Guardians of Detroit

Historian and photographer Jeff Morrison is the author of two books, Guardians of Detroit: Architectural Sculpture in the Motor City and Guardians of Michigan: Architectural Sculpture of the Pleasant Peninsulas. He will present a program with more than 250 spectacular pictures of interesting architectural sculpture found on buildings throughout Michigan, from Ann Arbor to Ontonagon and all points in between. You will learn about the symbolism behind the sculpture and hear some of the untold stories of the artists, artisans and architects involved in the creation of these wonderful structures and the unique art that adorns them. There will be time for questions and both books will be available for sale after the presentation.


Jeff Morrison is a photographer and writer who has been taking pictures since his parents gave him his first camera at age nine. He has a bachelor's degree in history with a minor in art from Eastern Michigan University and over thirty years of experience as a graphic artist. His first book, Guardians of Detroit: Architectural Sculpture in the Motor City, was published by Wayne State University Press in 2019 and won a State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan for Outstanding Michigan History Publication and was honored as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book by the Library of Michigan. His second book, Guardians of Michigan: Architectural Sculpture of the Pleasant Peninsulas, was published by The University of Michigan Press and was released in 2022. It was honored as a 2023 Michigan Notable Book by the Library of Michigan and won the Stuart D. and Vernice M. Gross Award for Literature in Regional History, administered by Saginaw Valley State University.

You may also like the following events from Southfield Public Library:

• This Tuesday, 29th July, 10:30 am, Pages In The Park in Southfield
• This Wednesday, 30th July, 06:00 pm, Book to Screen: Wonder Boys in Southfield
• Next Monday, 4th August, 02:00 pm, Storytime Al Fresco in Southfield

Also check out other Arts events in Southfield, Literary Art events in Southfield.