John Piet's legacy lives on through art and travel at Macomb

For 35 years, Macomb Community College faculty member John Piet, who passed away in 2016, shaped the creative minds of art students. Today, his legacy continues to shape the college in powerful ways, thanks to his generous donations from the estate he shared with his wife, Christine.

John wasn't just a faculty member; he was a fixture in the local art community. From 1976 until his retirement in 2011, he inspired generations of students to think creatively. Christine, who was also an artist, served as a tutor at Macomb. She died in 2023.

The couple's estate, managed by longtime friend Sharon Zimmerman, directed $1 million to Macomb and another $1million to Wayne State University, where John earned his degree.

The funds support travel-based learning, giving students the chance to explore new cultures, something John and Christine valued.

"They started traveling early in their marriage," Zimmerman said. "Mexico became a second home. They wanted students to have that same opportunity to immerse themselves in other worlds."

The scholarship, first launched in 2019 and now resumed after a pandemic pause, is open to students studying abroad through Macomb's travel program. While students can travel anywhere, those visiting Spanish-speaking countries will receive first consideration.

In addition to the travel scholarship, Macomb received one of John's iconic sculptures titled Gray Music Slide. The sculpture is a 15-foot-wide steel piece from the early 1980s.

The abstract work, which once stood on Macomb's Center Campus before the Piets moved it to their Southfield home, was recently reinstalled. "It's an abstract but musically inclined. You can see movement in it – people dancing, music flowing. It's a beautiful piece," Zimmerman said.

Through these gifts, John's influence continues to echo across Macomb in the art he created and the opportunities he and Christine have made possible for future students.