pix from this session on Flickr. Here , here , and here . ========== This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps . 366 Snaps project discussion and stats for November 30 .