The Zemp Legacy Monument at the Howell District Carnegie Library, Howell, MI, Bronze, 94"x 51" x36"
Creating a Monument: The Zemp Legacy
The five minute movie of The Making of The Zemp Legacy Monument can be found on my Home Page.
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From a nationwide search for artists, we were honored to be selected to work with the community of Howell, Michigan to create a monument celebrating the legacy of local icon, Duane L. Zemper, known by all fondly and simply as "Zemp."
Zemp's many accomplishments in his long life presented an intriguing creative challenge - how to acknowledge the uniqueness of who he was and all that he contributed in a traditional but contemporary sculpture? Through long conversations with the 18 member Zemp Legacy Committee, along with months of research and brainstorming, we chose to create a sculptural element of a stack of books for Zemp to rest his arm on.
From being the town's photographer for decades, recording the lives and history of the community, to saving Howell's historical photographs and documents from two disasters and ultimately co-creating the city archives, Zemp was a beloved community hero. Among many other things, he was a decorated WWII photographer, once held the world record for sit-ups, qualified for the Olympics in Track and Field, was an honored Rotarian who never missed a meeting in 65+ years and mostly, according to everyone who knew him, he was the ultimate storyteller, delighting countless people over the years with his tales of history, community, the foibles of people and the whimsies of fortune.
A nod to the Carnegie Library where the statue resides, the book stack contains titles representing the myriad facets of his life, accomplishments and contributions including: books he wrote, books that inspired him, hints pointing to people who helped him on his way, metaphors symbolizing defining moments and imaginary titles representing stories he told that were familiar and fond memories for the community.
As an interactive element of the monument, we included over 60 of these "Easter eggs" - symbols and stories that members of the community will find and share tales about for decades to come, thereby perpetuating Zemp's legacy for years beyond the lives of those who knew him.
Zemp's many accomplishments in his long life presented an intriguing creative challenge - how to acknowledge the uniqueness of who he was and all that he contributed in a traditional but contemporary sculpture? Through long conversations with the 18 member Zemp Legacy Committee, along with months of research and brainstorming, we chose to create a sculptural element of a stack of books for Zemp to rest his arm on.
From being the town's photographer for decades, recording the lives and history of the community, to saving Howell's historical photographs and documents from two disasters and ultimately co-creating the city archives, Zemp was a beloved community hero. Among many other things, he was a decorated WWII photographer, once held the world record for sit-ups, qualified for the Olympics in Track and Field, was an honored Rotarian who never missed a meeting in 65+ years and mostly, according to everyone who knew him, he was the ultimate storyteller, delighting countless people over the years with his tales of history, community, the foibles of people and the whimsies of fortune.
A nod to the Carnegie Library where the statue resides, the book stack contains titles representing the myriad facets of his life, accomplishments and contributions including: books he wrote, books that inspired him, hints pointing to people who helped him on his way, metaphors symbolizing defining moments and imaginary titles representing stories he told that were familiar and fond memories for the community.
As an interactive element of the monument, we included over 60 of these "Easter eggs" - symbols and stories that members of the community will find and share tales about for decades to come, thereby perpetuating Zemp's legacy for years beyond the lives of those who knew him.
Even though we never got to meet Zemp, he captured our hearts, like those of the community he shared his life with that chose to honor his legacy. It delights us to see the community interacting with the sculpture and continuing to create a new legacy under Zemp's watchful eyes.
As history moves on, Zemp will forever get to observe the changes of time in his beloved town of Howell, Michigan.
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November 4, 2018 Zemp Legacy Dedication Ceremony video
Click here or on the photo below to view the video of the unveiling and dedication
Click here or on the photo below to view the video of the unveiling and dedication
