PaulPresident

and the

Portrait of a Friendship

one man, president

one man, artist

space, dissension, pretension fall away

reveal true selves

bound by time, place, grace

brothers for life

In 1976, Paul Collins became the first person of colorto paint a President of the United States.

Collins did more than put oil to gesso. He told thestory of a man, of a life, of a wife and children and anation in transition.

This story, a mural on permanent display at Gerald R.Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids,Michigan, has stood the test of time, as has thefriendship between the artist and the President.

Gerald R. Ford Jr. became the 38th President of theUnited States of America on Aug. 9, 1974, during atime of national crisis. In a brief speech that summerday, the new leader from Grand Rapids said to theAmerican people, “ … let brotherly love purge ourhearts of suspicion and hate.”

These were words by which Paul Collins had alwayslived. He sought both the broken and the bold,whom he would paint and break bread with. His pas-sion took him from the streets of Grand Rapids tothe far corners of the globe to the inner sanctums ofthe elite.

The two men – leaders and lovers of life – tran-scended time, space, race. It was a natural, then, thatPaul would paint the President.

Paul Collins and President Gerald R. Ford

art isn’t easy

the Sondheim song goes

the artist is compelled

never felled

by failure

and so he does

and is

his art

Michigan-born Collins never went to college, preferring to learn simplyby living. He became a painter simply by doing.

By the early 1970s, he had made a name for himself as an artist – andas an activist. He had been to West Africa to study and portray theSenegalese people in their native environment. He had lived on theRosebud and Pine Ridge Indian reservations of South Dakota to docu-ment the lives and the state of Native Americans. While on the reserva-tions, he became a diplomatic liaison during a confrontation betweenthe Oglala Sioux Indians and the United States government. For hishelp in averting a potentially bloody conflict, the Sioux honoredCollins, naming him “Bright Eagle.”

Back home in Michigan, friends of Ford had heard of Collins’ artisticand humanistic triumphs and, when Ford became President in 1974,enthusiastically recommended Paul as the one who should paint thePresident.

Collins envisioned something on a grand scale: a mural that would bedisplayed in the Grand Rapids airport – then known as Kent CountyAirport. The mural would blend the facets of Ford’s presidency withthe people and the milestones that had led him to the moment.

The concept was embraced by the President and the local community,but the process wasn’t always easy: Varying opinions emerged, cloud-ing and over-complicating Collins’ original vision and threatening tohalt the project.

Collins stood up and stood firm: “I said – as I had said from the begin-ning – this mural is about a man and his family and his country. It’snot about a politician.”

Ford agreed with Collins, and the viewpoints that had been constrict-ing the creative process fell away.

Ford asked Collins to visit him – first at the White House and then inVail, Colorado, where the President had a vacation home. It was in Vailthat the artist got to know the man behind the presidency.

As Ford – known to many as Jerry – was interviewed by a GrandRapids Press reporter on that August day in 1975, Collins worked like asoft shadow, quietly sketching the President.

“Jerry was probably the most dressed-down person in Vail. He wascomfortable, relaxed,” Collins observed. “I had an opportunity that daywhich most Americans did not: To see what a unique person GeraldFord was – to see that he was open-minded and pragmatic. To hearfirst hand that he had pardoned our previous President not for politi-cal reasons but to move the entire nation forward and beyond theevents of the past years. To learn that Ford truly was a uniter.”

Collins completed seven pencil sketches that day.

“Paul, this is beautiful,” the President said upon viewing the sketches.

“The Presidency is written on your face,” Paul replied.

Collins returned to his Grand Rapids studio where he continued tosketch, drawing upon personal and official photographs of thePresident.

And then he hit a wall. “It was wrong, all wrong,” he said.

Many of his sketches, he felt, exuded “politician” and “power” – exact-ly what he had been telling others he wanted to avoid.

“I got sidetracked into the glamour of the presidency.”

He burned many of his sketches and started over.

Collins’ early sketches of Ford.

life is more

than mere image

harness the spirit

of what is and was and will be

set it free

Collins immersed himself in his original concept, and the mural began to take shape. Working on gessoed masonite panels, he cap-tured the moments and the people in the President’s life.

A believer in realism, he worked meticulously to portray the true Ford and his family, and this was not lost on the President. Then-U.S.Congressman Guy VanderJagt said in a telegram to Collins: “I had the opportunity aboard Air Force One to show the President theprints of the mural you are doing depicting the sweep of Gerald R. Ford’s life from his boyhood in Grand Rapids to world leadership inthe White House. To say he was delighted would be an understatement. ...”

