Artist donates sculpture to Birmingham

By Kevin Elliott

Local artist Kegham Tazian will donate his sculpture “Pyramid Earth” to the city of Birmingham, which will place the work at Linden Park.

Birmingham City Commissioners on Monday, January 8, unanimously approved accepting the bronze sculpture, which stands five-feet, three-inches tall and weighs 400 pounds. The sculpture will be placed on a three-foot granite pedestal mount.

The sides of the sculpture are triangular and feature the east and west hemisphere of the earth. The sculpture is meant to be a monument to our world with a realistic representation of the globe set on two pillars suggesting upward mobility and strength.

“Pyramid Earth” was originally commissioned by TRW Automotive, in Sterling Heights, in 1994 before being relinquished by the artist. In 2013, the sculpture was installed at Oakland County Community College’s Farmington Hills campus. Tazian and his family are offering the sculpture to Birmingham as a means of giving back to a community that featured so prominently in the artist’s roots.

Tazian is an award-winning, Armenian-born artist who has gained notoriety for the diversity of his work and variety of media. His work has been represented in many local, national and international exhibitions. Upon immigrating to the United States, Tazian earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Wayne State University and became a resident of Birmingham, where he raised his children.

The Birmingham Public Arts Board will contribute $2,000 towards the installation of the sculpture, which will pay for part of the $8,500 pedestal. Another $2,000 will be paid by the Cultural Council of Birmingham Bloomfield, with the remainder being paid by Tazian.