Created by Toledo, Ohio sculptor Pamela Reithmeier, Helios is one of 11 sculptures in the 17th Annual Sculpture Exhibit on Ford Road in Canton, Michigan.
The bright red circular sculpture installed on the grass near the Target parking lot is named for Helios, the Titan god of the sun.
I was disappointed there wasn’t much information about Reithmeier’s sculpture on the Canton sculpture exhibit website.
Thankfully, my online research provided some background about Reithmeier as well as a recent story about Helios in Dayton.com ‘s Sculptures take flight in Troy (Wayback Machine).
Reithmeier has a masters in special education and taught for 34 years before retiring.
She started sculpting in 2002, learning from sculptor James Havens at Owens Community College. (I highlighted Havens’ Big Money, Lincoln Penny in summer 2022.)
I learned Reithmeier has exhibited her work at the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit every year since 2014.
Reithmeier began her work on the Helios sculpture by looking through her barn and pulling out several metal pieces.
“The centerpiece with the rays of the sun was a piece I found that was bent and damaged.
So I put it on two-by-fours and drove my car over it to flatten it out.
Whoa!
The rest of the sculpture is from leftover pieces of other sculptures as well as farming implements, which she ground, sanded, and welded.
Helios is bright red, her mother’s favorite color.
If you’re near or have traveled through Canton, Michigan, have you seen Helios on Ford Road?
