25. Mount Clemens Obelisk

By Citizens Robotics

Host: City of Mount Clemens

Sponsor: Macomb Cultural and Economic Partnership

Location: S. Main Circle on the Mound connecting to SB Gratiot

This was our second venture into 3D printing.

An obelisk is a tall, slender, four‑sided monument that tapers as it rises and ends in a pyramid‑shaped top (called a pyramidion). It is typically upright and can be made from a single block of stone (monolithic) or from several stones. The term comes from the Ancient Greek obelískos, meaning “spit” or “pointed pillar,” a diminutive of obelós.

Obelisks originated in ancient Egypt around 2,300 BCE, where they were called tekhenu. They were often erected in pairs at the entrances of temples and symbolized the sun god Ra, representing the sun’s journey across the sky. The shafts were carved with hieroglyphs dedicating the obelisk to the pharaoh and the sun god. Some were also used as sundials, casting shadows that indicated the time of day.

Today, obelisks are still used as monuments, often to honor individuals or events. Examples include the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., and the Cleopatra’s Needle in London. They remain symbols of enduring power, time, and cultural heritage.

In short: An obelisk is both a distinctive architectural form and a richly symbolic monument, with deep roots in ancient Egyptian religion and culture, and a lasting presence in global history.

Citizen Robotics, a pioneering 3D printing company, aims to reduce the cost of housing construction by adopting advanced robotic construction techniques. They raise awareness about the possibilities of automation and showcase innovative solutions from around the world. Through our training center, we bring these cutting-edge technologies to the community, enabling people to build more efficiently using less labor and fewer materials. We are committed to upskilling today’s construction workforce for the future by providing training and hands-on opportunities in new housing developments.

To learn more about Citizen Robotics, visit their website at www.citizenrobotics.org and follow them on Facebook at Citizen Robotics.

Stop by our office at 92 NB Gratiot in Mount Clemens to pick up a brochure featuring all our sculptures. Brochures are also available at the Bonior Tree and Pollinator Park. Now that summer has arrived, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a walk.

If you would like to support our efforts, please consider sending a small tax-deductible contribution to help fund the next show scheduled for October 2026-2027.

Be sure to like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MCEP99.

Bee Reader

By Israel & Erik Nordin

NW Corner of Inches St. and NB Gratiot

The Bee Reader sculpture at the evolving MCEP Pollinator Park was installed in July of 2024.  It will be open to extend gifts of small paperback books for young readers and mature readers. Each month the Bee Reader will have two paperback books available. One geared for younger readers and one for mature readers. Please come and check it out. Each month’s selection will be available on the MCEP website with the book’s description.  If for some reason the books are not there just call us on 586 783 6008 and we will replenish the stock.

June Bee Reader Books

Ultimate Cross Words

Published By Hinkler

Hardcover edition

Over 450 large print crossword puzzles.  Easy to read and fun to solve.  Solutions are in the back of the book.

Flowers of One Garden

by Gloria Faizi

The people living in the world do not all look alike. The color of their skin is different. Some have brown or black skin, others are white, black or yellow. If you think of the world as a big garden, people are like different colored flowers of this garden. A garden looks more beautiful when the flowers are of different colors. A children’s book to bring awareness and understanding of unity in diversity.

24. Doyen

By Richard Morgan

Location: S. Main before the Obelisk

Host: City of Mount Clemens

Sponsor: Macomb Cultural and Economic Partnership

This  is the second of three sculptures in our show this year. The others are The Fence and Music Box.

Artist’s Statement:  During my 35-year career I have worked in the welding field working with metals.  I occasionally welded gifts for family members and friends but basically viewed welding as a job but nothing more.

My perception changed on March 10, 2008, when my wife and I were notified that our only son was murdered in California on Venice Beach.  With the stress from this along with the stress from work…sleep was nearly impossible, so after a while I ended up in the shop during those restless nights instead.

It was then that “Welding” began to ease some of the grief and my creativity was awakened and I began to transform into an artist and metal sculpture and have been creating non-stop ever since.

As I began to create metal art, I found that I wanted to create unique pieces of functional and non-functional art.

The best thing is being able to create something out of nothing, and making people happy with my art, helping people to see outside the box, is the best thing about being an artist.

My pieces are great for the environment and have been constructed mostly with approximately 85% re-claimed materials”

You can check out Richard Morgan’s art on his website:  https://richardalanstudios.com

Stop by our office located at 92 NB Gratiot in Mount Clemens and pick up a brochure of all our sculptures in the brochure box located on our front porch or at the Bonior Tree or Pollinator Park. There are now plenty of sunny days where a walk can be invigorating.