Ultimately, the mural would be 8 feet by 18 feet and would include images of Ford with his parents, childhood friends, his wife Betty,their children, and the roles Ford had played in life, including athlete, Navy officer, congressman and President. The mural also featuredFord’s childhood home in Grand Rapids, his first car, scrapbook-like clippings and photos, and symbols of the Presidency.

At work on the mural.

sum

greater than part

wrapped around a world

sprung from art

the hum

of humanity

On the eve of the 1976 Presidential election, Ford and Collins andtheir families joined together to unveil the mural that had been 18months in the making.

Dignitaries and celebrities and citizens swirled about the airportwhere the mural hung, about to be revealed. Good people,important people. But to Ford and Collins, some of the most pre-cious people in the room were children from Grand Rapids’Jefferson Elementary School. The children were the first to raisemoney to pay for the mural: They had sold popsicles and Kool-Aidin the summer of 1975.

Many other individuals and groups generously contributed theirtime, talent and treasure to raise funds for the mural. Corporateand community leaders formed a mural fundraising committee.The local Bethel Pentecostal Church choir held a benefit concertto raise money and also performed at the unveiling.

“It was an amazing event, a community effort, a culmination,”Collins recalled. “All kinds of people were there – black, white,conservative, liberal, old, young. The President was visibly moved.And I was in awe of how this man truly was the people’s person.”

The Honor Guard … the Star Spangled Banner … words ofthanks and praise … and then, the curtain that shrouded themural was swept aside. A hush and then thunderous applause forPaul and the President and the art that would bond them for life.

Representatives from JeffersonElementary School joined PresidentFord, his wife Betty, and Collinsfor the mural’s dedication.

The mural is unveiled.

Collins, Mrs. Ford and President Ford.

immersion

completion

beginning

end

cycle circles

round the bend …

The following weeks were a whirlwind: dinner at The WhiteHouse and opportunities for Collins to share with others hisstory of painting the President.

Weeks stretched into months and then into years. Collinscontinued in his journey as painter and chronicler of thehuman experience.

In 1981, the Gerald R. Ford Museum opened on the banks ofthe Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. Collins wasasked to create the official museum dedication poster, and heand Ford helped to dedicate the museum. Many of Collins’sketches from the mural and poster projects were exhibitedat various times at the Ford Museum.

Years later, on May 11, 2000, Collins and Ford were togetheragain for the renaming of Kent County International Airportto Gerald R. Ford International Airport. At that time, themural was rededicated. And Collins and Ford – the artist andthe President – picked up where they had left off as if notime had passed.

“He is my friend and always will be my friend,” Collins said.“People meet and connect and are there for each other evenas time passes and space spreads and plans take you far fromhome. But in your heart, you always come home. You alwayscome home when you have a true friend.”

North American-born artist Paul Collins’ prolific career is marked by a continuous dedication to hiscraft that allows him to flow between international artistic recognition and humanitarian efforts.Collins has explored a variety of cultures on his journeys through Africa, Asia, Europe, North Americaand South America, always trying to bring the world a little closer.

In 1969, the self-taught artist traveled to West Africa to study and portray the Senegalese people intheir native environment. The resulting series, “Black Portrait of an African Journey,” was displayedthroughout Africa, Europe and the United States. The series was well-received by critics; as theDetroit Free Press noted, “The immediate result of the African trip was the establishment of Collins’name as a potent new visual commentator on the human condition.”

In 1972, Collins relocated to the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian reservations of South Dakota to doc-ument the state of the American Indian. While on the reservations, Collins found himself acting as adiplomatic liaison between the Sioux Indians and the United States government. Collins played amajor role in the negotiations, bringing both sides to an agreement and helping to avert a potentiallybloody conflict. The Sioux honored Collins by naming him “Bright Eagle.” According to FrankFoolscrow, Head Chief of the Oglala Sioux, Collins’ series “Other Voices – A Native AmericanTableau” reflects “… the power, tradition and beauty of the Indian nation, as well as their strugglesfor justice, freedom and human dignity.”

In 1975, Collins was asked to create an 18-foot by 8-foot mural of Grand Rapids native PresidentGerald R. Ford. The mural is on display at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport and reveals variousfacets of Ford’s life as President of the United States and as an athlete, a father and a husband.

For Anheuser-Busch’s 10th anniversary celebration, Collins was a contributor for the company’s“Great Kings of Africa” collection. Collins’ “King Shaka,” completed in 1976, was one of only four por-traits commissioned for the series.

One year later, Collins premiered “The Special Olympics Collection” at the John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The 14-piece series remains at the center where it is onpermanent display.

“Great Beautiful Black Women,” a record of the journey of black women from their African origins tothe present day, premiered at the Chicago Cultural Center in 1978. The unveiling was witnessed bydriving forces in the cultural evolution, including Rosa Parks, Wilma Rudolph and Coretta Scott King.

