A Note for Hope

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A Note for Hope: Turn the Page
March 6 - April 30, 2009 Memphis, TN USA
My facebook page has photos from day one until the end...

Review of A Note for Hope by Carol Knowles © 2009 The Memphis Flyer

You'll find no generals, no celebrities, no corporate logos in the 58-by-152-foot mural Note of Hope, one of Memphis' most monumental works of art. Funded by entrepreneur Chick Hill, organized by Rhodes College's Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts, and designed and painted by noted Chicago muralist Jeff Zimmermann, Note of Hope stands instead as a monument to all Memphians. The red, yellow-green, and gray-blue hands materializing out of a rainbow at far left of the work suggest not only the rich mix of races that make up our city but also the passion, potential for growth, and dark passages that make up all our lives whatever our nationality or creed.

The open hands hover above the waves of an ocean and beneath a skull-and-crossbones — open-ended symbolism that evokes the nearly infinite possibilities, positive and negative, that play out every day in a large metropolis. Two mothers — one African-American, the other white — mirror one another's love and pride and aspirations for the infants they cradle. Their partners, painted in monotone, are emotionally unavailable, perhaps too absorbed in work to enjoy the present moment, or they could be mere shadows of what they were because of limited opportunities, dead-end jobs, dreams never realized.

Zimmermann continues his exploration of awareness and opportunity with a series of teenage faces — one in shadow, another in full sunlight, eyes closed. A third youth looks far left and appears to be scanning the horizon, wanting to take it all in.

Zimmermann's cinematic stories and symbolism invite multiple interpretations and viewings. You can drive by the corner of Madison and Third anytime to see Note of Hope or park your car and sit on the grassy hill across from the mural that also serves as a left-field berm for the Memphis Redbirds. This open-air gallery never closes.

Professional shots are coming soon! We documented the whole project beginning to end via FACEBOOK. Click the link for all my pictures organized chronologically: Jeff Zimmermann Facebook