Grand Rapids native Esan Sommersell has created a striking 3D-printed sculpture titled "Emergence" that is currently on display at Rev Luxury Juice Bar downtown as part of this year's ArtPrize competition. The stunning artwork carries deep personal meaning and represents themes of overcoming obstacles and breaking through barriers that hold people back.
The sculpture depicts a beautiful Black woman with a peaceful expression being held down by white cartoon gloves, symbolizing her journey to emerge triumphant without breaking a sweat. Sommersell drew heavy inspiration from his own mother when creating the piece, explaining that it represents the strength and resilience of Black women facing adversity. "It's about overcoming obstacles and breaking barriers for me," he said. "You have this beautiful Black woman, heavily inspired by my own mother, who has this peaceful visage on, and she's being held down by these white cartoon gloves, and she's going to emerge triumphant, without even breaking a sweat."
Sommersell was able to bring his vision to life thanks to a Motu Viget Grant he received through ArtPrize. He used the grant money to purchase a 3D printer and spent considerable time learning the technical aspects of creating large-scale 3D printed art. "I bought a 3D printer with the grant winnings that I earned, and modeled this piece entirely and reverse-engineered a 'cake,' so to speak," he explained. "So I cut it into pieces that would fit on the printer bed, and printed each piece, like these little pieces of these little squares, and formed them together and joined them to make the artwork that you see today."
The creation process was intensive and time-consuming, requiring approximately two months of work and many sleepless nights to complete. Sommersell had to carefully plan how to break down the sculpture into smaller printable sections that could fit on his printer bed, then reassemble them into the final cohesive artwork. This technical challenge required him to master both the artistic and engineering aspects of 3D printing.
This isn't Sommersell's first collaboration with Rev Luxury Juice Bar. He previously created another significant piece that holds permanent residence at the establishment - a beautiful mural honoring the late grandmother of Rev's owner, Shedaira Jones. The mural depicts Mable Lean Jones, who was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, but lived in Grand Rapids for decades before passing away just two days after Rev opened its doors.
"I was just kind of telling him about my vision for wanting to honor my late grandmother. She actually ended up passing two days after we opened," Jones recalled. She described her "granny" as not only the matriarch of her family, but also of her street and her entire community. Jones felt it was essential to make her grandmother's likeness a permanent fixture at Rev to keep her memory and presence alive in the space.
The friendship that developed between Sommersell and Jones led to the current ArtPrize collaboration. Jones approached the artist about creating a piece specifically for this year's competition to be featured at Rev. When Sommersell presented "Emergence," Jones immediately connected with its powerful message, especially considering the obstacles she had overcome during Rev's first year in business.
"It felt very like, 'Oh, this is for me. This is for us.' It felt very personal," Jones said when recalling her first viewing of the completed sculpture. "I just thought about all the women, not just me, but women who are entrepreneurs, who are out here, getting it, hustling, figuring it out, where we came from. And it just felt all that more special." The piece resonated deeply with her own experiences as a Black woman entrepreneur navigating challenges in the business world.
Visitors who want to experience "Emergence" in person can find it prominently displayed at the far end of Rev Luxury Juice Bar, positioned across from the main entrance where it commands attention from all who enter. Rev operates on a specific schedule throughout the week: Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Friday hours running from noon to 5 p.m. To complement the artwork, Jones has created a special menu of Emergence-themed drinks specifically for the ArtPrize period, allowing visitors to engage with the art through multiple sensory experiences.