If you want to support our efforts, please send  a small tax-deductible contribution to keep the next show going in  October 2026 – 2027 and be sure to like us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/MCEP99.

Location: 260 SB Gratiot

Host: Visions Beauty and Barber Shop

Sponsor: Macomb Cultural and Economic Partnership

Greg Mendez Artist Biography

Born in 1981, Greg was raised in the rural town of Decatur, IN. He studied at the University of St. Francis School of Creative Arts in Ft. Wayne, IN graduating with a B.F.A. in sculpture.

Greg’s sculptures have been included in many juried public displays throughout the United States, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards. In addition to permanently placed public works and commissions, he also participates in community development by promoting public art on a local level.

You can see more of Greg’s work on Facebook at Greg Mendez Gallery or on his website at gregmendezsculpture.com.

Special thanks to our micro gardeners, John Honsel and Karin Flood who help to maintain Eternal Spring II and Squawk a Lot gardens, respectively.

Stop by our office located at 92 NB Gratiot in Mount Clemens and pick up a brochure of all our sculptures in the brochure box located on our front porch or at the Bonior Tree or Pollinator Park. There are now plenty of sunny days where a walk can be exhilarating.

 If you want to support our efforts, please send  a small tax-deductible contribution to keep the next show going in  October 2026 – 2027 and be sure to like us on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/MCEP99 

Host: Comfort & Prosthetics

Sponsor: Stephen Saph, Jr.

Available for purchase by an individual or group.  Purchase price: $6,000

Artist Statement

“My initial interest and departure point comes from observations of electrical

pylons that carry high voltage power lines across the land. There are two

main elements that have captivated my creative urges and have led to the

sculptures that I produce.

It has been my desire to take a static structure that is common in our daily

visual vocabulary and bring to it life, in hopes of changing our visual

perception of an otherwise mundane object.

I have continued to investigate movement in the forms pushing the

inanimate into animate, perhaps anthropomorphism. I proceed by

developing a surface that emits a visual noise using line, color and the

physical mark.”

Check out some of his work at dwmartinart.com

Stop by our office located at 92 NB Gratiot in Mount Clemens and pick up a brochure of all our sculptures in the brochure box located on our front porch or at the Bonior Tree or Pollinator Park. There are now plenty of sunny days where a walk can be exhilarating.

If you want to support our efforts, please send a small tax-deductible contribution to keep the next show going in October 2026 – 2027 and be sure to like us on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/MCEP99 

Host: Tessmer Book Bindery

Sponsor: Macomb Cultural and Economic Partnership

The Jian Bird is a Chinese Mythological bird that is born with one eye and one wing. The Jian birds according to the myth are said to be created as pairs and it is believed that they must find their other half to reach their full potential or to fly. The Jian bird also symbolizes marriage. In Japan they are known as Hiyoku no Tori.

“I am Michael Bennett, a 36-year-old metal artist from Wadsworth Illinois. Since I was a child, I have always been interested in understanding how things worked. I would always take mechanical toys apart and then put them back together in a more creative way. 

My Medium

Six years ago, I was in an accident and was paralyzed from the chest down. I had to learn to use my talents in a different way and continue to move forward in life. This is when I started using sheet metal, bolts, car parts, and other interesting metals to create artwork. I use many of the tools that I used as a fabricator and mechanic. I now create metal art in a pole barn in Wadsworth under the name Handicap Made

My Inspiration

My passion is creating and designing customer’s visions and dreams into metal. I have been commissioned to make monogramed driveway entry gates, personalized wall art, metal lettering on private businesses, silhouettes of beloved pets and much more. You can see my work on my Instagram account . My designs are also on display at the Grayslake Farmers Market. I would be glad to design and create your vision into custom metal art!”

You can see more of Michael’s work at https://michaelbennettdesigns.com or on Instagram.

The micro gardener at this sculpture has also been adopted by Tracy Mitchell.  Way to go Tracy!

Stop by our office located at 92 NB Gratiot in Mount Clemens and pick up a brochure of all our sculptures in the brochure box located on our front porch or at the Bonior Tree or Pollinator Park. There are now plenty of sunny days where a walk can be exhilarating.

If you want to support our efforts, please send  a small tax-deductible contribution to keep the next show going in  October 2026 – 2027 and be sure to like us on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/MCEP99 

The Bee Reader sculpture at the evolving MCEP Pollinator Park was installed in July of 2024.  It will be open to extend gifts of small paperback books for young readers and mature readers. Each month the Bee Reader will have two paperback books available. One geared for younger readers and one for mature readers. Please come and check it out. Each month’s selection will be available on the MCEP website with the book’s description.  If for some reason the books are not there just call us on 586 783 6008 and we will replenish the stock.

