Remembering David Barr

David Barr, the award winning artist and creator of the ”Liberation” sculpture series located on the grounds of NCRC in Ann Arbor, died on Friday, August 28th following a brief illness.

As an artist and teacher, Barr was inspirational. His work is timeless and thought-provoking. Examples of his work can be seen at the Michigan Legacy Art Park at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Michigan and at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit.
He was commissioned by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in 2002 to create “Liberation” on the grounds of what is now U-M North Campus Research Complex. This series acknowledges the birth of an idea. You can follow the guided tour “An Exercise in Art” featuring this series. The tour shares an in-depth explanation behind this work of art.
“Liberation” consists of nine separate objects or groups of objects near the main entrance to Building 18 and scattered throughout the landscape on the west side of Huron Parkway. The large, gray pieces are carved out of the same block of Prairie Green granite from Canada. The egg is white marble from Vermont. Adding symbolic depth to the series, Barr hid forged objects inside many of the individual sculptural pieces. The objects represent hidden keys that are unlocked by researchers who are looking for answers to society’s most pressing problems.