Copyright © 2003 NLThomas
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News from the Cherokee Nation
Copyright © 2003 CNO
LOCUST GROVE, OKLAHOMA - A team of local Cherokee Artists was selected by the Chattanooga Downtown Redevelopment Corporation and the Waterfront Public Arts committee as the unanimous winner for their Art Installation Proposal for the area called ‘The Passage’ at Ross’s landing on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Cherokee Artists Gadugi pose with a model of their public arts project 'The Passage'. The artists, left to right, are: Demos Glass, Wade Bennett, Bill Glass, Gary Allen, Knokkovtee Scott, Ken Foster and Robby McMurtry. 
The Cherokee Artists Gadugi (Cherokee for working together) will receive $250,000 for the project the work will begin in September and will take 10 to 12 months to complete. The city of Chattanooga will open 'The Passage’ site to the public on May 1, 2005.
The area in Chattanooga called 'The Passage' connects Market Street, the main downtown commercial Street, to the Tennessee River at Ross’ Landing. Listed on the National Register of Historic places, Ross’s Landing was the location of John Ross’s Trading Post before he was elected Principal Chief of the Cherokees and it was the location for river transportation for a portion of Cherokee removal during the trail of tears in 1838 and 1839.
This is the first public arts project for the Cherokee Artists Gadugi team. Team members include, Bill and Demos Glass, Knokovtee Scott, Gary Allen and Robby McMurry. Team consultants consist of Cherokee language, engineering and CAD specialists Ken Foster, Noel Hill, and Wade Bennett.
The artists’ team and consultants began preparing their initial proposal in June of this year and were notified in July. They had been selected as one of the top four applicants. Final interviews were held in Chattanooga on August 26, and Cherokee Artists Gadugi won the contract.
"It took an enormous effort from all the team members and consultants to plan, prepare, and deliver our final presentation to the Waterfront Public Arts Committee and Board of Directors of the Chattanooga downtown redevelopment corporation", said Bill Glass, director of the artist team.
"We knew from the beginning our team, with its combined 130 years of professional arts experiences, had the ability to deliver, but we still needed a working plan to meet the specific needs for this site. Our team, through a long series of planning sessions, was able to select culturally relevant designs that originally came from the prehistoric Chattanooga area and adapted through theme variations our conceptual vision to fit ‘The Passage’ wall space", said Knokovtee Scott, team historian and proposal writer.
The Cherokee Artists Gadugi will design, construct and assemble all artwork at the Glass’s studios outside Locust Grove, in the heart of the Cherokee Nation.
"The team wants to thank the many volunteers who gave their time, and Principal Chief of the Cherokees, Chad Smith, for his continued support in this successful effort", said Ken Foster, a consultant on the project.
"These Cherokee artists deserve a lot of credit for their talent, their creativity and their dedication to landing this huge project", said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. "Their team is aptly named. They are truly working together to create a wonderful community project."
For more information about the Cherokee Artists Gadugi, contact Bill Glass, HCR 64 Box 1410, Locust Grove, Oklahoma, 74352, or contact by e-mail.
| Related contact information: |
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Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org
Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager |
Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org
Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation |