Project Overview
Raised River | Wolf River Greenway | East Memphis
“I wanted to make something suggesting a flow of current. I wanted it to show the full power of the river but still be graceful.”
Artist Colin Kidder's 100-foot-long, 16-foot-tall model of the Wolf River is installed near Shady Grove and Walnut Grove. The massive steel sculpture is visible to cars traveling along Humphreys as well. It is minimal in form, yet promotes ideas of environmental conservation through the use of passive solar energy.
In describing this piece, Kidder states, "Imagine rounding a curve in the trail on your bike and suddenly zipping below the gestural lines of a rushing river current. Think of a small child pointing up to trace the path of the river’s curving lines - a drawing in the sky... Sometimes the easiest way to contemplate what is natural in our citybound lives is to look up at the sky. One nice aspect of this sculpture is that it focuses the attention of trail goers and passersby upwards and into the negative space glimpsed between its flowing contours. When looked at in this way, the sculpture serves a unique purpose: to draw attention to what is behind and all around it—the natural environment."
About the Artist
Colin Kidder
Colin Kidder is an artist working in Memphis, TN. His work is about relationships, from lovers to adversaries. Although the medium of Kidder's art varies, he has an appreciation for minimal forms and strives to create socially relevant and spiritually meaningful work.
