project overview
jESSE TURNER paRK| south mEmphis
Artist: Maxwell Emcays
Total budget: $98,925 (includes three finalist honoraria of $1,000 each)
Upcoming benchmark/update: Final Design
Next committee meeting date:
BACKGROUND
About Jesse Turner Park:
The Jesse Turner Park, located at 1310 S. Bellevue Boulevard, is a South Memphis park in District 4. The park is named after civil rights pioneer Jesse H. Turner. Turner was the first Black chairman of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, former President of Tri-State Bank, and a longtime NAACP supporter. The family-oriented neighborhood is historically African-American and home to important historic residents including, Rev. Brewster, the Nicholson family (developers), Maceo Walker, son of Dr. Joseph Edison Walker, and the Art Gilliams family. The Negro Baseball League played in the district on Sunday afternoons.
Community institutions are the East Trigg Church, Greenwood CME Church and Zion Cemetery, the oldest African-American burial ground in the City. The churches offered gospel composers like Dr. W. Herbert Brewster the opportunity to write and perform new spirituals. The Greenwood School was historically important, as well.
Historically, Jesse Turner Park is baseball-oriented and home to the Tri-State Baseball organization, a local non-profit that specializes in promoting the Academy, recruiting coaches (males and females) and training players from 4-18 years of age in the area of baseball from all communities in the Tri-State area (Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi). It has two diamonds: one at the north end and the larger one in the area of the project site.
Maxwell Emcays design Proposal: 5 Pillars
Artist Maxwell Emcays fabricating pieces for the 5 Pillars sculpture
SCOPE OF WORK
UAC and The City of Memphis commissioned Maxwell Emcays to design a sculpture for Jesse Turner Park. The preferred location for the sculpture is at the corner of South Parkway and Bellevue Blvd. near the heavily used baseball field. The park is an active gathering place for families in the neighborhood, offering open space and shade from plenty of mature trees in the park.
The selection committee has expressed interest in a large-scale sculpture that:
Emphasize the entrance to the park and baseball field for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic
Celebrate the neighborhood leaders who have left their mark on the South Memphis community and engage families visiting the park
Reference the architecture of the neighborhood and/or nearby landmarks
Be easy to maintain
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Marlon Foster, Executive Director, Knowledge Quest
Dr. Earnestine Jenkins, art historian, University of Memphis
Johnny Rudd, coach, LeMoyne-Owen College
Marcha Allen, Deputy Director, City of Memphis Parks Department
James Carter, Soulsville resident
Toonky, artist
Chloe Lane, architect, Archimania
Mike Lemm, City of Memphis Engineering Department (nonvoting)
About Artist:
Maxwell Emcays is a multidisciplinary public artist who has been creating art for various underserved communities in Chicago and all over the US for 15 years. Emcays’ work is rooted in the principle that everyone deserves to engage with art, that every community deserves a voice, and that public art encourages community investment.
Maxwell Emcays has been involved in many charitable projects, including Never Forget Chicago, which aimed to bring awareness and healing to the epidemic of violence in Chicago. Emcays’ art reflects his passion for social justice and his desire to create a more equitable world. Emcays believes that art can be a powerful tool for change, and uses his work to raise awareness about important social issues. Emcays’ art is often inspired by the communities he works with, and he strives to create meaningful and relevant pieces for the people who will experience them.
Maxwell Emcays has exhibited his work in several prestigious galleries and museums, including The Dusable Museum and Gallery Guichard. Maxwell Emcays has also received numerous awards for his contributions to the field of public art, including being selected as a prequalified public artist for the city of Chicago and the Black Excellence Award.
Maxwell Emcays’ work has been featured in many publications and news outlets, including NBC's Making a Difference. Emcays has also been interviewed by Valerie Warner for Windy City LIVE, where he discussed his artistic process and his commitment to social justice.
