Foundation

2011 6' x 8' wonder-foam printed on metal

Site: Bethlehem Center (200 West 38th Street)

Artists: Isaac Duncan III and Bethlehem Center youth

Partners: Bethlehem Center, Isaac Duncan III, Allied Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission, Education, Arts & Culture – City of Chattanooga

Description: Foundation takes inspiration from West African Adinkra symbols to represent the core values of the Bethlehem Center: developing character, leadership, and education. Through six hours of visual arts education focusing on print-making, Bethlehem Center youth created Adinkra stamps representing character traits they would most like to acquire. The students then stamped their symbol onto the metal sculpture. Created by Chattanooga-based artist Isaac Duncan, the sculpture was inspired by the Adinkra symbol of the Sankofa, a bird moving forward while looking over its’ shoulder. For the participants, the inferred meaning is looking to the future in gaining an education while remembering the past.

Foundation was funded in part by ArtsBuild, Benwood Foundation, and Tennessee Arts Commission.