Amphora
Artist: Vladimir Pochkhua Alania
Ancient Greece was one of the first cultures to reflect the beauty of sport in art. Greek sculpture and figurative painting on vases and frescoes showed the cultivation of health and the body in the graceful figures of athletes in competition and at rest. Sport was so highly valued that during ancient Olympic games, all conflict and wars ceased among the participants. For Ann Arbor, sport and athleticism are symbols of the two halves of peacefulness and excitement that make our community whole.
For “Pigskins on Parade” I propose to put ancient Greek images of athletes on the Pigskins football to represent the ancestors of the modern sportsmen and the long history of open competition. Michigan’s strong Greek communities add another dimension to this proposal to illustrate the long tradition of strength and honor on the playing field.