The Art of Hope for a Man of Art
After 18 months at its prominent location on the corner of Main and Market, artist Terry Cannon’s “Hope” sculpture has moved to Alton Park. In 2007, the City of Chattanooga leased the sculpture as part of a public art project on Main Street. The lease expired in April, and it was recently purchased by Mr. Darryl Wyche, a resident of the Hope VI project development off of west 38th street.
An avid art collector, Mr. Wyche has displayed the “Hope” sculpture in his yard on Kirkland Avenue. Mr. Cannon said, “Darryl wanted the sculpture for his own community as a statement on behalf of neighborhood kids.”
“It’s not mine. It’s everybody’s,” said Mr. Wyche. “Hope is a very powerful word, not only for me, but for many people. The Hope sculpture means that there is a chance to attain anything and everything I want in life. And for those whose life is downtrodden, there is always hope for them through the grace of God.”
The “Hope” sculpture was one of six sculptures included in the first round of public art installations on Main Street—an effort to draw pedestrian traffic to the Southside spearheaded by the Lyndhurst Foundation and Allied Arts of Chattanooga. Public Art Chattanooga recently installed a second round of art exhibits on Main Street.
“Because of its location at Main and Market, and because it had ‘hope’ written on it, Terry’s sculpture captured the spirit of the revitalization effort—hope and belief. His sculpture spoke to people’s vision for the community. And it can do the same for Alton Park. It is exciting to see that an individual has grabbed hold of it and shared it with a new part of the city,” said the Lyndhurst Foundation’s Sarah Morgan.
Mr. Cannon said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to publicly support the revitalization of the Southside than with the Hope sculpture. I will always remember seeing a diversity of people using the sculpture to sit and lean on. And I am thrilled that Darryl will also use it as a symbol of hope in Alton Park.”
“From the time Terry told me about the sculpture, I would drive by it on my way home and admire it, thinking ‘that is mine,'" said Mr. Wyche. "The 'Hope' sculpture is very symbolic of me. I grew up a poor kid who went to college and got a degree. I had one chance to make something of myself, and I knew from the time I was young that I was a leader.”
Mr. Wyche owns and operates a personal trainer business out of the Signal Mountain Athletic Club and is a minister at Aldhouse Church of Christ in Bridgeport Alabama. He also conducts a personal ministry that feeds as many as 50 homeless people on Saturdays in downtown Chattanooga.