Jim Ardis, Midland artist

Copper and clay are the mediums that artist Jim Ardis likes the best. You will see, all about Michigan, lots of his suns and his fish as well as other unique creations. We first noticed one of his pieces of art in St Ignace, when we saw this beautiful fish down by the waterfront. Then we observed his artwork in Midland, where Jim resides, at the Dow Gardens and in the Chippewa Nature Center. When in Frankenmuth, check out the beautiful fountain Jim created in the Gunzenhausen Platz.

Mill Race Fountain in Battle Creek

There's a story behind this lovely cascading waterfall fountain in downtown Battle Creek. Back in the early 1800's Sands McCamly rightfully figured out the if he built a channel between the Kalamazoo River and the Battle Creek that it would create a mill race. With one river being higher than the other, the surging water in the man-made channel would provide the power for mills and the grinding of wheat and straw and such. The Mill Race Fountain was built in memory of those mills and the artwork on the walls shows scenes from the original mill race with a plaque honoring Sands himself and his great idea.

DTE Energy Fountain Detroit

The headquarters for DTE Energy and their 10,000+ employees is in Detroit. Their fountains are beautifully illuminated at night. They transformed the asphalt lots in their surrounding area into parks and fountains and created a wonderful green space!