Nina Simone Memorial Project Sculpture Preview

Still photography video of Nina Simone sculpture model preview in Tryon, NC on Sunday, 11 October 2009 in Nina Simone Plaza. Sculpture commissioned by Nina Simone Project and sculpted by Zenos Frudakis. JET magazine nationally previewed Frudakis’s model for the public art sculpture of Simone in its 9 March issue. The over-life-size representation of a seated Nina Simone has evoked overwhelmingly positive response from viewers.

The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Memorial Project (www.ninasimoneproject.org) released photographs today of the model in progress for a memorial sculpture depicting the legendary chanteuse Nina Simone. The over-life-size bronze sculpture of Simone, by Philadelphia-based sculptor Zenos Frudakis, is planned as part of a public art installation in Tryon, NC, birthplace of the world-renown singer and human rights’ activist who came to be known as the High Priestess of Soul.

Crys Armbrust, Ph.D., founder and executive director of the Nina Simone Project (NSP), remarks that “we are extraordinarily gratified by the positive response to each of the NSP’s memorial efforts—scholarship, sculpture and music festival.” Regarding the sculpture and its sculptor, Armbrust continues, “we are fortunate, as well, to have assembled an excellent team to accomplish this important phase of our endeavor.”

Zenos Frudakis’s work appears in numerous art collections both in the US and abroad. Notable commissions include the Honor Guard at the National Air Force Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Freedom at the GSK World Headquarters in Philadelphia, PA, and Martin Luther King at the US Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.

Frudakis’s enthusiasm for this commission is evident in his comments following. “I am delighted to share in the creation of a lasting tribute to jazz legend Nina Simone. In addition to being a fan of her work, as an artist, it is especially pleasing for me to be given this opportunity to honor another artist.”

The highly-acclaimed sculptor Frudakis is joined in this effort by Nina Simone’s daughter Lisa Simone Kelly, known to many as a seasoned musical performer in her own right. Her credits include lead roles in such Broadway productions as Aida, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar and Les Misérables. Kelly, who performs under the single name Simone, is now on tour to promote the release of her tribute CD “Simone on Simone.”

“Lisa Simone Kelly,” Armbrust reports, “has played an integral role in the creative process, and her participation has made our efforts all the more meaningful. Beyond her valuable commentary on earlier versions of the bust study, she graciously continued on to pose for Frudakis’s full scale study of her mother. So, what we have here is, in point of fact, indeed Simone on Simone—a legend and a legacy combined together in tribute to one who was and is a powerful musical force in a global theatre and an icon of human potential realized.”

For further information about the Nina Simone Project, see www.ninasimoneproject.org.