Project Overview
Whitehaven Sculpture Project
Budget: $164,500 (includes honoraria for selected artists to develop site-specific proposals)
Most recent benchmark/update: Selected Artist - Lorenzo Scruggs
Upcoming benchmark/update: Completion
Next Artist Selection Committee Meeting: TBD
Background :
UrbanArt Commission (UAC) works to create opportunities for artists and neighborhoods to connect and shape spaces through public art. Since 2002, UAC has managed the City of Memphis’s Percent-For-Art Program, which allocates funds annually to develop public art in connection to capital improvement projects. UAC, in partnership with the City of Memphis, will commission a new sculpture project that encapsulates the layered history of Whitehaven, complements the surrounding environment, and invites interaction with the artwork.
Scope of Work
The selection committee expresses interest in a sculpture project that speaks to the historic value that the Whitehaven neighborhood has been to the city of Memphis by including the following elements.
Incorporates the strong family connection and community pride of the area
Selfie-worthy/invites social-media activity
Creates an inviting atmosphere for current residents and tourists alike
Functional and/or interactive use, possibly a seating area
Appeals to all ages/engage intergenerationally
An attraction piece/symbol for the neighborhood
Presents an opportunity to experience the broad community of Whitehaven
Willingness to mentor an emerging, Memphis-based artist throughout the project development processes
The selection committee also expects the selected artist to mentor a Memphis-based artist through the duration of the project. The mentorship component will include, but not be limited to, phone calls/in-person meetings during the design phases to discuss artist(s) processes, video or in-person studio visits during the fabrication phase, and on-site visits during the installation of the artwork. An additional stipend will be available for the mentee artist outside of the project budget. The committee, UAC and the selected artist will work together to further determine touchpoints throughout the project process between the selected artist and the mentee artist.
If you have any questions about this component, please reach out to Wendy Young wendy@uacmem.org.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Trey McKnight - Neighborhood representative - Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Community (GWERC), Charles Everett - Neighborhood representative - GWERC, Dr. Christopher Davis - Neighborhood representative - St. Paul Baptist Church, Ethan Skaggs - City Division representative - City Engineering, Mary Olds - Site representative - YMCA, Earnestine Jenkins - Artist representative - University of Memphis, Lindsey Bailey - Artist representative - Local Artist, Cameron Osborne - Artist representative - Artistic Lounge Owner, Jay Humphries - Architect representative - Archimania, Mike Lemm - Engineering representative - City Engineering (non-voting), Shanette Parks – UrbanArt Commission (non-voting), Wendy Young - UrbanArt Commission (non-voting)
For more information about this project, please contact:
Wendy Young | Program Manager
901.343.6983 | wendy@uacmem.org
NOTE: Commissioned artists are permitted to work with outside contractors to fabricate the actual work of art.