Faculty artist is

Sculpting history

"Those (works of art) are going to be there much longer than I'm alive. It's nice to do something that will outlive you."
— J Brett Grill

J Brett Grill will officially become a presidential portrait artist in fall 2009 when his sculpture of Gerald R. Ford is unveiled in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol building. Grill is an assistant professor in the Department of Art.

A selection committee of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation recently chose Grill's scale model for the 7-foot, full-body sculpture in bronze. He will produce the statue, which will become part of the National Statuary Collection housed in various buildings in Washington, D.C.

Grill, who grew up in Ford's home state of Michigan, considers the project a "huge honor" in sculpting. About 3 to 5 million people visit the historic building each year, and the Rotunda displays more than two centuries of sculpture, paintings and murals by artists who are commonly featured in textbooks.

"The sculpture allows me to think about the history the Capitol is trying to tell," he says. "It's flattering to be involved in telling that story."

Grill prepared for the competition by reading biographies of Ford, viewing archival videos and collecting several hundred photos to determine how the president carried himself. He experimented with poses by making more than 25 small-scale clay models — Ford seated in a chair, standing alone or by a chair, with crossed arms, with a hand in a pocket and several other variations.

"It was clear to me that if Ford were sitting in the room, he wouldn't want to be memorialized as a hero," Grill says. "Everything I read about him suggested leadership balanced with humility, and that's what I tried to inject in the pose."

In the selected pose, Ford stands with his right hand grasping the front of his suit jacket and his left hand carrying files (Ford was left-handed). He wears a classic suit and vest from 1976.

Grill believes the choice may have been made when Ford's son Steven — a member of the selection committee — viewed the models and said of Grill's work: "That's my dad."

Several maquettes (quarter-scale models) of the piece will be produced for the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor, Mich., as well as for members and friends of the Ford family.

Fewer than 15 sculptors nationally received requests to submit models for consideration. Grill's inclusion in the group was an unusual honor because he teaches drawing and painting and only recently pursued a heightened interest in sculpting. He is the least-experienced in public sculpture and the youngest of the three finalists, who were announced in summer 2008.

A bust of Ford that Grill created was installed this summer at the Boys and Girls Club in Palm Desert, Calif., Ford's retirement city.

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J Brett Grill
Department of Art