project overview

ALONZO WEAVER PARK TRANQUIL WATERSHED SCULPTURE | Boxtown, Mt. Pisgah, Walker Homes, and West Junction

Artist: Kristi Duckworth and Jonathan Reid

Total budget:  $64,495 (includes three finalist honoraria of $500 each)

Upcoming benchmark/update: Artist Selection

Next committee meeting date:

BACKGROUND

About the 2011 flood that impacted Boxtown, Mt. Pisgah, Walker Homes, & West Junction: 

The Mississippi River Flood from May 2011 caused the river to rise six times its normal size. In Shelby County, 3,075 buildings, 949 homes and 12 apartment complexes were affected. The 38109 neighborhoods south of McKellar Lake left homes uninhabitable, adding to the existing challenges of neglect and nearby polluting industries.

Departments such as the Shelby County Government Housing-  Planning and Development Division  are still assisting residents with the environmental impact from the 2011 flood.  

Some of the oldest predominantly Black neighborhoods in Southwest Memphis, there is much resilience amongst residents. Residents from Boxtown, Mt. Pisgah, Walker Homes, & West Junction have banded together to support each other. Organizations such as WIND Memphis CDC are leading the way working with different  generations and focusing on building relationships throughout the 38109 area. 

Image of the impact from the 2011 flood 

About WIND Memphis CDC:

WIND Memphis CDC is an action-forward not-for-profit advocating community capacity building since 2007. Their mission is redevelopment for sustainability within the 38109 communities. WIND Memphis CDC envisions absolute continuity of movement from under-resourced neighbors to impactful thriving neighborhoods.

Entrance to Alonzo Weaver Park

SCOPE OF WORK

Partial view of South Cypress Creek in Alonzo Weaver Park

UAC and The City of Memphis, in partnership with WIND Memphis CDC, are seeking an artist to create a tranquil watershed sculpture that honors the resilience in Boxtown, Mt. Pisgah, Walker Homes, and West Junction communities and impact from the 2011 flood. 

The selection committee has expressed interest in tranquil watershed sculpture that:

• Reflects on the 2011 flood   

• Relays awareness and appreciation of the area’s natural resources, including South Cypress Creek  

• Prefers a sculptural or spatial design that exudes serenity

• Mimics the watersheds that affects the 38109 area

• Definition: A watershed is an area of land that drains or “sheds” water into a specific body of water. - from National Geographic Education

• Involves student engagement from Chickasaw Middle, Mitchell High, and Southwest Career Tech

• Includes neighborhood engagement during design and/or fabrication process

• Includes shadowing opportunities for a local 2D based artist

• Needs to be accessible for aging community 

• Durable material that could withstand heavy rain, prolonged sun exposure, and wind erosion

• Focus on how the resilient Boxtown, Mt. Pisgah, Walker Homes, and West Junction communities are thriving now

SELECTION COMMITTEE

• Marcha Allen: City of Memphis Parks Division- Deputy Director

• Tony Hawkins: UAC Artist 

• Y. Sonia Holmes: City of Memphis Storm Water Department – Environmentalist 

• Mike Lemm: City of Memphis Engineering Division (nonvoting) 

• Dedra Macklin: WIND Memphis CDC- Founder + CEO; Grant creative content creator

• Chris Murphy: Retired Mitchell High School Master Carpenter 

• Marcella Shepard:  Boxtown, West Junction/Walker Homes 38109 Community Leader/Advocate  

• Sandy Stacks: Koi Pond Contractor 

• Anita Tate: Shelby County Government Department of Housing-  Planning and Development Division 

*Public Vote: Collected public votes will serve as one additional selection committee vote for the final selected artist following the submission of proposals from project finalists.

About Artists:

Kristi Duckworth

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Kristi grew up in the backwoods of Bryant, Ark. Enjoying art and nature from as far back as she can remember, she was constantly drawing, painting, taking pictures, digging up plants, fishing, and rock collecting much as she is today.

Kristi graduated from the University of Memphis in 1989 with a degree in graphic design. During her schooling, technology took over the graphic art world. Gravitating more towards hands-on art activities and enjoying working with children of all ages, she started teaching and doing more pottery and mosaics than graphic art. Maintaining a studio practice throughout her career, she now teaches elementary through high school age girls after-school at Hutchison, older adults through Creative Aging, and students of all ages at her studio while working on public and private commissions.

Kristi has done several large scale public art mosaics in Memphis including the “Stone Butterfly” patio and “Seedling Circle” mosaics in My Big Backyard at the Memphis Botanic Garden, the “Tree of Life” in the Cancer Survivors Park, and White Station Middle School. She is currently working on a mosaic sculpture through the UrbanArt Commission for Alonzo Weaver Park.

Kristi is deeply inspired by nature and community. As well as painting landscapes and doing nature inspired pottery and mosaics she also leads naturalists and inner-city kids on hikes and fishing trips with Memphis Kids in Nature. When not working she enjoys life in the country near Shelby Forest with her dog, cat, and chickens.

KristiDuckworth.net

Jonathan Reid

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Jonathan Reid has been immersed in the arts since his childhood, playing piano and saxophone throughout his early years. These creative beginnings have served as the foundation for his approach to working with communities, utilizing various artistic mediums (poetry, photography, fashion) to paint stories that capture the complexities of the human experience locally and abroad.

Jonathan’s creative endeavors have led him on a journey of cultural immersion, including Florence and Venice, Italy; Beijing, China; Accra, Ghana and others.

Jonathan founded PTTP as a means of leveraging creativity to address issues facing Black communities, with a focus on 4 specific pillars: environmental sustainability, personal wellness, gun violence prevention, and criminal justice reform. Through PTTP, he advocates for the protection of neighborhoods from legacy pollution, promotes self-efficacy through the emerging Urban Agriculture movement, and partners with organizations to bring Black families closer to nature with the long-term goal of fostering healthier relationships between communities and the outdoors.

Jonathan is a graduate of The University of Tennessee- Knoxville, where he received his B.A. in English and Africana Studies and a M.S. in Higher Education Administration.

http://www.pttp.store