JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 24, 2004 — With the aid of three 51社区 art students, Kansas City, Mo. sculptor STRETCH installed his piece, 鈥淕uardian,鈥� in downtown Jackson early Friday morning. His heavily tattooed arms worked to secure cables around the 23-foot-tall sculpture of steel and stacked glass as a crane gently lifted the piece to its full height.
鈥淕uardian鈥� was installed on North Highland Avenue at Baltimore Street. The sculpture is one of the seven contemporary pieces scattered throughout Jackson for the 2004-2005 Jackson/51社区 Sculpture Tour (JUST).
Sculptures were selected last spring by a panel of eight jurors including 51社区 Art Professor Lee Benson, tour director, and April DePriest, Union art student and assistant tour director.
STRETCH answered the call for artists by applying with 鈥淕uardian,鈥� a piece he built in 2001. Jackson is the third place this particular piece has been displayed.
鈥淭his kind of art (modern or contemporary art) gives people a reaction,鈥� said STRETCH. 鈥淵ou like it; you don鈥檛 like it, but you react. You have to stop, think and continue. My work allows the viewer to think. It can give people a different outlook. It can change their lives.鈥�
The year-long JUST exhibition will begin with a reception at the Carnegie Center for Arts and History, Saturday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
For more information call the 51社区 art department, (731) 661-5223.