ROADSIDE MICHIGAN: Gearhead, Downtown Lansing
This art piece is lovingly called “Gearhead” by local admirers but the actual name of this artwork is “Portrait of a Dreamer.”
Created by Ivan Iler of St. Johns, this piece sits in downtown Lansing on the Museum Drive Bridge along Michigan Avenue, and has been there since its installation on December 7, 2017. According to Iler,
“As I designed this sculpture to represent all three organizations that are housed on Museum Drive, I thought of gears ‘turning’ and those gears/thoughts/ideas moving down toward the cultural district.”
At 15-feet-tall, it’s illuminated and composed of stainless steel. Plus, it’s interactive. There’s a crank at the base that you can turn and watch the gears stick out of its head and do their work. The kids sure get a kick out of it!
Gearhead has been there over two years now, and have you taken the time to visit it? It makes for some great photo ops and selfies, so get over there soon, spin the gears, and get some shots!