We are thankful for all the support you have given us over the years for each program we do, and we are thankful for the support you have shown for the sculpture project.
Join us as we raise funds for the 2026-27 sculpture show at Louie’s Ham & Corned Beef Restaurant on Saturday, March 14, 2026. The order form is attached below. Thank you again for your continued support!
If you have already sent in your check, we thank you and will look forward to seeing you on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
Bee Reader By Israel & Erik Nordin West side of NB Gratiot between Clinton River Dr. & Kibbee St.
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.
We all know dogs bark woof and cats mew meow–but what noises do ostriches or peacocks or kookaburras make? Flip though this wild collection of animals to guess, discover, and delight in the sounds made by beasts big and small. Ages 2-5. Fully illustrated in color.
Birds & Blooms in Every Season
Publisher: Readers Digest
Bird-watch without leaving home–simply page through and enjoy these beloved feathered fliers all year long! Provides trivia, tips for seasonal birding, and more than 300 photos of avians, including mourning doves, finches, cardinals, owls, and hummingbirds.
4. The Fence By Richard Morgan Location: NW Corner of NB Gratiot & Robertson Host: TGM Skateboards Sponsor: Ed Bruley Available for purchase by an individual or group. Purchase price: $6,000
This is the first of 3 sculptures by this artist in our show this year.
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”
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.
3. Confessions By Mike Sohikian Location: NE Corner of NB Gratiot & Robertson Hosted and Owed by Greater Morningstar Missionary Baptist Church
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 didn’t 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 owned by Greater Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. May we all try to do better. This is one of the first permanent purchases for the community.
Mike lives in Genoa, OH. Mike has 4 sculptures in our program this year. When we select the sculptures, we do not know who the artist is; just that we like the sculpture.
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 plenty of sunny, winter 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.
You Are Invited to an Informational Meeting on an Endangered Species – Michigan Lake Sturgeon
Join Us to Learn and Make a Difference
Everyone is welcome, including students, to this free event. Not only will you
learn about this incredible fish and get to watch a short Michigan movie about preservation efforts, you will be able to meet and greet a young Lake Sturgeon in person.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
6:30pm
Clinton Macomb Main Library
40900 Romeo Plank Road
Clinton Township, Michigan, 48038
You are cordially invited to attend an informational meeting focused on endangered species. This event will provide valuable insights into current threats, conservation efforts, and ways you can help protect vulnerable wildlife.
Green Michigan is a local non-profit environmental organization, and members Lisa Morse, Ed Bruley, Judy Hartwell, Jim Kopas, Karen Debgupta, Linda Koch, Mark Brewer , Paul & Sara Gieleghem, Robert & Maria Mijac, Deborah Dorosh and Bill Sowerby are sponsoring this event. We welcome you to join us!
See the attached flyer for more details on the evening’s program.
Geometric Construction By Ray Katz N of 66 NB Gratiot Host: Greater Morningstar Missionary Baptist Church Sponsor: Julie Saph Available for purchase by an individual or group. Purchase price: $18,000
Ray Katz is an abstract sculptor working mainly in Steel, Aluminum, and Bronze.
Ray Katz was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He has a B.S. from Eastern Michigan University and an M.F.A. from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Ray’s passion for sculpture started during his seminal development as an artist. Ray is best known for his large-scale metal sculpture but works successfully in a wide range of media and scale. Ray’s sculpture is abstract. The manipulation of form in space to create visual balance, using rhythm, action, and movement, combine to create compositions that convey the implied energy found in his work. Ray’s sculptures allude to an evolutionary process that we all commonly share in the human experience. The active forms that are brought together represent the flux of life, and embrace transformative concepts such as evolution, metamorphosis, and transcendence. These ideas and concepts are what separate his work from the historical and industrial influences from which he draws his connections. Ray has exhibited sculpture publicly and privately throughout the Mid-West, Mid-South and overseas in Paris, France and Tokyo, Japan.
EDUCATION
Wayne State University, M.F.A. 1965-68 (Sculpture)
Eastern Michigan University, B.S., 1962-65 (Drawing, Ceramics, Sculpture)
Detroit Society of Arts & Crafts, 1960-61 (Drawing, Painting)
ART ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT
Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts, 2014
Source: International Sculpture Center, Publisher of Sculpture Magazine
Be sure to follow Ray on Facebook at Ray Katz Sculptor LLC and on Instagram @raykatzsculptor. You can also visit his website at www.raykatzsculptor.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 plenty of sunny, winter 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
Bee Reader By Israel & Erik Nordin West side of NB Gratiot between Clinton River Dr. & Kibbee St.
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. Remember to dress for the weather!
“A moving, vital testament to one of slavery’s ‘many thousand gone’ who retained his humanity in the bowels of degradation.” — Saturday Review
Born a free man in New York State in 1808, Solomon Northup was kidnapped in Washington, DC, in 1841. He spent the next 12 harrowing years of his life as a slave on a Louisiana cotton plantation. During this time, he was frequently abused and often afraid for his life. After regaining his freedom in 1853, Northup decided to publish this gripping autobiographical account of his captivity.
As an educated man, Northup was able to present an exceptionally detailed and accurate description of slave life and plantation society. Indeed, this book is probably the fullest, most realistic picture of the “peculiar institution” during the three decades before the Civil War. Moreover, Northup tells his story both from the viewpoint of an outsider, who had experienced 30 years of freedom and dignity in the United States before his capture, and as a slave, reduced to total bondage and submission. Very few personal accounts of American slavery were written by slaves with a similar history.
