Carpenter Art Garden "Welcome to Binghampton" Mosaic Signs

A Binghampton resident employed by Carpenter Art Garden was frustrated with the public perception of the neighborhood as a dangerous place. He and other residents wanted to make the neighborhood more attractive to visitors, especially as the nearby Broad St. Corridor, a part of Binghampton, has seen a recent revitalization and resurgence as a business and cultural district. 

The solution? Two "Welcome to Binghampton" mosaic community signs that will be installed at both the intersection of Tillman Ave. and Sam Cooper Blvd. as well as where The Hampline meets The Greenline, two of Memphis’s public walking and biking trails. The sign will be approximately 12’ wide and 6’ tall and will be created by local Binghampton residents, including adults and youth, under the guidance and leadership of Suzy Hendrix and Tarlisa Clark. Suzy and Tarlisa have already seen success in their previous mosaic projects in the neighborhood which have transformed blighted areas into inviting and vibrant urban green spaces. (You can read more about these projects below.)

This project will implement the creative vision of our neighborhood residents, train local youth in tile making and mosaic, encourage the use of green space in this urban community, and instill a further sense of pride and ownership in the community.

The first "Welcome to Binghampton" mosaic sign located at Tillman St. and Sam Cooper Blvd. will take approximately a year to complete. ​

What has happened so far?

• Binghampton residents were surveyed about the sign and the design

• Professional artist and project lead, Suzy Hendrix, worked with the engineers at Montgomery Martin Contractors to design the concrete form

• Permits were acquired for the signs from the City of Memphis

• The mosaic team begin the design process for "Welcome to Binghampton" sign

• The mosaic team is continuously creating clay tiles for the sign

What’s coming up next?

• Montgomery Martin Contractors will pour the concrete form for the first mosaic at the intersection of Tillman St. and Sam Cooper Blvd. (September 2019)

• The teen staff members serving on the mosaic team will recreate the concrete form out of cardboard boxes to create the template for the sign

• A pattern will be made on butcher paper

• Binghampton youth will cut, fire, paint, and glaze an approximate total of 7,000 clay tiles, depending on the design

• The tiles will be laid out in sections then applied to the concrete form

• Once all of the tiles are applied, the sculpture will be grouted and sealed 

Carpenter Art Garden’s mission and vision is to provide art education and enrichment opportunities that are aimed to support the youth of Binghampton. 

Through CAG's intimate involvement with this community, it is clear that most residents share aspirations to feel a sense of safety and to live in a place that inspires hope in their children. We have seen the benefits of exposing the neighborhood to the arts first hand. Using art as a healing agent produces results that are both beautiful and beneficial. Art provides a creative outlet to release emotional trauma. Binghampton residents are able to express struggles they can’t speak about verbally through an art form.

Current CAG participants have developed their artwork over the years, some even building their own clientele. Our staff has nurtured the talents of participants by providing supplies, workshops, and helping adults and children to sell their own artwork for income. These opportunities will continue to foster economic development and enhance the community member's identity through art.

The Binghampton Memorial Mosaic Garden began as a way to beautify and activate a vacant lot which was being used for activities unproductive for the neighborhood.  Located directly across the street from a large housing development, the lot is passed daily by the young people from the community on their way to school or to the local community center.  At the suggestion of residents from the community, CAG acquired the lot and began to transform the remnants of old concrete fencing and foundations into mosaic sculptures. The garden now serves as a peaceful and vibrant space for all community members. 

Additionally, professional artist Suzy Hendrix has hired three of the mosaic team youth as paid apprentices in her personal art business; one teen helped with a public art piece while the other helped restore the stained glass in a historic church. By acquiring skills in the arts, the students are gaining self-confidence, pride in what they do, and hope all while learning a living wage. In this way, the mosaic program fulfills CAG’s goal of helping them to create their best futures.

None of the community spaces created by CAG were a plan created by the organization; they have organically evolved out of the desires of Binghampton children and conversations with neighbors. Your contribution makes it so that more of these conversations and transformations are possible so that we can promote and support the Binghampton neighborhood in all that we do. Thank you!

For more information about Carpenter Art Garden, please visit our website.