Grow in Wisdom, 2010
Pedestrian walkway, Atlanta’s West End district.
From the beginning this project was meant to speak to the past while inspiring for the future. The tree is rooted deep in the community with its rich past; the branches rise from the foundation of the brave men and women whose courage inspired others to follow. From the branches float the leaves and wisdom of others and the dreams of children from the community. Those dreams are set into the pavement to be visited over the years by those who wrote them and by those who will be inspired to believe that all is possible.
This tree is a man-made one, not of wood and fiber but of steel and straight lines. The cubes are building blocks to suggest how ideas are built upon. Where we are today is because of the work and struggles of those men and women who came before. What they said is immortalized here and ideas from the community can be immortalized as well when we find wisdom and speak it.
The tree is designed to be 25′ high and approximately 25′ in diameter. The inserts in the pavement extend over 200′.