Published in 1853, Northup’s book found a ready audience and almost immediately became a bestseller. Aside from its vivid depiction of the detention, transportation, and sale of slaves, Twelve Years a Slave is admired for its classic accounts of cotton and sugar production, its uncannily precise recall of people, times, and places, and the compelling details that re-create the daily routine of slaves in the Gulf South. 7 illustrations. Index.
Former slave, impassioned abolitionist, brilliant writer, newspaper editor, and eloquent orator whose speeches fired the abolitionist cause, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) led an astounding life. Physical abuse, deprivation and tragedy plagued his early years, yet with his tenacious character and relentless pursuit of self-education, he would overcome these obstacles to become a leading spokesman for his people.
In this, the first and most frequently read of his three autobiographies, Douglass provides graphic descriptions of his childhood and horrifying experiences as a slave as well as a harrowing record of his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom.
Published in 1845 to quell doubts about his origins — since few slaves of that period could write — the Narrative is admired today for its extraordinary passion, sensitive and vivid descriptions and storytelling power. It belongs in the library of anyone interested in African American history and the life of one of the country’s most courageous and influential champions of civil rights.
Reprint of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, The Anti-Slavery Office, Boston, 1845.
Available for purchase by an individual or group. Purchase price: $4,500
Robert Garcia – Toledo Area Artist
From Humble beginnings in Texas, Robert Garcia moved with his family to Toledo, Ohio. His love of nature, learning and discovery led him to pursue a career in art encompassing many styles and media. His interest in art began as a child hobby, eventually leading to more serious study of art at the University of Toledo where he earned a fellowship to The Yale Sumer School of Music and Art in Norfolk, Connecticut. Following this experience, he began entering his work in local and regional juried exhibition.
Bob’s work has been acquired in the Toledo Museum of Art’s permanent collection among many other public and private collections.
1975 Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
1970 Bachelor of Education, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
Awards
2014 Distinguished Artist, Latino Art Festival
2003 Excellence in Sculpture, Toledo Area Artists Exhibition, Toledo, OH
2002 Second Award, Butler Biennial, Youngstown, OH
1991 Best of Show, Roots of Diversity, Toledo, OH
1990 Best of Show, Roots of Diversity, Toledo, OH
1988 First Award + Purchase Award, Toledo Area Artists Exhibition, Toledo, OH
1987 Purchase Award, Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, OH
1985 Second Award, Canton All Ohio Show, Canton, OH
1983 First Award, Toledo Botanical Gardens Festival of Arts, Toledo, OH
1976 First Award, Toledo Museum of Art Community Gallery, Toledo, OH
1969 Third Award, Toledo Federation of Teachers, Toledo, OH
Employment
1975-2003 Toledo Public Schools, Art Teacher
1973-1975 Ohio State University, Fine Arts, Teaching Assistant
1971-1973 Toledo Public Schools, Art Teacher
Public Works
2006-2016 Midwest Sculpture Initiative 30 cities: Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana
2007 Art ‘Round Town, Saugatuck, MI
2006, 2007 Village of Ottawa Hills Sculpture Exhibition, Toledo, OH
2005, 2006 Gibsonburg Sculpture Park, Gibsonburg, OH
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.
Bee Reader By Israel & Erik Nordin West side of NB Gratiot between Clinton River Dr. & Kibbee St.
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.
Learn about Adams’ pet alligator, Taft’s nickname, and more! Fun facts about 41 different presidents are the clues to these hidden-word puzzles. Names of family members, hobbies, pets, and other related terms appear within each puzzle — backward, forward, diagonally, vertically, and horizontally — and in a separate list of clues. Kids will have hours of presidential amusement! Solutions are included.
Creative Haven Celebrate! Day of the Dead Coloring Book
Lift your “spirits” with this colorful celebration of the Mexican holiday in which families remember and honor their deceased loved ones. Created by David and Chris Edgerly, 31 elaborately detailed designs include iconic sugar skulls as well as dozens of whimsical skeletons, an important symbol of the festive event, in a variety of playful poses. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Celebrate! Day of the Dead and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.
Bee Reader By Israel & Erik Nordin NW Corner of Inches St. & 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.
Our Bee Reader selections for October are:
The Adventures of Reddy Fox by Thornton W. Burgess
When little Reddy Fox gets too big for his breeches and steals a plump pet hen in broad daylight, the stage is set for an exciting tale as Farmer Brown’s boy pursues Reddy with loaded gun and Bowser the Hound. Fortunately, Reddy has wise Granny Fox on his side and, with some timely help from other woodland friends, manages to avoid an unhappy ending.
As this timeless fable unfolds, children will delight in Reddy’s risky antics and the commotion his behavior causes among Johnny Chuck, Drummer the Woodpecker, Peter Rabbit, and the other inhabitants of the Green Forest. Thornton W. Burgess, author of Old Mother West Wind and many other children’s classics, was a master at telling a good story that holds a child’s attention while instilling an important lesson in the most painless and enjoyable fashion. First published in 1913, The Adventures of Reddy Fox was one of his finest efforts. In this inexpensive Dover edition, newly reset in large, easy-to-read type, it will delight children (and adults) today, just as it did their grandparents.
Native American Mazes by Winky Adam
This entertaining little activity book helps youngsters develop their problem-solving abilities as they navigate 33 exciting labyrinths and learn about Native American cultures. They’ll lead a Hopi boy to his lost Kachina doll, show an Apache hunter how to sneak up on a buffalo, and guide a Pequot to his campfire. Brief captions explain each of the mazes. Solutions are included.
