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“Paper Airplanes” is located at the corner of Evergreen Road and West 11 Mile Road.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
“Red Pole Park” is located on Northwestern Highway. It’s across from Staybridge Suites, located at 26060 Northwestern Highway.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
“Boy and Bear” is located inside the Southfield Public Library, 26300 Evergreen Road.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
SOUTHFIELD — Southfield’s landscape is dotted with more than 30 pieces of public art, and it’s a feature the city is proud to display, according to Mayor Ken Siver and the Southfield Public Arts Commission.
The Southfield Public Arts Commission was established in 2014, with the purpose of promoting and advocating for art throughout the city. The commission came to be through the closure of Northland Mall, and the subsequent auctioning of the art within it. Siver said he wanted to save the art as part of Southfield’s history, so he borrowed funds from the city to buy back the art. The money was paid back in a crowdfunding campaign that raised approximately $600,000, according to Siver.
Since its formation, the Southfield Public Arts Commission has collected, maintained and displayed various art pieces throughout the city, including statues, murals and rotating art galleries in City Hall.
Siver said art creates landmarks and breaks up monotonous landscapes. He said it’s an important piece of city life. He said that by advocating for the creation and installation of art pieces in the community, the commission has further embedded arts and culture in Southfield.
“Art helps with placemaking; it becomes an economic driver and attracts people from all over,” Siver said. “I think it also brings an element of surprise and excitement to our community.”
Delores Flagg, chairwoman of the Southfield Public Arts Commission, said the art leads to sustainability for a community. She said it creates ambience and draws people in. She said the art pieces are either donated or commissioned by Southfield businesses and the city.
Flagg said art makes Southfield the city it is, displaying its history and community spirit.
“Our mission is to make art visible, because it is a part of our lives,” Flagg said. “It speaks beyond language.”
The newest public art piece is a multi-statue piece titled “Paper Airplanes,” located on the corner of Evergreen Road and West Eleven Mile Road. It was donated to the city and installed sometime in early April, according to Siver.
Siver and Flagg have both said the landscape of Southfield will always have art within it.
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