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Description:
This project is a tribute to former Mayor Harry E. Mitchell, who is
portrayed as a stilt walker to symbolize his heightened sense of
potential, performance and accomplishment. The hands of the figure
hold an inverted pyramid, which symbolizes the Tempe City Hall. The
stilt walker stands atop a steel, concrete and tile base that acts
as a timeline that represents Mitchell’s 24 years of public service.
The tiles contain representations of fragments of historic news
articles, budgets and blueprints occurring during Mitchell’s time of
service to the city.
Funding:
The project was funded through city of Tempe Capital Improvement
Project Percent for Art funds.
Artist biography:
John Nelson lives and works in Tempe, and received his Master of
Fine Arts from Arizona State University. As an illustrator, painter
and sculptor Nelson has seen his mixed media illustrations appear
frequently in publications like The New York Times and
Rolling Stone. His paintings and sculptures have been featured
in numerous solo and group shows including Gallery Materia in
Scottsdale, the Carter Center at Emory University and the Tamarind
Institute in Albuquerque, N.M. In addition, his work is collected by
both public and corporate entities, including Intel and the Perrier
Corporation. He has completed commissions for the National Endowment
for the Arts, the United States Postal Service and Phoenix Sky
Harbor International Airport, and has many other public pieces in
the Phoenix Metropolitan area.
Artist statement:
Above the Crowd is a portrait of Harry E. Mitchell. It is
also a fable, a day dream, a magic portent and a blue sky flight of
imagination. On a personal level, it is a symbol and metaphor for
one’s individual contribution to a community. On another level it
stands as a symbol of that community and of all of those who work
towards a higher vision of community. If you know the history of
Harry Mitchell then you know something of the history of Tempe. He
is, after all, a Buffalo, a Sun Devil and a Cardinal. As mayor he
was a budget juggler and a ribbon cutter, and for the St. Patrick’s
Day Parade, at least, a leprechaun. In this story, however, he is
neither devil nor leprechaun, but a stilt walker. |
