“ I have always had a fascination with buildings and bridges, as well as, the columns, posts, beams and arches that support them. I come to this world from a tradition of craftsmanship. I prefer to use materials that convey strength. I have always felt that good art should be well made and that there is no excuse for poor craftsmanship.
I see each sculpture as a ‘clean sheet of paper’ that presents new opportunities to discover solutions. Beyond content and suitability, my sculpture concentrates on the fundamental issues of form and how negative space defines it, as well as, the techniques employed to create it.”
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 2025 – 2026.
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 at 586 783 6008 and we will replenish the stock.
January Bee Reader Books
African Folk Tales, edited by Hugh Vernon-Jackson, Illustrated by Yuko Green
This exciting collection of traditional African folk tales introduces you to a host of interesting people and unusual animals. Eighteen authentic fables, recorded as they were told by tribal members of Nigerian and other cultures, range from the imaginative “Story of a Farmer and Four Hyenas” to an entertaining account of “The Man with Seven Dogs.”
In “The Magic Crocodile,” you’ll meet a reptile with very strange powers, while “The Boy in the Drum” teaches a valuable lesson in the importance of obeying one’s parents. In “The Hare and the Crownbird,” a fine, feathered friend is rewarded for its acts of kindness. You’ll also learn why a ram has a large head and a tortoise a small one in “The Greedy but Cunning Tortoise”; and in “A She-Goat and Her Children,” you’ll discover how a clever animal managed to provide food for her children.
Set in large, easy-to-read type and enhanced with Yuko Green’s 19 lively illustrations, this collection of time-honored folk tales will delight readers of all ages.
Wit & Wisdom of America’s First Ladies, edited by Joslyn Pine
“The one thing I do not want,” quipped Jacqueline Kennedy, “is to be called First Lady. It sounds like a saddle horse.” This lively collection includes more than 350 revealing and thought-provoking remarks by White Housewives, from Martha Washington (“I live a very dull life here, and know nothing that passes in town.”) to Melania Trump (“Together, let’s encourage children to dream big, think big, and do all they can to be best in everything that they do.”)
Humorous and heartfelt reflections include Abigail Adams’s thoughts on partnership (“No man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife.”); Dolley Madison’s attitude toward gossip (“It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people’s business.”); and Eleanor Roosevelt’s comment on accountability (“It is often the people who refuse to assume any responsibility who are apt to be the sharpest critics of those who do.”).
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.
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.
