Great Lakes Fountain

A generous contribution from the Kresge Foundation gave sculptor Glen Michaels the opportunity to design a unique fountain/pool for the Center's first floor rotunda. Surrounding the base of the Michigan white pine, it symbolizes the crucial role nature played in shaping Michigan's history.

Michaels created an elaborate mosaic made of hundreds of pieces of fused colored glass. A dazzling display of blues, violets and greens swirl across the floor of the pool, replicating realistic aspects of water movement.

"Herringbone patterns cast on shoals by sunlight passing through surface eddies, ripples created by sudden upsurges and the sweep and flow of cross currents have been incorporated in stylized form in this glass surface," says Michaels. Architect William Kessler added granite silhouettes of land forms in the Mackinac Straits area to complement the design. Islands "float" on steel dowels to provide space for dramatic lighting. "The fountain is emblematic of the beauty and power of the Great Lakes," says Michaels. "As such, it takes its location at the very center of this building."