See the works of an iconMarshall FredericksSculpture Tour

A Guardian Angel holds a dove, while a mother guards her child. Fredericks created this sculpture 30 years before it was ever cast. Both Fredericks and the donor, Adolph J. Neeme, felt the 30 year wait a particularly apt tribute to honor the memory of his daughter Suzanne Gail, who died prematurely in 1990, at the age of 30.

This 1952 Veteran’s Memorial, a bronze and limestone sculpture, is a variation of the relief Fredericks produced for the Great Seal of the United
States at the entrance to the former Veteran’s Memorial Building (now the
Ford/UAW National Programs Center) in downtown Detroit. It was moved to City Hall from Seaholm High School in the 1990s, and then again to Shain Park after the park’s recent renovation.

Originally created for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, Fredericks sought permission from New York’s Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for a second casting in honor of B i r m i n g h a m ’ s 5 0 t h anniversary. The original design and sculptural models were donated by Marshall Fredericks. The plaque across from the sculpture denotes community members who contributed to the installation.

Donated by Fidelity Bank to the City of Birmingham in 1966, the ram was first located in front of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Bank. A bronze casting of Siberian Ram at the Renaissance Center in Detroit.

Carla Grava arranged a donation by the Fredericks family in 2002 of these charming baboons to grace the Children’s Garden on the Merrill Street side of
the Community House. R.J. Williams, his sister Wendy Williams Lynch, and brother Tod Williams, arranged for their installation and granite bases.

When the Fredericks family resided at this home on Quarton Lake, the garden was filled with dozens of his sculptures. This was the view from the rear of the house. Today the few sculptures that remain are only visible in winter from across the lake.

Leaping Gazelle: The first full-scale casting of Leaping Gazelle was done in 1939 for the Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain on Belle Isle in Detroit. Fredericks requested that the casting from his garden be used for his tombstone. It is now in Greenwood Cemetery. Flying Wild Geese: This sculpture, originally created for the Alvin Macauley Memorial at Elmwood Cemetery in 1952, is one of Fredericks’ most popular sculptures. A casting of Flying Wild Geese may also be seen at the Detroit Zoo, in front of the train station.

Note: Due to safety and security issues, sculptures inside of schools are included for your information, but should not be visited without calling ahead and/or making prior arrangements. Known at Quarton School as Friends, Big and Small, this maquette of the Two Bears was installed in 1967 following the inspiration of Mrs. W.J. McCarthy, a parent who was said to have asked Fredericks why he did not have a work showing in his own neighborhood. (All five of the Fredericks children attended Quarton School.) Fredericks was delighted to oblige. Full-scale versions of the Two Bears can be seen at Sterling Heights Public Library, Interlochen, and at the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University.

American Eagle: This sculpture was given in 1980 in memory of Carl S. Abbott by his wife Betty Abbott Hedrick, for its biblical symbolism, and because of Abbot’s staunch support of the University of Michigan. More popularly known as the Ann Arbor Eagle, the fullscale version is in the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, honoring the memory of the men and women of the U of M who gave their lives for their country. Flying Wild Geese Medallion: Given in 2000, in memory of John Caplan to symbolize his spirit, by his wife Loris Caplan. Wings of the Morning: Given in memory Margaret Fauver Mercer, by her step daughter Barbara Mercer and her family. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me; and Thy right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139: 9-10.

These charming animals were intended as parts of larger
installations. Ugly Duckling can be seen as part of the Nordic Swan and the Ugly Duckling outside of Christ Church Cranbrook, and the Frog and Lizard are parts of the Japanese Goldfish, Lizard and Frog fountain at Cranbrook. Henry Scripps Booth commissioned the fountain from Fredericks and it was installed at Thornlea in 1940. These castings were originally given by Fredericks to his friends the Kaufman family, who donated them to the church in 2012.

Young Knight was originally created in 1947. This bronze and nickel casting was dedicated at Seaholm High School in 1954 in memory of Marc Joslyn, and is awarded annually to two outstanding seniors for excellence in citizenship, leadership, and interest in student affairs. Honorees’ names are engraved on plaques surrounding the sculpture. The Marc Joslyn Award has been, for the past fifty years, one of the most prestigious awards offered at Seaholm. One of the few, the immortal names, that were not born to die.

The limestone original relief of Hiawatha is on the Literature, Science and Arts Building on the campus of the University of Michigan. This bronze maquette* was dedicated in 1995, in memory of Len Cercone, a beloved Covington teacher and coach. (*A maquette is a small scale model)

Given by the class of 1983 to Midvale Elementary, this relief was selected by a group of students who visited the Fredericks studio. Fredericks, who was known for his sense of humor, told the children that this plaque’s name was The Student Body. The relief was moved to Pierce School in 1995, and is now installed in a garden courtyard.

This is a maquette* of Fredericks’ last work. A full-size casting was recently installed at eh Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University. (Photo credit: courtesy the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center). (*A maquette is a small scale model).

This figure is a maquette* of the central figure of Cleveland War Memorial's Fountain of Eternal Life. The Cleveland memorial took Fredericks nineteen years to complete and is surrounded by four carvings that depict the
cardinal civilizations of the earth (North, South, East, West). The figures that Fredericks originally proposed for the Cleveland memorial were finally realized as the Star Dream fountain in Royal Oak a few years before he died. (*A maquette is a small scale model)