Martin Luther King, Jr., (sculpture) - Ypsilanti, MI - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. in its own brick circular plaza on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It was sculpted by Nancy Sippel in 1989. There is an informational placard at the plaza that reads:

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
Nancy Sippel, 1989

"I wanted to show the kindness in his face, the strength and the humanity"
While Simple was a graduate student at EMU, she entered and won a competition to create a sculpture to be placed in the MLK Garden and Plaza. After Sipppel won the unanimous vote of the judging committee, she aimed for the true goal of the portraiture - to go beyond the facade of the face to show the spirit of the person.

The sculpture is listed on the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (Link below). It describes the sculpture as "Bust of Martin Luther King Jr. on a tall pedestal in landscaped plaza setting with four reliefs arranged in a semi-circle on the south side. Dr. King wears a suit and tie. The reliefs depict scenes from his life. "Bus Boycott" has a view of Rosa Parks sitting by the window on a bus with a group of protesters below. "Letter from Jail" shows Dr. King in a jail cell with books and papers in front of him. Dr. King is giving a speech in "I Have a Dream." "Free at Last" is a more abstract piece with flame and drape-like forms."

The Subject
Martin Luther King, Jr., original name Michael King, Jr., (born January 15, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.—died April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee), Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. His leadership was fundamental to that movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the South and other parts of the United States. King rose to national prominence as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which promoted nonviolent tactics, such as the massive March on Washington (1963), to achieve civil rights. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. -Britannica

On the base of the sculpture is a placard that reads:

Martin Luther King Jr.
January 15, 1929
April 4, 1968

The sculpture is bronze; Base: concrete.
Size: Sculpture: approx. 30 x 25 x 17 in.; Base: approx. 55 x 22 x 18 in.

TITLE: Martin Luther King, Jr., (sculpture) ARTIST(S): Nancy Sippel DATE: 1989 MEDIUM: Sculpture: bronze; Base: concrete. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS MI000698 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: MLK Gardens - EMU 810-814 W Cross St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None noted

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