Fresh look for old friends
ERHS art honor society students are restoring a vintage set of Disney lawn ornaments. Photo by Barb Mosher
By Barb Mosher, Contributing Writer
A beloved Walt Disney princess and her seven eccentric companions will soon call Elk Rapids home, thanks to the combined efforts of a local antiques dealer, a community arts organization, and a group of high school art students. The vintage concrete lawn statues of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are currently hanging out in the Elk Rapids High School art room where instructor Kristin Zemper and National Art Honor Society members are lovingly bringing them back to life.
“When we came in and saw these, we were pumped,” said ERHS senior and NAHS co-president Zosia Bolde. “How often do you have the opportunity to restore something like this?”
The statues’ journey from weathered and worn to vibrant and refreshed began last year when Harbor Antiques owner Steve McLain managed a Torch Lake estate sale that included Snow White and her entourage. When no one bought the grouping, McLain set them up outside his storefront on River Street, hoping to catch the eye of a prospective buyer. While most of their paint was missing and the exposed concrete was chipped and spotty, the cast of characters was easily recognizable and quickly drew the attention of passers-by.
“I thought they were unique and interesting,” McLain said, “and then parents started stopping by with their kids and taking photos.”
When Becky Lancaster, president of the non-profit arts-promoting organization Art Rapids, discovered the statues, she recognized two-fold potential in them: a whimsical treasure to brighten up a nook of the village and the opportunity for Art Rapids to partner with high school art students.
“We’ve been wanting to set up more of a relationship with the students,” Lancaster said. “I asked Kristin if they would research Snow White and the original costumes and repaint them. She jumped at it.”
The Art Rapids board of directors agreed to the purchase, McLain cut them a special deal, and Snow White, Happy, Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, Grumpy, and Sneezy — weighing in at an accumulative 450 pounds — were delivered to the high school in November by volunteer Corey Pritchard. Since the school was on a Coronavirus-induced “pause” at the time, the art students didn’t encounter the characters until in-person learning started again in January.
Since then, NAHS members who meet weekly and art class students with spare time have been researching costumes from the original 1937 film, matching colors, and painstakingly cleaning, sanding, and painting the cast of eight.
“We wanted to avoid the use of chemicals and sand blasting to remove remnants of the original paint,” Zemper said. “They’ve used soap and water, lots of elbow grease, scrapers, even dental tools to get into the small crevices.”
As exterior house paints are mixed and applied, each 24-inch dwarf and the 38-inch princess are scrutinized for authenticity and color accuracy.
“We’ve learned a lot about color matching, because it’s very important,” said Kate Henderson, ERHS senior and NAHS co-president. “I like Snow White, and this is bringing back a lot of memories. We’re going to get this right.”
“Color mixing, color theory, it’s hard,” Zemper agreed. “They’re definitely improving their painting skills. But more than that, it’s the idea that they’re making something the community will enjoy for years.”
Where the statues will land permanently is still being considered by Art Rapids. Lancaster said options include Veterans Memorial Park and the property surrounding the Elk Rapids District Library, though no formal inquiries have been made and other suggestions are welcome.
“(The former owners) are still in the area and were pretty excited to hear this was happening,” McLain said of the refurbishing project. “The students are having fun with it, and the whole process is just a good example of putting something back into use. It’s a really nice thing.”
A beloved Walt Disney princess and her seven eccentric companions will soon call Elk Rapids home, thanks to the combined efforts of a local antiques dealer, a community arts organization, and a group of high school art students. The vintage concrete lawn statues of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are currently hanging out in the Elk Rapids High School art room where instructor Kristin Zemper and National Art Honor Society members are lovingly bringing them back to life.
“When we came in and saw these, we were pumped,” said ERHS senior and NAHS co-president Zosia Bolde. “How often do you have the opportunity to restore something like this?”
The statues’ journey from weathered and worn to vibrant and refreshed began last year when Harbor Antiques owner Steve McLain managed a Torch Lake estate sale that included Snow White and her entourage. When no one bought the grouping, McLain set them up outside his storefront on River Street, hoping to catch the eye of a prospective buyer. While most of their paint was missing and the exposed concrete was chipped and spotty, the cast of characters was easily recognizable and quickly drew the attention of passers-by.
“I thought they were unique and interesting,” McLain said, “and then parents started stopping by with their kids and taking photos.”
When Becky Lancaster, president of the non-profit arts-promoting organization Art Rapids, discovered the statues, she recognized two-fold potential in them: a whimsical treasure to brighten up a nook of the village and the opportunity for Art Rapids to partner with high school art students.
“We’ve been wanting to set up more of a relationship with the students,” Lancaster said. “I asked Kristin if they would research Snow White and the original costumes and repaint them. She jumped at it.”
The Art Rapids board of directors agreed to the purchase, McLain cut them a special deal, and Snow White, Happy, Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, Grumpy, and Sneezy — weighing in at an accumulative 450 pounds — were delivered to the high school in November by volunteer Corey Pritchard. Since the school was on a Coronavirus-induced “pause” at the time, the art students didn’t encounter the characters until in-person learning started again in January.
Since then, NAHS members who meet weekly and art class students with spare time have been researching costumes from the original 1937 film, matching colors, and painstakingly cleaning, sanding, and painting the cast of eight.
“We wanted to avoid the use of chemicals and sand blasting to remove remnants of the original paint,” Zemper said. “They’ve used soap and water, lots of elbow grease, scrapers, even dental tools to get into the small crevices.”
As exterior house paints are mixed and applied, each 24-inch dwarf and the 38-inch princess are scrutinized for authenticity and color accuracy.
“We’ve learned a lot about color matching, because it’s very important,” said Kate Henderson, ERHS senior and NAHS co-president. “I like Snow White, and this is bringing back a lot of memories. We’re going to get this right.”
“Color mixing, color theory, it’s hard,” Zemper agreed. “They’re definitely improving their painting skills. But more than that, it’s the idea that they’re making something the community will enjoy for years.”
Where the statues will land permanently is still being considered by Art Rapids. Lancaster said options include Veterans Memorial Park and the property surrounding the Elk Rapids District Library, though no formal inquiries have been made and other suggestions are welcome.
“(The former owners) are still in the area and were pretty excited to hear this was happening,” McLain said of the refurbishing project. “The students are having fun with it, and the whole process is just a good example of putting something back into use. It’s a really nice thing.”
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