Tennessee Leaf by Terry Allen

Tennessee Leaf, Commission, Bronze, Size: 8 feet high x 7 feet wide x 6 feet deep

The artist: Part country singer/songwriter, part visual artist, Terry Allen has tapped into various media to tell stories ranging from his West Texas roots to universal human themes. In the past decade, some of his projects have focused on environmental issues.

Responding to the loss of native eucalyptus trees to make way for new buildings at the University of California, San Diego, Allen created three sculptural “trees” that lyrically emit recorded songs, poems, and chants. He installed two trees in an existing campus Eucalyptus grove alongside their natural versions. The effect is of a magical forest that asks participants to weigh the potential and destruction wrought by technology, as well as the inspirational effects of nature on various artistic mediums.To learn more about Trees, vist the UCSD Web site.

The image above shows Allen's work, Belief, a similar sculpture he created for the University of Cincinnati.

Allen’s work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, among others. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is represented by La Louver Gallery in Venice, California.

To learn more about his work, visit his Web site.

The sculpture for Renaissance Park: The Hunter believed that Allen’s take on the environment would be an evocative addition to Renaissance Park, which promotes environmental innovation and sustainability in its constructed wetland. Allen created a drawing for a sculpture specifically designed for Renaissance Park. He suggested casting a sculpture in the shape of a tulip poplar leaf, the state tree of Tennessee. A dark green patina, or finish, would be applied to his bronze leaf, and he would like to have it leaning against a tulip poplar tree.

Site of the artwork: Allen proposes installing the sculpture on the edge of the Park along the banks of the Tennessee River.