An "in camera" tour of the grounds and sculptures at the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Although I grew up in Michigan, I did not get a chance to visit the Cranbrook Academy of Art located in Bloomfield Hills, north of Detroit.  My family was not particularly interested in places like Cranbrook, which seemed elitist, pretentious, and very very urban.  I am grateful for the appreciation of natural beauty that my parents instilled in me, but glad of the self-taught love of art and design would come later.  I feel like the same dual appreciation of nature and man was central to the aesthetic of the renowned Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen and the deep-pocketed founder of Cranbrook newspaper mogul George Gough Booth in creating the Academy. 

I was finally able to visit Cranbrook this summer, and put together a little "in camera" tour of the grounds and sculptures around the Museum and the Library.  I say "in camera" because I am going to present them in the order that I shot them, with minimal cropping and no filters or alterations.  I have to admit that I cherry picked the best shots though so this is not a real in camera edit by any means.  That kind of stressful application of forethought would have ruined the first experience but, in looking over the photos I did take, I might want to revisit the Academy and take a real in camera attempt.

As you approach the main staircase to the Museum and Library of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, 

you are greeted by two imposing black stone lions.

who guard the figures suspended above the Orpheus Fountain by Carl Milles

But there is another much older stone lion, which protects the west stairwell.

Turning back to the monolithic facade of Art Museum and Library by Elial Saarinen,

You walk into a courtyard with sparse seating and interesting details,

including this sculpture of St. Paul by Carl Milles, by the library entrance.

Looking out from the rear of the courtyard, you get a broad view of the Triton Pond by Carl Milles,

Whose largest statue is Europa and the Bull, at the head of the pond.

 
More sculptures await as you walk around the Triton Pond,

and the path back has its own beauty, if you pay attention.

Upon returning, you are once again confronted with architectural genius,

before entering the Museum.