J. Brett Grill’s Statue of Gerald R. Ford Unveiled
A bronze statue of President Ford created by J. Brett Grill (BFA 2001) was recently dedicated in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Ford, the 38th president of the United States, graduated from U‑M in 1935 and also served as vice president and represented West Michigan in the U.S. House.
J. Brett Grill, 32 and a University of Michigan alumnus, won the $99,000 commission in 2008 for the sculpture.
He worked closely with the Ford family – those who know the president’s face the best – and immersed himself with hundreds of photos and pages of research to enrich the art. The sculpture embodies Ford’s traits of humility and duty, he said.
“It’s an incredible honor,” said Grill, an assistant professor at University of Missouri. “It will be part of history that will outlive me.”
Grill constructed the Ford sculpture in Missouri and completed the work a year ago, awaiting Congressional approval. Now Grill is working on a duplicate copy of the sculpture that will stand outside the Ford museum in Grand Rapids in time for his July birthday.
From The Detroit News.