University Place Gaines Upham Upgrade

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: TBD
Contact: Elizabeth Alley or Laura Caroline Johnson, 901-454-0474

University Place Gaines Upham Upgrade

Memphis, TN – UrbanArt, the City of Memphis, Memphis Housing Authority and the development firms of McCormack Baron Salazar and Community Capital, are pleased to announce that artist Tim Upham has been selected to complete an art enhancement project at the newly established University Place. Located on Crump Boulevard between Pauline and I-240, University Place, a HOPE VI Revitalization, is part of a broad public/private initiative sponsored by Memphis Housing Authority.

Upham will be fabricating a landmark sculpture for the front of the Memphis complex. “I like for my pieces to be understood in various ways, abstract at first and then becoming more representational as the viewer continues to examine it,” says Upham. The artist was chosen for his enthusiasm for working with the community and the given environment of the site. The selection committee was made up of local community members, artists, and members of the development team.

Tim Upham, hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, has done various public art projects in Florida, Wyoming, and predominantly the Colorado areas. His delicate, colorful, and site-specific projects have been featured at community centers and parks. These whimsical works are generally composed of stainless steel, glass marbles, and/or LED solar powered lights, giving each a uniquely playful, yet substantial feel to their individual settings.

Because the University Place project includes affordable housing for senior residents and a mixed-income rental development, as well as pedestrian, local vehicular, and interstate traffic, Upham’s work will be seen from several vantage points and enjoyed by many age groups in the neighborhood.

The mission of the UrbanArt Commission is to create a dynamic, vibrant, nurturing community through art and design. The UAC is funded in part by the City of Memphis, Greater Memphis Arts Council, Tennessee Arts Commission and the Hyde Foundation. This project is funded through the City of Memphis Percent for Art plan. For more information, please visit the UAC website at www.urbanartcommission.org.