Monument to folly?
Sculpture commemorates GR as first city to fluoridate water
By: Deborah Johnson Wood
On Friday, September 14, Grand Rapids' newest outdoor sculpture will be presented to the city to commemorate its role as the first city in the world to fluoridate its public water supply. Amsterdam artist Cyril Lixenberg created the 33-foot sculpture, entitled Steel Water, at the request of the Fluoride Commemorative Committee (FCC).
The bright blue sculpture is made of three-quarters-inch steel and resembles a moving current of water. Lixenberg worked on it for months at the west side's Lietelt Iron Works. Tooth decay was common in pre-fluoride days. During WWII when hundreds of thousands of young men vied to get into the US armed services, many couldn't because of tooth decay.
"Ten percent of them were rejected," says Doctor James Wieland, DDS, PLC, chair of the FCC. "They only needed six opposing teeth to get by, and they couldn't come up with that number."
The city and the FCC created a pocket park for the sculpture, next to the new JW Marriott along the riverwalk. It replaces an art piece installed in 1995 to commemorate 50 years of fluoridation. Vandals desecrated that piece, and the city proposed to move it. The FCC proposed to replace it, instead.
Fittingly, the sculpture display area includes a drinking fountain.
"We wanted to make sure visitors could get a sample of Grand Rapids fluoridated water," says Doctor Wieland.
Source: James Wieland, DDS, PLC, Fluoride Commemoration Committee
By: Deborah Johnson Wood
On Friday, September 14, Grand Rapids' newest outdoor sculpture will be presented to the city to commemorate its role as the first city in the world to fluoridate its public water supply. Amsterdam artist Cyril Lixenberg created the 33-foot sculpture, entitled Steel Water, at the request of the Fluoride Commemorative Committee (FCC).
The bright blue sculpture is made of three-quarters-inch steel and resembles a moving current of water. Lixenberg worked on it for months at the west side's Lietelt Iron Works. Tooth decay was common in pre-fluoride days. During WWII when hundreds of thousands of young men vied to get into the US armed services, many couldn't because of tooth decay.
"Ten percent of them were rejected," says Doctor James Wieland, DDS, PLC, chair of the FCC. "They only needed six opposing teeth to get by, and they couldn't come up with that number."
The city and the FCC created a pocket park for the sculpture, next to the new JW Marriott along the riverwalk. It replaces an art piece installed in 1995 to commemorate 50 years of fluoridation. Vandals desecrated that piece, and the city proposed to move it. The FCC proposed to replace it, instead.
Fittingly, the sculpture display area includes a drinking fountain.
"We wanted to make sure visitors could get a sample of Grand Rapids fluoridated water," says Doctor Wieland.
Source: James Wieland, DDS, PLC, Fluoride Commemoration Committee
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