Art

Item Description

Collectors will treasure this unique work of art from renowned Chattanooga artist (and Bright School grad) Austin Center '85. Item includes Certificate of Authenticity, Artist Bio and Artist Statement.

In the spring of 2020, I was asked to create a piece of art for the new Kindertransport Chapel at Mizpah Congregation in Chattanooga, TN. In honor of those who were saved by the Jewish Community and the Kindertransport before the Nazi’s took over.

Working with clay and under a time constraint to create this piece, I decided to produce 3 wall sculptures of the same piece, each being unique, in case one of the pieces when fired in the kiln happened to break due to the drying and firing process. This made sure I met the timeline in case the sculpture broke during this process. It turned out that all 3 sculptures made it through the firing process.

I was given these words below by the donor family whose mother was saved by the Kindertransport to use for inspiration:

Mothers’ and Fathers’, hearts heavy with the knowledge that their “kinder” many one day be the only “seed” to carry forward their memory and their families’ legacy.

“From those tiny seeds, have grown trees. Each generation giving life to roots, branches, and leaves honoring those that were lost but who never will be forgotten.”

One of the “Tree of Life” sculpture is on permanent display in the Kindertransport
Chapel at Mizpah Congregation in Chattanooga, TN. The second was actioned off in an ORT South Africa auction where funds went to support ORT’s International Cooperation Programs in Greece for African, Afghanistan, Syrian, and Ukrainian Women’s Refugees Program, and the third is in the artist's collection.

After producing the original 3 sculptures, I started creating smaller series of these “Tree of Life” to tell the story of the Kindertransport to honor those that were saved and those that perished in the Holocaust.

Austin is a Bright alum and a former Chairman of the Bright Board of Trustees.

Item Special Note

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