Sterling Heights put its sculpture collection on the map

Sterling Heights has turned its civic campus into an outdoor gallery. Permanent pieces stand around the library, City Hall, and fire stations. The collection includes work by Marshall Fredericks, Janice Trimpe, John Piet, and other Michigan artists. The city even built a GIS art map so people can find the pieces without wandering building to building.

The most visible work is The Seed, a 26-foot sculpture of steel and blown glass installed in 2017 at the Dodge Park and Utica roads roundabout. Green glass fills its leaf shapes, and lighting changes how it looks after dark.

The program has kept growing through murals and smaller commissions. That gives this large suburban city something many places its size never develop: a public art collection that works like a trail through the center of town.

The city’s map is the easiest way to see the collection as a collection. It identifies works beyond the civic-center lawn, including pieces at public buildings that are easy to pass without noticing. Start on foot around City Hall and the library, then use the map for the farther stops. The Seed sits inside an active roundabout, so it should be viewed from a safe public spot rather than from the roadway.