The Jackson City Council tonight will consider awarding a contract for the Summer Night Tree Restoration to Coats Industrial Painting of Otter Lake, Michigan in the amount of $66,786.35 . The City of Jackson Public Art Commission opened sealed bids Thursday, June 29, 2017 for Summer Night Tree Restoration. They also approved and recommended this contract in the Jackson Public Arts Commission meeting on July 5, 2017.
A total of $40,000 has already been raised by the Commission, with donations by the Jackson Arts Commission, Weatherwax Foundation, Samuel Higby Camp Foundation and the James A. and Faith Knight Foundation. The Council will be asked to approve the expenditure of $26,786 to make up the balance.
Summer Night Tree by Louise Nevelson was originally installed in the former plaza of
One Jackson Square. Louise Nevelson herself chose Jackson because of the city’s location to major universities and colleges. She felt that would offer students the opportunity to see her work first hand.
In 1988, the sculpture was put into storage during parking lot reconstruction at the plaza in 1998. Three years later the sculpture was reinstalled at its current location at the comer of Michigan Avenue and Francis Street.
In preparation for restoration, The Jackson Public Arts Commission had the sculpture appraised by the Pace Gallery of New York City in 2015. The gallery, experts in the field of Nevelson’s work, appraised the sculpture at $4,000,000. Next, the McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory inspected the sculpture and made recommendations on restoration specifications.
In the bid by Coats Industrial Painting, owner Richard Coats lists his experience in sculpture restoration with projects at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and the City of Indianapolis. The restoration will include removing paint and corrosion by a vapor blast system, filling and repairs, primer and final paint. The estimated timeline is under three weeks.
