Hunter Museum of American Art

A New Leaf This week the exhibition department at the Hunter Museum has been involved in the installation of an exciting new work by artist Terry Allen. The work has been installed in Renaissance Park on the north shore of the Tennessee River.

Patterned after the leaf of a Tulip Poplar, state tree of Tennessee, the work is appropriately entitled “Tennessee Leaf.” At slightly over thirteen feet high, including stem, the work makes a larger-than-life statement which no viewer can ignore.

Originally sculpted in wax, the work has been reproduced in bronze using what is known as a “lost wax” method of casting. The work was produced at Walla Walla Foundry which is located in Walla Walla, Washington. The work was then crated for shipping and trucked to its new home here in Chattanooga. The foundry also sent along one of their experts to oversee the installation.

We unloaded the piece by means of a forklift and drove it through the park to the site. It was a sight to see such a huge leaf being transported down the sidewalks and I could not help but notice the smiles of all the people who happened to be there.

A concrete “footer” had been prepared in advance of installation day. We uncrated the piece and picked it up with nylon slings to get it into an upright position. We were then able to place the piece into position and mark the locations of the bolts which would anchor the piece to the footer. The piece was set aside and the holes were drilled. The bolts were anchored to the concrete by means of a ceramic epoxy which is often used for sculpture installation.

All went well and the piece is now in place for all to enjoy. It is a most welcome addition to the collection of the Hunter Museum!

John Hare, Chief Preparator