May Bee Reader Books

My Twenty Years in Baseball

By Ty Cobb

Edited by William R. Cobb

Introduction by Paul Dickson

By the time of his retirement in 1928, Ty Cobb had set ninety major league baseball records, many of which — including twelve batting titles and a .367 lifetime batting average — remain unsurpassed to this day. He was also a member of the first group of legends inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Fiercely competitive and aggressive in his play, Cobb attracted controversy throughout his career. In this memoir, he reflects on a tumultuous era in baseball history as he recounts highlights from his twenty seasons with the Detroit Tigers.
The baseball legend offers observations and advice to players on hitting, stealing signs, base running, and other aspects of the game, along with assessments of his teammates and other contemporaries. Cobb’s candid reminiscences address his reputation for spiking opponents on the base paths and his suspension for attacking an abusive fan, an incident that led to the first professional baseball strike and the formation of the earliest players’ union. Unlike the usual ghostwritten sports autobiographies, this narrative consists of Cobb’s own words. Each chapter originally appeared as part of a newspaper serial in 1925, while the author was an active player. A rediscovered gem of sports history, this edition is the first commercial publication of Cobb’s recollections in book form.

Reprint of Memoirs of Twenty Years in Baseball, William R. Cobb, Marietta, Georgia, 2002.

African Animals Sticker Activity Book

By Jan Sovak

This entertaining little book puts a world of wild African animals — great and small — at your fingertips. Just arrange the stickers on the backdrop (shown on the inside covers) to create a dramatic African landscape. Thirty-two reusable images of a white rhino, leopard, lions, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus, ostrich, and other creatures. You can create one exciting scene after another.

Location: SB Gratiot at Belleview

Host: The Forlini Family

Sponsor: Community Support

Available for purchase by an individual or group.  Purchase price: $15,000

Mike Sohikian, a retired ironworker, has been a member of the Bridge and Structural Ironworkers Local 55 for 37 years.  He has had a lifetime of love and appreciation for art, but did not begin his art career until 1995. Since then, he has garnered acclaim and numerous prestigious awards and recognition for his paintings and sculptures.  Sohikian is best known for taking salvaged steel to new heights with impressive and innovative concepts.  He assembles industrial materials as well as reworks the materials into fascinating forms. 

This sculpture is the third and last of the sculptures by this artist. The others are Confessions and Pescados. When we select the sculptures, we do not know who the artist is; just that we like the sculpture.

Mike lives in Genoa, OH.

Check out some of his work at https://www.facebook.com/russel.sohikian 

The micro garden at this sculpture has been adopted by Tracy Mitchell.  Thank you Tracy!

Stop by our office located at 92 NB Gratiot in Mount Clemens and pick up a brochure of all our sculptures in the brochure box located on our front porch or at the Bonior Tree or Pollinator Park. There are now plenty of sunny days where a walk can be exhilarating.

If you want to support our efforts, please send  a small tax-deductible contribution to keep the next show going in  October 2026 – 2027 and be sure to like us on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/MCEP99 

Look what’s growing now.

Quite robust perennial with typical leaf cups, native to Central-eastern Canada to southeastern United States

In average soils reaching 6′ tall x 2-3′ wide, but in moist loam can reach 8′ (in dry soil only 4′). Large yellow flowers (3″) show up from July till September.  This plant grows to 5 foot and is round in appearance. It sends out flower spikes in mid-August. It spreads by seed so if you do not want to spread cut flower spikes after blooming. If you leave spikes, it will be a natural bird feeder, but you will get seedlings in the spring.

Adaptable and tough plant, which will spread some by rhizomes to wide clumps or colonies.

It can grow in any soil – clay, average, with medium, moist, or wet soil. Once established, it tolerates some drought. It can flop when hit by heavy storm or after very heavy rainfall (especially in full bloom with heavy flowers).

Hardy in zones 3 to 9.

Deer resistant plant, very good pollinator plant – attracts Long-tongued bees, butterflies, skippers. But also, some short-tongued bees, wasps, bee flies, and other kinds of flies also visit the flowers for pollen or nectar. Host plant for larvae of two wasps.

Goldfinches and other smaller bird feed on seeds, drink water from cups and hide and rest in colonies of leaves.

We do have seedlings now for those who want to grow this native plant. Just call or email so we arrange that time for pickup. It takes one to two years to bloom. Good in full sun. All vegetation dies back to ground level each year and sprouts each spring with gusto.

If you are interested in receiving seedlings from this plant, please let us know by calling the office at 586.783.6008.