project overview
The Good Stuff | Cancer Survivors Park
Yvonne Bobo’s The Good Stuff at Cancer Survivors Park harnesses the kinetic potential of wind energy. Larger than life daisies sparkle in the sunlight as the sun reflects on the spinning, stainless steel petals. Bobo, a kinetic designer, integrates invention with nature, man and wind, to create a piece that showcases the laws of physics in the simple beauty of metallic flowers.
Butterflies symbolize the fragility of life. Yvonne Bobo created a series of butterfly sculptures along the walkways, which complement the work by Kristi Duckworth. The Memphis Cancer Survivors Park was designed by architect Dianne Dixon, artist Kristi Duckworth, and landscape architect Mike Lemm, with assistance from Park Services landscape architect Keith Schnadelbach. It includes a labyrinth, garden, a series of butterfly statues, and a mosaic. The park is designed to help visitors find their way through focused walks and contemplation. Wildflowers are planted throughout the park to attract butterflies.
This project was facilitated by the UrbanArt Commission for the City of Memphis Public Art Program.
About the Artist
Yvonne Bobo
Yvonne began her career by assisting other artists on public projects around Memphis, TN, but soon began applying for her own grants, which resulted in some of her first commissions as a lead artist. Early public art projects include the Raymond Skinner Center and Peabody Park, followed by The Cancer Survivor Park, Brewster Elementary, LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, and others.
Yvonne’s art focuses on the interaction between invention and nature. Her wind-activated art captures the playful character of the wind and creates a constantly changing experience for the viewer. Although metal is her primary medium, mixed media is her true love, combining glass, Yvonne Bobo steel, wood, and fabrics. She is a designer, engineer, and fabricator.
The artist’s formal education consists of a B.A. in Art History from Boston University, but even more telling in her work is the extensive travel and apprenticeships in various craftsman trades, learning ancient methods of carving, cabinetry, and water-gilding in locales such as Syria, the Azores or Vienna.
In her most recent work, Yvonne has really captured her personality and varied skill set. Gyroscopic, Mobius, Spiral Rising, Murmuration, Rhapsody, and Kaleidoscope are grand endeavors with dynamic, sometimes unconventional, and hard to grasp designs. Mixing elements of texture, movement, and patina with thoughtful colors, shapes, and materials make each commission a personal, unique display. She can acclaim national public art recognition, with installations in Cleveland, Boston, and Knoxville, with future sites from California to Florida.
