Big Rapids celebrates Bird City with bird day event and art unveiling

BIG RAPIDS – Big Rapids hosted its first World Migratory Bird Day at Northend Riverside Park on May 9 in honor of being named a Bird City.

The event included a guided bird walk with local ornithologist Joe Lipar, a presentation on bird life cycles and migration habits by Dr. Victor Agular de Souza Penha, and the dedication and ribbon cutting of the city’s newest public art installment, a bird sculpture which honors the city’s designation as a Bird City by the Michigan Audubon Society.

Artist John Warner said that he created the bird sculpture with the city’s Bird City designation in mind.

“When I read the city’s request for proposals, my mind immediately started thinking about what that might look like, because it could be anything,” he said. “I really enjoy songbirds, that is my favorite part of spring. I thought about the songbird and how it might perch and on what.”

The sculpture is a mixture of forms, including stainless steel and Corten steel, with a base of concrete. The songbird is formed of the Corten steel and is perched on a stainless steel “limb.”

Corten steel is a high-strength, low-alloy steel designed to develop a stable, rust-like protective patina when exposed to the weather. This dense, adherent oxide layer eliminates the need for painting and resists corrosion making it ideal for durable, low-maintenance architecture and landscape projects.

“Stainless steel is durable and very strong and needs no maintenance,” Warner said. “The Corten, as rusty as it looks, that oxide layer eventually becomes a protective layer and will stop rusting. It will last a long time.”

He said that for inspiration he just looked at the space where the work would be placed and thought about what the city was wanting the piece to represent.

Warner was chosen from a group of artists who submitted proposals to the city for the work. 

“I am grateful (the city) gave me this opportunity,” he said.

Warner graduated from the Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University in Grand Rapids with a degree in product design.

He said that after graduating he designed furniture for a few years and decided it was not for him.

“In 2004 I started sculpting,” Warner said. “I like to play with ideas and forms. My portfolio is very chaotic by many standards because I just like to make things.”

He explained that where many other artists are very consistent in their work, he is “just kind of all over the place.”

Warner has his work displayed at several places in Grand Rapids, including Allora, an Italian restaurant on Monroe Avenue, Blandford Nature Center on Hilborn Avenue and at the Fred Meijer Gardens Conservatory.

Warner’s bird sculpture was selected as part of The Public Art Collective of Big Rapids, a placemaking partnership between the city and Ferris State University. It is one of 37 public art displays throughout the city that include a range of mediums and formats contributed by a variety of artists.

TPAC serves as stewards of publicly owned art in the community and includes representatives from the city, FSU, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Artworks supporting a vibrant and sustainable public art scene that helps connect people through shared cultural experiences.

The organization has published a guidebook that provides information about each piece of art and the artist along with a map of where each piece is located.

The guidebook is available at thepublicartcollective.org.

The city of Big Rapids received the Bird City designation from the Michigan Audubon Society earlier this year, a designation that signifies the city’s commitment to protecting wildlife, particularly birds, and encouraging birding activities.

Community Development Director Michelle Stenger said previously that the goal of a Bird City is to promote a healthier environment for wildlife and people while also introducing birding to more people.