Crocus

The first flowers of the spring are in bloom at the Bonior Tree sculpture and the Peacock Garden at the Post Office. Please enjoy the first flowers of spring even though they are small the crocus can endure the changes of weather easily. They are not a native plant but one we all enjoy.  They do not invade our gardens or land but are welcomed but all as the first hint of spring.

 

Crocus (/ˈkroʊkəs/; plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of seasonal flowering plants in the family Iridaceae (iris family) comprising about 100 species of perennials growing from corms. They are low growing plants, whose flower stems remain underground, that bear relatively large white, yellow, orange or purple flowers and then become dormant after flowering. Many are cultivated for their flowers, appearing in autumn, winter, or spring. The flowers close at night and in overcast weather conditions. The crocus has been known throughout recorded history, mainly as the source of saffron. Saffron is obtained from the dried stigma of Crocus sativus, an autumn-blooming species. It is valued as a spice and dyestuff and is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Iran is the center of saffron production. Crocuses are native to woodland, scrub, and meadows from sea level to alpine tundra from the Mediterranean, through North Africa, central and southern Europe, the islands of the Aegean, the Middle East and across Central Asia to Xinjiang in western China. Crocuses may be propagated from seed or from daughter cormels formed on the corm, that eventually produce mature plants. They arrived in Europe from Turkey in the 16th century and became valued as an ornamental flowering plant.

 

  1. Berea Horse

By Jonathan Bowling

Location:  Shadyside Park

 

Jonathan Bowling grew up on a small farm in Kentucky, where the Appalachian Mountains melt into the rolling hills of the Bluegrass. His first sculptural efforts were the simple games of childhood–fieldstone castles, a bridle of hay twine, a driftwood armada. As a teenager in the late eighties, Bowling lived in Belgium, where he had access to the museums of Western Europe. On his return to the states, he attended the University of Kentucky where he received his BFA in sculpture and a BA in art history. In 1996 he moved to Greenville, North Carolina, to pursue an MFA in sculpture at East Carolina University in 1999. He has been working out of Greenville ever since. Bowling has showed extensively in the Eastern United States, which has resulted in a number of long-term lease agreements and sales to municipalities and private collectors.

 

“For the past 12 years I have been focused on public art, largely farm

animals. These pieces are made with the intention of staying outdoors in a public

area without the need for extensive maintenance. The materials I use are often

from the turn of the last century, which I feel is appropriate for depicting animals

so intertwined with our agrarian past. Repurposed steel provides a sound

structure which allows me to work on a scale that lends itself to public spaces.”

 

Check out more of his work at: https://jonathanbowling.com and on https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.s.bowling

 

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.

9. Bee Reader
By Israel & Erik Nordin
Location:  NW Corner of Inches St. and NB Gratiot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final sculpture at Pollinator Park is the Bee Reader by the Nordin Brothers who are Macomb County natives. Their rendition of a bee is most inviting and provides surprises for those who will examine the sculpture. The welcoming smile of the bee once opened by you will produce small paperback books for the taking. These offerings change monthly and are a welcoming gift for young and adult readers. One book is offered each month in the young and adult category. The books celebrate the seasons of the year with puzzles, workbooks and small pollinating chapters. Check it out any season. The Bee Reader is always smiling at you and inviting you to read a little.

 

https://www.detroitdesigncenter.com/ and at https://www.facebook.com/nordinbrothers

 

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.

 

March Bee Reader Books

 

American Short Story Masterpieces, Edited by Clarence C. Strowbridge

As variegated as the American experience itself, this original treasury reflects the vibrant role of the short story in our national literature. Fourteen outstanding tales by famous American authors unfold in settings ranging from the decaying family mansion of Edgar Allan Poe’s dark psychological thriller, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” to the bustling modern apartment building of John Cheever’s domestic drama, “The Enormous Radio.” Moods and attitudes shift from the simmering menace of a lynch mob in William Faulkner’s “Dry September” to the gentle optimism of an elderly couple in Ring Lardner’s “The Golden Honeymoon.”

Other stories include “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Katherine Anne Porter’s “He,” “A Wagner Matinee,” by Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane. Additional contributors include Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Henry James, Edith Wharton, and O. Henry. An affordable resource for classroom use, this anthology is also a fine companion for all who appreciate well-crafted tales.

