News - Press Release

Tuskegee Airmen honored in Art Park

Michigan Legacy Art Park to install new sculpture this weekend.

THOMPSONVILLE, MICH – Fallen Comrade, a new sculpture paying tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, will be installed at Michigan Legacy Art Park, located at Crystal Mountain, Saturday, May 30.

The piece, created by artist David Greenwood of Grand Rapids, is an abstraction of a P-51 Mustang fighter plane, the aircraft most identified with the Tuskegee Airmen. The sculpture, funded through grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and nearly 50 individual donors, is 32 feet long, seven feet high with a wing span of 36 feet. Greenwood created the fighter plane in his studio at the Kendall College of Art & Design and was assisted by students from area schools in Benzie and Antrim counties with the final sanding and painting.  Tom and Sue Besey of Thompsonville, Mich. donated the use of their hangar at the Thompsonville Airport for these final activities. 

Each of the 40-plus works of art within Michigan Legacy Art Park celebrates the culture and history of Michigan and Fallen Comrade is no exception.  Of the 1,000 African-Americans trained as Tuskegee Airmen, 155 were from the state of Michigan. The sculpture also symbolizes the role of Detroit’s Big Three automakers as the “arsenal of democracy,” producing $29 billion of war-related items.

A dedication ceremony for "Fallen Comrade" is planned for August 14. Among those expected to attend are members of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Legacy Awards Gala will follow the ceremony where the Tuskegee Airmen will be presented with the First Annual Legacy Award. Michigan Legacy Art Park will honor an individual, group or organization each year for their contributions to Michigan’s arts, history and culture.     

Michigan Legacy Art Park, a 501(c)3 non-profit,  is a 30-acre preserve featuring over 40 outdoor sculptures along 1.6-miles of wooded trails. The partnership between Crystal Mountain and Michigan Legacy Art Park was recognized with the Governor’s Award for Innovative Tourism Collaboration in 2008.

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