Close Menu
Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Wednesday, May 21
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Threads LinkedIn
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Donate
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»Arts»Building things big and bright
    Arts

    Building things big and bright

    Young artist Michael Finch brings a grand vision and playfulness to his work
    Ben KopnickBy Ben KopnickJune 28, 2023Updated:June 28, 20234 Mins Read
    Artist Michael Finch stands beside his sculpture Guardian 2, on display outside the Eden Prairie Art Center as part of the city’s Rotating Art Series. Photo by Ben Kopnick

    For sculptor Michael Finch, it started with duct tape.

    About a decade ago, it was trendy to make wallets and purses out of duct tape. But, while others were caught up in the craze of making smaller things out of the versatile adhesive, the then 10-year-old Finch saw something else, something bigger.

    “I saw it and I’m like, ‘hmmm,’ I wonder what giant things I can make out of this material,” Finch said.

    Now 20, Finch has indeed gone bigger. He’s graduated from duct tape to steel and regularly makes sculptures that are several feet tall.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn McReavy

    Finch currently has a sculpture on display as part of the Eden Prairie Rotating Art Series. The piece is called Guardian 2. A striped tiger that’s about four feet tall, Guardian 2 is on display in front of the Eden Prairie Art Center and will be there for at least a year.

    Constantly creating, always learning

    So, how does someone get to where Finch is right now? By working like a shark.

    The up-and-coming artist’s work has been displayed at venues such as the Franconia Sculpture Park. Currently, Finch’s work is part of a gallery show at Fairbault’s Paradise Center for the Arts.

    “Sometimes I talk about myself like a shark,” Finch said with a laugh. “Where if a shark stops swimming it will die off. I almost have that similar instinct where I’m the type of person that always needs something going on, especially that creative outlet.”

    Finch has taken that mentality and his penchant for thinking big to Hamline University in St. Paul, where he will be a senior in the fall. There, he is mentored by Allison Baker, his sculpture professor.

    “Her work is very similar (to mine) in terms of its playful energy and very saturated colors,” Finch said.

    Finch also talked about being influenced by the contemporary art movement of enlarging random objects. It makes sense, considering he was a kid who wanted bizarre toys as a kid, like a giant sock. “Just enlarged objects or super cartoony three-dimensional forms,” he said.

    Those aesthetics are ever-present in his work, and Finch said he chose those styles deliberately.

    “I really wanted a positive outcome, because a lot of art can be really heavy, or (people) can be just kind of like, ‘Oh, it’s there,’ and that’s all that people think of it,” he said.

    “I want what I make to have an emotional value, whether it makes you really happy, or it makes you excited to come and see it, or quizzical, like, ‘What is that doing there?”

    Imparting knowledge, planning for the future

    Finch tries to do that with pieces like Good Morning!, a nine-foot tall rubber chicken that was the first solo public sculpture he completed. He called the piece “very joyful,” and said that many people have complimented it. It’s currently on display in an augmented reality format in a sculpture forest in Washington state. The physical sculpture sits in a back parking lot at Hamline.

    Finch also works to bring the love of art to kids. He’s in his third summer working at Eden Prairie Art Center, spending most of his time teaching glass and clay classes.

    “I like the environment, I like the people, I like being able to teach,” he said. “A lot of the kids that come through are really passionate and motivated, too.”

    As for what the future holds for Michael Finch the artist, that is something about which he constantly thinks — “the looming cloud,” he called it with a chuckle.

    Baker encouraged Finch to apply for grants a couple of years ago and buy his own equipment, so he’s been doing that.

    “There’s some truth to the stereotype of the starving artist, but also, there’s a lot of hard work that can go in where that won’t happen,” he said. “I see myself hopefully being self-sufficient and doing things where I just get to make, and I can make money off of that.”

    Michael Finch stands in front of a colorful wall at the Eden Prairie Art Center that states: in colorful letters: "All are Welcome"
    Sculptor Michael Finch stands in front of Eden Prairie Art Center, where he works as a glass and clay instructor.

    Comments
    We offer several ways for our readers to provide feedback. Your comments are welcome on our social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn). We also encourage Letters to the Editor; submission guidelines can be found on our Contact Us page. If you believe this story has an error or you would like to get in touch with the author, please connect with us.

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleEP takes part in Special Olympics torch run
    Next Article ‘Think hard’ about Met Council’s ability to oversee any future light rail construction, says auditor

    More to READ

    4 Mins Read

    St. Andrew choir to perform at Carnegie Hall

    May 15, 2025
    5 Mins Read

    ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ sends Cruise out with a bloated bang

    May 14, 2025
    4 Mins Read

    Big laughs and even bigger dresses in ‘The Nacirema Society’ at the Guthrie

    May 11, 2025
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    EPHS synchronized swim team advances to state meet

    May 20, 2025

    Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list

    May 20, 2025

    Former Eden Prairie man sentenced for posting nude images of woman online without her consent

    May 20, 2025

    May bike party undeterred by wind and cold

    May 20, 2025

    Walter Jerome ‘Jerry’ Dustrud

    May 20, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    INN Network Member Guidestar Seal
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2025
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.