Thursday, June 20
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
5449 Winchester Ave.
Memphis, TN 38115
A bus shelter dedication for Hickory Hill residents!
Join us for a Hickory Hill community celebration hosted by Gestalt Community Schools and Urban Art Commission, featuring renowned local artist Brandon Marshall. The event will begin with an unveiling of metal-fabricated art pieces at four newly installed bus shelters in the Hickory Hill neighborhood. Following the unveiling, we’ll head to PCA Middle’s Performing Arts Center for a live Jookin performance.
About the project: Gestalt Community Schools partnered with UAC and MATA for the Neighborhood Art Initiative. The project intent is to unite the Hickory Hill community through the installation of covered bus shelters featuring vibrant art panels. The organizations wanted to uplift the Hickory Hill community by bringing art to the area, but they also wanted the installation to be useful for residents – the majority of whom are families whose children attend Gestalt’s three Hickory Hill schools: Power Center Academy Elementary, Middle and High.
Local artist, Brandon Marshall, was commissioned by UAC to build the unique art panels for each bus shelter. Having grown up in Hickory Hill and a dancer himself, Brandon knew the cultural significance of the Memphis Jookin dance style. Inspired one day by seeing a man dance while waiting for a bus, Brandon decided that depicting Jookin dancers would be the perfect fit for this project. He partnered with Hickory Hill resident and dancer, Terrence Smith, to recruit Jookin dancers from Hickory Hill to model for the installations.
Each of the four bus shelters features one of the Jookin dancers, showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of the community. To broaden the reach of this project, each shelter is equipped with a QR code plaque that leads to the official project website that documents the journey. Because of this partnership, Hickory Hill residents are able to utilize these shelters, united by art and community.