About David Barr
David Barr (1939-2015) was an American artist, writer and educator influential in the development of North American Structuralism, an offshoot of early 20th Century Constructionism. Throughout his prolific career, which spanned over 50 years, David Barr created works of art that expressed his personal creative philosophy which included the basic constructs of nature in combination with the constructive principles of art.
Barr’s work can be divided into three categories including public or monumental sculptures, structuralist reliefs, and global conceptual art. They all share an aesthetic that seamlessly melds the arts and sciences drawing upon such disciplines as geometry, geography, music, human relationships, historical events, political consequences, and contemporary science.
Representative Public/Monumental Sculptures
Coasting the Baseline, Farmington Hills, Northville, Novi, Southfield, MI 2013-2015
Men-an-Tol, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago IL: 2007
Dawn, Warren Civic Center, Warren, MI: 2006-2007
Vault, Columbus State College, Columbus: OH 2006
Sonata II, Schoolcraft College, Livonia: MI 2005
Transcending, Labor Legacy Project, Hart Plaza, Detroit, MI: 2002-2003
Morning Gate, Milsapp College, Jackson, MS: 2002
Strata, Krasl Museum, St Joseph, MI : 2002
Synergy, Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI 1999
Source, Detroit Zoo Wildlife Interpretive Center: 1995
Soaring, Bishop Airport, Flint: MI 1994
Blue Arc, Hoffman Corporation, Appelton, WI: 1989
Polaris Ring, State of Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing, MI 1988
Sunset Cube, Meadowbrook Sculpture Garden, Oakland University, Rochester: MI 1981
Crystal Transformation, Macomb Community College, Warren, MI: 1976
Structuralist Transformation, Fairlane Town Center, Dearborn MI: 1976
Four Corners Project - A conceptual sculpture spanning the globe. The project was begun in 1979 and completed in 1985 and consists of an invisible tetrahedron inside the earth with its four corners protruding the surface at Easter Island, New Guinea, South Africa and Greenland. During the five-year project he traveled to each location and installed a marble pinnacle at the exact location of the apexes where the planes meet. The project provides a cultural, geographic, spiritual and aesthetic metaphor and references the Plutonic Solids. Barr describes The Four Corners Project as “an act of constructive creation that has at its core a faith in humanity and a confidence that when we are united by the arts, the world community is most loving, most, sane, and most human”
Sunsweep - A series of sculptures that form an imaginary arc spanning the North American continent from New Brunswick to Roberts Point, Washington. “Sunsweep” commemorates the longest peaceful border in the world. Each sculpture is positioned in a place that can only be reached over land by traveling both through Canada and the US. Each sculpture is positioned to reflect the position of the sun as it passes from east to west from dawn to noon to dusk. “It [Sunsweep] is, as are all of David Barr projects, breathtakingly creative…representing and symbolizing the cohesiveness of the U.S. and Canada.” U.S. Senator Carl Levin, 1985
Arctic Arc - Consists of two complementary sculptures creating an invisible arc across the Bering Strait. In Alaska a sculpture of wood and steel suggests both the frame of a ship and a human hand with a dove rising from it. The corresponding sculpture in Russia again uses both the ship and the hand motif. In Arctic Arc Barr asks the viewer to contemplate the significance of a place where humans first entered North America.
About Villa Barr
Villa Barr is a recent addition to the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department of the City of Novi, Michigan. The four-acre property, previously owned by David Barr and dancer Beth Dwaihy Barr, includes a home, studio and multiple sculpture installations in a park setting. The home was designed by Chicago architect Laurence Booth to reflect David Barr’s personal aesthetic, one that was “…germinated by constructivist principles of art, fascination with nature’s innermost structural processes, and a belief in the promises of the American democratic experiment."
The intention of the park is to enhance art experiences in Novi whether by admiring the art installations or participating in a program at the site. Construction of a parking lot and pathway, along with amenities such as interpretive signage and respite areas, was completed in fall 2018. The project is funded in part by Novi Parks Foundation and a grant from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs.
The David Barr Legacy Artist Residency program has been established in collaboration with Michigan Legacy Art Park, a sculpture park which was founded by Barr and is located on the grounds of Crystal Mountain, in Thompsonville. The Friends of Villa Barr was instrumental in developing this new artist-in-residence program. The Friends of Villa Barr is a group of friends and family of David and Beth Barr, as well as Novi community members and art experts.
Strategic Planning
Since its inception, Villa Barr Art Park has had numerous supporters who want to see it continue to evolve. Ideas for future programming, investments and marketing have been very broad. This strategic plan will serve as a roadmap for future programs, projects and investments. Input for the plan was provided by members of the Novi community, as well as friends and family of the Barrs and local artists.
Strategic Plan 2021 Strategic Plan Progress Report - August 2021 Strategic Plan Progress Report - August 2022 Strategic Plan Progress Report - August 2023