The collection originally was scheduled to tour for two years, but its journey was extended to sixyears because of its immense popularity.

Moving on to portray ‘ordinary’ people in real-life experiences, Collins completed the “American atWork” series in 1983. It was first exhibited at the Great Hall of the U.S. Department of Labor inWashington, D.C. The popularity of this series continues to grow, as does the collection, with contin-ual additions, including “Mother Theresa.” The collection can be seen at the Amway Grand PlazaHotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In 1987, Collins’ travels took him to the Middle East. The result: “The Voices of Israel.” MarkingIsrael’s 40th anniversary as a recognized, unified entity, “Voices” sheds light upon the unique mesh ofcultures and religions that comprise the traditionally rooted yet newly forming identity of the nation.

In 1989, Collins began “Contributions of Blacks in America” with the famous painting “HarrietTubman’s Underground Railroad.”

The summer of 1989 marked Collins’ return to African soil. While in Lake Turkana, Kenya, Collinscompleted “Burning Spears of Kenya,” capturing the individual qualities of the Turkana, Samburu andMaasai tribes.

Collins then answered the call of the Pacific Rim, moving to Omihachiman, Japan, in 1994. Throughhis immersion in Japanese culture, he created paintings that acted as a bridge of insight for theWestern eye, offering a view into the customs, rituals and harmony of the Japanese people.

In 1998, Collins was invited to represent the United States of America with a 60-piece retrospectiveentitled “Visions” by the International Peace Center to reinitiate the annual International Arts Festivalin Bosnia-Herzegovinia that had been halted during years of war.

The latest addition to Collins’ repertory, “Who is Key West?”, is an attempt to capture the flavor ofAmericans on their native soil. The collection is on display at the newly restored Key West CustomHouse Museum of Art and History and is part of the museum’s permanent collection.

In April 2001, Collins began work on an 8-foot by 16-foot tribute mural to salute the valor and com-memorate the sacrifice of law enforcement officials.

About Paul Collins

Collins is currently working on a project in Cuba. The collection will open eyes to the people of Cuba,their culture and nationalism.

Collins also has designed many distinguished awards and emblems. He is the creator of the Martin LutherKing, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize Medal, which has been bestowed upon such leaders as Rosa Parks,Cesar Chavez and President Jimmy Carter.

Collins was commissioned by the Association of Promoting Tourism to create a mural, “The Faces ofIsrael,” to celebrate Israel’s 40th anniversary. He also designed the Challenger 7 Space Shuttle logo andthe American Woman Commemorative Medal, which was presented in 1983 to Sally Ride, the firstAmerican woman in space.

Paul Collins’ humanitarian contributions speak for themselves. His work can be viewed not only in themost prestigious galleries on the planet – from the Pushkin Museum in Moscow to the Kennedy Centerand National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. – but also in various libraries, schools, gymnasiums,community centers and hospitals.

Collins has received many awards for his efforts throughout the years, including the Mead Book Award,The Tadlow Fine Arts Award, The People’s Choice Award in Paris, The Golden Centaur of Italy, and TheCeba Award for Excellence, and was marked as one of the top 20 painters in America by the Watson-Guptill Publication. He also has served on a number of executive boards for various organizations, includ-ing the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board, the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and the ArtsCouncil of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Collins has created scholarship funds for deserving students: the Paul Collins Scholarship is availablethrough the Grand Rapids Foundation and the Paul Collins Business Scholarship is facilitated byDavenport College. 2000 marked the inaugural presentation of the Paul Collins Humanitarian Award,which will recognize socially active individuals on a yearly basis for their contributions to society.

Collins’ passion for portraying humanity through his own personal lens continues to drive his career. Herepeatedly uses his gift for revealing the essence behind the life of noblemen, warriors, smugglers, chil-dren, political icons and so-called ‘commoners’ alike. As the application of brush to canvas, Paul Collinsapplies determination to craft and challenges the world to view its reflection through the eyes of one ofits own.

For more information contact:

Carol Collins220 Lyon NW, Suite 101Grand Rapids, MI 49503 USA616-742-2000 (Telephone)616-361-1415 (Fax)www.collinsart.comcarol@collinsart.com

“We as citizens of the United States never fully got to know Gerald R. Ford – never got to know what a great person and great

father and great President he was. That’s because so many of us put political party and ideology before people. Party and ideology

blind us, separate us. But President Ford, I believe, united us as a people, as a nation. I’m grateful to have become his friend.”

President Gerald R. Ford MuralOil on gessoed masonite panels18 feet x 8 feetOn display at Gerald R. Ford International Airport