Welcome to the UrbanArt Commission website, currently in the process of being refurbished for greater visitor accessibility.
This shall occur over the next several weeks, so please pardon us as we work to provide even more information you can use!
From here you can check for updates and other UrbanArt news on:
Visit our calendar for more information on the UAC's mini-workshops in conjunction with National Arts and Humanities month in October. You can also e-mail us to sign up for our e-mail newsletter to receive information about these and other events. Also, check our web journal for more frequent updates.
UrbanArt Featured Project: Tom Lee Park Memorial
Each month UrbanArt highlights one of its 70+ completed projects throughout the city of Memphis and Shelby County.
September's focus is the sculpture at Tom Lee Park.
History of Tom Lee:
in the afternoon of May 25, 1925, Tom Lee (1886-1952) steered his 28' skiff Zev upriver after delivering a company official of his employer to Helena, Arkansas. Also on the river was a steamboat, the M. E. Norman, carrying members of the Engineers Club of Memphis, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and their families. Lee witnessed the Norman capsize in the swift current 15 miles down river from Memphis at Cow Island Bend. Although he could not swim, he rescued 32 people with five trips to shore. Lee acted quickly, calmly and with no regard for his own safety, continuing to search after night fell. For his heroism, Lee received many honors and awards. In 1954, he was recognized for his bravery with the renaming of this riverfront park in his honor and the dedication of a memorial obelisk.
Project Description:
Long thought to be an inadequate tribute to this local hero, the obelisk was joined in 2006 by a bronze sculpture that captures the drama of the moment and vividly retells the events of that day. To commemorate this historical event, artist David Alan Clark created a bronze, figurative memorial which portrays Lee’s story from the perspective of a person in the water, as if the viewer is one of the people Lee is saving. Lee leans over the bow of his boat to grasp the outstretched hand of a survivor. The sculpture is located in a circular plaza within Tom Lee Park and features dramatic lighting and commemorative plaques. Prominently sited at a position overlooking the majestic Mississippi river, this memorial has been widely celebrated throughout the Memphis community and beyond.
Artist Biography:
David Alan Clark of Lander Wyoming was born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in the high desert near Green River, Wyoming. Clark produced his first bronze commission while still in his teens. After earning his BFA at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, he worked in advertising and as an illustrator before returning full-time to sculpture.
The UrbanArt Commission is funded in part by the City of Memphis, the Hyde Foundation, ArtsMemphis, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the financial contributions of culturally committed private citizens and patrons of the arts.
To learn more about ways in which you may support UrbanArt fulfill its mission to cultivate a dynamic, vibrant, nurturing community through art and design, contact: info@urbanartcommission.org.
This site is hosted by LunaWeb.
Copyright (c) 2008 UrbanArt Commission.