Gerald Ford Museum

MU professor creates sculpture of President Ford

For now, there is no statue of President Richard Nixon for Grill’s creation to pardon.

The statue joins sculptures of Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, James Garfield, Andrew Jackson, Ronald Reagan and George Washington in the rotunda of the White House.

While the foundation was obtaining congressional approval for placing a statue in the White House, Grill was preparing for the monumental task of sculpting an artwork that would stand in a city full of sculptures depicting the nation's historical figures. He read biographies of Ford and carefully studied photographs of the 38th president.

The foundation’s chairman emeritus, Marty Allen, said Grill was the perfect choice.

“I think from the beginning when we interviewed the five finalists, it was very clear that Brett had really done his homework," Allen said. "He had grasped his feeling about President Ford, and all of us who knew President Ford knew it was right on.”

This wasn't the first time Grill had studied Ford, the only Michigan resident to occupy the White House. That’s because Grill, like Ford, grew up in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“It’s part of the lore of the area," Grill said. "The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum is in Grand Rapids, and I had been there as a child.”

The Gerald R. Ford Foundation selected Grill after he submitted a proposal and a portfolio of his previous sculptures. Grill was honored the foundation selected him from a national pool of talent.

“Seeing the statue in place for the first time in such a grand, public setting was so humbling,” he said. “I had done a few public sculptures, but this is my biggest.”

The few public sculptures Grill had done include a bust of Ford that he created for the Boys and Girls club in La Quinta, Calif. That sculpture, Allen said, gave the selection committee “a strong working knowledge of Brett’s work.”

The bronze statue, which stands 7 feet tall, features the former president leaning slightly forward and wearing a three-piece suit. Grill said the stance was intended to “embody the idea of someone standing up to serve their country when called.”

Several Michigan politicians, including Gov. Rick Snyder, attended the unveiling. So did Steven Ford, chairman of the Ford Foundation and son of the former president. Steven Ford said he was pleased with the statue’s resemblance to his father, according to a news release from MU.

89. Gerald R. Ford Museum « 365 Things To Do In West Michigan

The Gerald R. Ford Museum is a gem on the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. The Museum is a great place for a walk down memory lane, to educate your kids or just enjoy the grounds on a nice summer day along the river. The history, the interactive exhibits, the displays, etc. are done is just so amazing that it made me a bit ashamed to admit it took me over 9 years in the Grand Rapids area to visit this wonderful museum. This is a big city museum that many big cities wish they had and its right here in Grand Rapids.

The Gerald R. Ford Museum galleries feature hands-on, interactive, video, and holographic displays that make visitors “participants” in history. The exhibits enable visitors to travel by video with President Ford and Secretary Kissinger to various hot spots around the globe; take a holographic tour of the Ford White House; and experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show. A Watergate gallery includes a six-minute, multi-screen history beginning with the June 1972 break-in — plus the actual burglary tools on display. An interactive Cabinet Room allows visitors to take part in Presidential decision making.

http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/aboutmus.asp

Open daily from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

Admission:

$7.00 for adults

$6.00 for senior citizens and military service members

$5.00 for college students with ID

$3.00 for youth ages 6-18

Free for children under the age of 5

Free parking is available.

The core of the Museum’s program are the permanent exhibits, which highlight of the lives of President and Mrs. Ford. Galleries include:

1970s: Gerald Ford’s America

Constitution in Crisis

Young Jerry Ford

Leadership in Diplomacy

The Oval Office

The Cabinet Room

and others…

Temporary exhibits draw from the rich holdings of the entire Presidential libraries system, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, and others.

The Museum also organizes special events, hosts naturalization ceremonies for new citizens, and opens the grounds to the community festivities and fireworks on the Fourth of July.

The Museum Store sells items relating to President and Mrs. Ford and other Presidents and First Ladies, along with other souvenirs.

Where the Ford Library offers an analytic approach to our past and our government, the museum provokes emotions that stimulate learning, reflection, and a sense of democratic citizenship. For visitors, the presidency is theirs to see and touch (almost), to use, and to hold accountable.

Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum

How to Draw the Life and Times of Gerald R. Ford

Records of the presidency, presidential papers and libraries from Washington to Reagan

Michigan living

Spy