 

Creative Haven Animal Mosaics Coloring Book, By Jessica Mazurkiewicz

Rendered in the multifaceted style of mosaic art, more than 30 detailed illustrations provide colorists with a wealth of imaginative possibilities. Full-page pictures include birds, squirrels, hippos, foxes, frogs, and a bevy of other creatures, wild and domestic. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Animal Mosaics 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Bee

By Kyle Burnett

Location NW Corner of Inches & NB Gratiot

The Bee is the third sculpture by Kyle Burnett at the MCEP Pollinator Park.  The Bee being a pollinator was a perfect addition to the park.  It too has a seat convenient for taking photographs.  Come and take a look at our pollinators.

 

Check out other work from Kyle Burnett at:

https://www.facebook.com/kyleburnettart

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Hawk Moth

By Kyle Burnett

Location: NW Corner of Inches St. & NB Gratiot

 

The Hawk Moth was commission by MCEP after Kyle Burnett completed Butterfly on Milkweed.  MCEP was pleased with his work showing the Pollinator Park up close.  The pocket park was named Pollinator Park, and we wanted to include other pollinators as sculptures. The sculptures were great additions, and they also have seats where one can be photographed with each pollinator.  MCEP likes the artist’s reuse of materials, bringing to life recycled items.

 

Check out other work from Kyle Burnett at:

https://www.facebook.com/kyleburnettart

 

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.

 

Bee R

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.

 

February Bee Reader Books

 

History of the Civil Rights Movement coloring book, by Steven James Petruccio

Thirty full-page illustrations chronicle key events of one of the twentieth century’s most important social movements. Informative captions accompany the dramatic scenes, from Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation through the movement’s struggles and achievements of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s.

 

Wit & Wisdom of the American Presidents,  a book of quotations, edited by Joslyn Pine

“I know only two tunes,” said Ulysses S. Grant. “One of them is Yankee Doodle and the other isn’t.” Jimmy Carter observed: “Whatever starts in California unfortunately has an inclination to spread.” And Warren Harding complained: “The White House is a prison. I can’t get away from the men who dog my footsteps. I am in jail.”
This entertaining, handy little book includes over 400 other memorable quotes, expressed by America’s chief executives over the past two centuries, among them Chester Arthur’s blunt, “I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody’s damn business,” Calvin Coolidge’s terse “The chief business of America is business,” Dwight Eisenhower’s “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from a cornfield,” and George Herbert Walker Bush’s “Read my lips, no new taxes.”
From George Washington to Barack Obama, these presidential declarations will not only provide public speakers and students of American history with a wealth of useful material, they’ll also delight general readers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Butterfly on Milkweed

By Kyle Burnett

Location:  NW Corner of Inches St. & NB Gratiot

 

This is the first of three sculptures completed by Kyle Burnett for the MCEP Pollinator Park.

 

The “Butterfly on Milkweed” was created by Kyle Burnett of Battle Creek, Michigan. A young artist, craftsman who divided his time between both pursuits. MCEP found him by viewing his creations at the Sterling Heights Nature Center where they are still on display. MCEP liked his design and asked him for some drawings for a yet to happen Pollinator  Park. His work became the first to be displayed in the new pocket park which at the time was only a vacant lot on Northbound Gratiot. The sculpture  has an inviting seat to make you a part of the experience. This was the first piece ever commissioned by MCEP. The piece was paid for by MCEP and a grant from Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, now known as Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). Thanks to Kyle for his work and MACC for their financial help. 

 

Check out other work from Kyle Burnett at:

https://www.facebook.com/kyleburnettart

 

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.

  1. Night Lily

By Pam Reithmeier

Location:  West side of NB Gratiot Between Kibbee & Roberston

 

Pamela Reithmeier was born and raised in the Toledo, OH area. She has a Masters in Special Education from The University of Toledo and has retired after teaching for 34 years.  Pam started sculpting in 2002. She has won various awards for her artwork.  Her sculptures have been on display in galleries and juried shows throughout Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Indian, and Illinois. In addition, Pam has sculptures in private collections as well as commissioned pieces in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Florida. Pamela uses both salvaged and new materials in her artwork.  Pam also taught an Art Welding class at Owens Community College for 4 years. She is currently president of the Toledo Area Sculptures Guild and curator of Sculpture in the Village, Gibsonburg, OH.

I love to see people interact with my sculptures. Whether it is a nod of the head, a smile, or having their picture taken with my pieces; it does not matter as long as there is a connection in some way between the sculpture and the viewer. I have found I am drawn to making sculptures inspired by nature and geometric patterns. I particularly enjoy the permanency and strength of steel and the mental and physical challenges that come with working in this medium.

Check out more of Pam’s work at:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100063446067054

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Confessions

    By Mike Sohikian

    Location: NE Corner of NB Gratiot & Robertson

 

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.

 

Check out some of his work at

https://www.facebook.com/russel.sohikian

 

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.