Bronze Fonz
Encyclopedia
The Bronze Fonz is a public artwork by American
artist Gerald P. Sawyer located on the Milwaukee Riverwalk
just south of Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin
U.S.A. The Bronze Fonz depicts Henry Winkler
as the Happy Days
TV show character Arthur Fonzarelli, also known as the Fonz
. Fonzie stands in his typical costume, which consists of a leather jacket and jeans. He is giving a two-handed thumbs up.
. The sculpture depicts Henry Winkler, the actor who played Fonz in the show Happy Days. Happy Days, which aired in the 1970s, was a sitcom about a family in 1950s/1960s Milwaukee. Arthur Fonzarelli (also known as Fonzie or Fonz), wears a leather jacket and jeans. He is giving a two handed thumbs up, a gesture he often made in Happy Days. The inscription lists all of the donors that made the Bronze Fonz possible.
in Minneapolis and Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners
in Brooklyn. The tourism group Visit Milwaukee raised over US$85,000 to commission the Bronze Fonz. The popular sculpture was unveiled on August 18, 2008. Most of the Happy Days cast, including Henry Winkler
(Fonzie) Marion Ross
(Mrs. Cunningham), Tom Bosley
(Mr. Cunningham), Erin Moran
(Joanie), Don Most
(Ralph Malph), and Anson Williams
(Potsie), attended the dedication ceremony. Henry Winkler stated that the statue was "unbelievable".
(consisting of WDJT-TV
, WMLW-CA
and Me-TV affiliate WBME-TV), AT&T
, OnMilwaukee.com, and Miller Brewing Company
.
and lost wax casting
. He uses and builds his own molds for sculptures which range from very small to epic sizes. He teaches casting to many people and co-authored a book called The Art and Science of Centrifugal Casting.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist Gerald P. Sawyer located on the Milwaukee Riverwalk
Milwaukee Riverwalk
The Milwaukee Riverwalk is a continuous pedestrian walkway along the Milwaukee River in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.- Description :Conceived in the 1990s to increase public access to the waterway, the Milwaukee Riverwalk has grown to include art displays called RiverSculpture!, the RiverSplash!...
just south of Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
U.S.A. The Bronze Fonz depicts Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
as the Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
TV show character Arthur Fonzarelli, also known as the Fonz
Fonzie
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days . He was originally a secondary character, but eventually became the lead...
. Fonzie stands in his typical costume, which consists of a leather jacket and jeans. He is giving a two-handed thumbs up.
Description
The Bronze Fonz is made of bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
. The sculpture depicts Henry Winkler, the actor who played Fonz in the show Happy Days. Happy Days, which aired in the 1970s, was a sitcom about a family in 1950s/1960s Milwaukee. Arthur Fonzarelli (also known as Fonzie or Fonz), wears a leather jacket and jeans. He is giving a two handed thumbs up, a gesture he often made in Happy Days. The inscription lists all of the donors that made the Bronze Fonz possible.
Historical information
The artwork was created with the purpose of bringing tourism and new businesses to Milwaukee. Other places in the United States have erected statues portraying 1950s and 1960s television characters. Examples include: Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards from The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
in Minneapolis and Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners is an American situation comedy television show, based on a recurring 1951–'55 sketch of the same name. It originally aired on the DuMont network's Cavalcade of Stars and subsequently on the CBS network's The Jackie Gleason Show hosted by Jackie Gleason, and filmed before a live...
in Brooklyn. The tourism group Visit Milwaukee raised over US$85,000 to commission the Bronze Fonz. The popular sculpture was unveiled on August 18, 2008. Most of the Happy Days cast, including Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
(Fonzie) Marion Ross
Marion Ross
Marion Ross is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Cunningham on the television series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984.-Early life:...
(Mrs. Cunningham), Tom Bosley
Tom Bosley
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
(Mr. Cunningham), Erin Moran
Erin Moran
Erin Marie Moran is an American actress, best known for the role of Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days and its spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi.-Early life:...
(Joanie), Don Most
Don Most
Don Most is an American actor best known for his role as Ralph Malph on the television series Happy Days.-Acting credits:...
(Ralph Malph), and Anson Williams
Anson Williams
Anson Williams is an actor and director, best known for his role as gullible but well intentioned singer Warren "Potsie" Weber on the television series Happy Days.-Biography:...
(Potsie), attended the dedication ceremony. Henry Winkler stated that the statue was "unbelievable".
Opposition
Mike Brenner, then a local gallery owner and executive director of Milwaukee Artists Resource Network (MARN), objected to the statue, which he erroneously thought would be located on the intersection of Wisconsin and Water Streets, a prominent downtown site. He threatened to close his gallery, Hotcakes, and resign as executive director of MARN if "that stupid Fonzie sculpture" was erected there. Brenner received death threats in voicing side against the Bronze Fonz and considering taking donations to build a statue of himself. That never came to pass, as the funds were raised for the Bronze Fonz, which was erected on the east side of Milwaukee Riverwalk, as was originally intended, next to Rock Bottom Brewery, just south of Wells Street. True to his word, Brenner closed Hotcakes Gallery in May 2008.Acquisition
The piece was commissioned by Visit Milwaukee, a non-profit group that works toward making Milwaukee a place for tourism and interest. Visit Milwaukee raised $85,000 to commission the statue. Visit Milwaukee is composed of the Riverwalk District, the Spirit of the Milwaukee, Downtown B.I.D #21, East Town Association, West Town Association, Weigel BroadcastingWeigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
(consisting of WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV, channel 58, is the CBS-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting on UHF digital channel 46, that displays WDJT's virtual channel as its former analog channel assignment of 58 via PSIP...
, WMLW-CA
WMLW-CA
WMLW-CA, channel 41 , is a LPTV independent television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park...
and Me-TV affiliate WBME-TV), AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, OnMilwaukee.com, and Miller Brewing Company
Miller Brewing Company
The Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the United Kingdom-based SABMiller. Its regional headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the company has brewing facilities in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas;...
.
Artist
Gerald P. Sawyer has been working on three dimensional and two dimensional art for thirty years. His most recent work is cast mostly in pewter and bronze. The casting techniques he uses are centrifugal castingCentrifugal casting
Centrifugal casting in silversmithing is a casting technique where a small mould is poured, then spun on the end of an arm. The centrifugal force thus generated encourages a successful pour.-Processes:Centrifugal casting, or centrifuging,...
and lost wax casting
Lost wax casting
Lost-wax casting sometimes called by the French name of cire perdue is the process by which a metal sculpture is cast from an artist's sculpture. Intricate works can be achieved by this method, primarily depending on the carver's skills...
. He uses and builds his own molds for sculptures which range from very small to epic sizes. He teaches casting to many people and co-authored a book called The Art and Science of Centrifugal Casting.