Man in the City can now be found on the top of the U-Haul Moving and Self-Storage New Center location, and what appears to be the “U-Haul Orange” iconic color and could be construed as something U-Haul started – it’s NOT. John Sauve artist and creator of the Man in the City project is the “Man” behind this project!
Meet the Man
John Sauve is more than just an artist, he is a philanthropist with a vision to inspire and give back to his community. John started the Sauvé Art Foundation 10 years ago with one goal in mind, “building communities through public art.” Born in Detroit, John has lived in the city his entire life with the exception of going to college. John is not the typical sculpturer, his work as a curator can be seen in the City of Birmingham Cityscapes Sculpture Exhibit, the Blue Water International Sculpture Exhibit, overseeing the sculpture installation in the Stone Ridge Sculpture Park just outside Manhattan, the Lyon Sculpture Park in New Hudson, and- most important- John was recently honored with installing the first sculpture on the Detroit Riverfront Sculpture Park.
In 2010, John’s artwork was commissioned by the Marc Ecko Foundation to be the first public sculpture exhibit installed on New York City’s Highline and John’s sculpture was located in front of the Merchandise Mart in Downtown Chicago during the 2011 Art Chicago Sculpture Exhibit.
What exactly is the Man in the City?
The Man in the City sculpture project is comprised of over 30 sculptures located on the rooftops throughout the City of Detroit. I might as well just let John tell you himself about this fabulous project as he places the Man in the City atop the U-Haul Moving and Storage Midtown location in this video.
The sculptures will be installed for two years, and during that time period the Sauve Art Foundation will be holding fundraisers to benefit the children’s art programming in the City of Detroit. John has worked with the youth at the YMCA and is currently working with the Boys and Girls Clubs where he engages the children in the community and encourages them to delve into their artistic creativity and make their very own Man in the City. As part of the project, John has incorporated educational workshops for children about photography and videography. With John being as successful as he is with his artistry, it is truly commendable that he contributes his time and funding to give back to the community through this project – which just goes to show that that there is much more to the Man in the City and the man behind the project.
U-Haul is truly honored to have the Man in the City sculpture selected to be showcased atop our building, and couldn’t be more impressed with John’s commitment to the community of Detroit. Plus- it doesn’t hurt that U-Haul just happens to have a passion and liking to the color he selected to represent the Man in the City!
What other buildings have you seen the Man in the City on top of in Detroit?
–JoeyGirl
