Ziibi Elpidos

Artist

Todd Erickson (American, b. 1959)

Date

2017

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

Approximate : 10 ft. 4 in. x 14 ft. x 8 ft. (3.1 x 4.3 x 2.4 m)

Credit Line

Hope College Collection

Object Number

2017.44

Label

Todd Erickson is a graduate of Hope College and the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Erickson was a Biology major/Art minor at Hope and has continued his twin interests in sculpture and the natural environment throughout his career. For the past several years, Erickson has been creating sculptures using fallen tree branches that he collects while canoeing and hiking in wilderness areas around the state of Michigan. He arranges these branches into organic-looking but carefully-composed sculptures which he cuts into pieces, casts in bronze, and then welds back together to re-create the original forms. His technique is masterful and he is able to preserve all of the textures and subtle details of the branches in the finished metal pieces. The title of this sculpture, Ziibi Elpidos, means River of Hope in a combination of Ojibwa and Greek.