project overview
L.E. Brown Public Art Project
Artist: Arnold Thompson is the selected artist from an invitational call to the remaining finalists of another nearby South City project.
Total budget: $88,690 (includes honoraria for selected artists to develop site-specific proposals)
Most recent benchmark/update: Thompson is in full fabrication mode
Upcoming benchmark/update: Final design has been approved. Fabrication has begun. The next benchmark is 50% fabrication.
Next committee meeting date:
project concept
Reflections is a sculpture made of mirrored stainless steel, iridescent colors, concrete and ceramic tiles. These materials are designed to intrinsically aid in creating an experience that envelopes the viewer and offers an interactive experience. It communicates ideas of history, ancestry, change, progress, connection and the future. It simultaneously creates a sense of meditation and energy. The visual elements employed invite and appeal to all ages.
Sculptor Elisha Gold will be lead fabricator along with sculptor Mark Nowell as technical advisor. Both artists have exceptional skills and experience in metalwork. Thompson has known Gold and Nowell for several years and notes their great working relationship will contribute to a seamless fabrication and installation of the project.
background
Six-acre L.E. Brown Park, located at 617 S. Orleans Street, was originally developed in the 1950s as an on-site park for the Cleaborn Homes public housing development. Now used by all neighborhood residents, the park includes a playground, softball field, basketball court, picnic pavilion, walking trail and an active swimming pool. It is also bisected by a 20-foot-deep drainage ditch that takes up valuable public space. By combining half of the existing L.E. Brown Park with an undeveloped parcel related to the Hope VI renovation of Cleaborn Homes (now known as Cleaborn Pointe at Heritage Landing), the City of Memphis Division of Parks and Neighborhoods will shift the park’s territory away from the drainage ditch to completely front Georgia Avenue. The new L. E. Brown park will be six uninterrupted acres of space with updated amenities.
*sourced from high ground news
This project is also a part of the South City project which supports greater connection to the rich African American history of the neighborhood and important cultural assets such as the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Heritage Trail plans, and Robert R. Church Park. Key partners in the development include the Memphis Housing Authority; City of Memphis Housing and Community Development division; Urban Strategies Memphis HOPE, providing essential services for residents of South City; Shelby County Schools as a principal education partner; and McCormack Baron Salazar, leading the housing design.
project description
UAC is partnering with the City of Memphis to produce a series of public art projects within the South City footprint. The selection committee expresses an interest in a public art piece that will:
● Explore ideas of neighborhood identity and resident connection in a period of change
● Reflect the history of the South City neighborhood and its connection to the Memphis Heritage Trail
● Create a landmark for the neighborhood
● Engage South City residents in the design, and possibly installation, processes
● Be durable, resistant to vandalism
selection committee
Mairi Albertson, City of Memphis Housing and Community Development; Keith Schnadelbach, City of Memphis Division of Parks and Neighborhoods; Eva Mosby, Urban Strategies; Mike Shaw, Advance Memphis; Yancy Villa-Calvo, Memphis-based artist; Kong Wee Pang, Memphis-based artist; LarJuanette Williams, Memphis Black Arts Alliance; Emily Bernstein, McCormack Baron; Hussein Ghelichkhani, City of Memphis Engineering Division (non-voting)
