Tag: Urban Child Institute Memphis

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Crosstown Reveals “Invisible Art” by Stacey Williams-Ng

Stacey Williams-Ng gives a hoot about pollution. (Photo: Courtesy of the artist, Stacey Williams-Ng)

A children’s fable by Hans Christian Andersen, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” comes to mind when it comes to a public art piece in the works by artist Stacey Williams-Ng. The art is “invisible,” just like the emperor’s new clothes. In this case though, it’s not a ruse.

On the sidewalk around the Crosstown Concourse fountain, Williams-Ng will use hydrophobic paint, which repels water, to create the piece. The shapes will be invisible when the plaza is dry, but when water from the fountain is splashed onto the shapes, they’ll become visible. Can you see it now?

Made possible through a grant provided by the Urban Child Institute, the piece is based on the environmental conservation of the Mississippi River. The idea is to teach kids about litter as they play in the splash pad in the summer. It’s a good lesson for all of us.

“I recently learned that the Mississippi River is in serious peril as a result of pollution,” says the artist, Williams-Ng. “I thought it would be really neat to create hidden objects and wildlife that reveal the problem of pollution in our rivers. After all, we don’t usually see litter either, so we assume that it’s not there. But beneath the surface, there is trash that is threatening our ecosystem.”

The artist has already started work creating cans, shoes, and other typical litter items, interspersed with river wildlife like catfish for the public reveal on Saturday. Activity sheets with an interactive map for a treasure hunt and a word-find puzzle will be available for the kids.

Opening reveal for “Invisible Aquaphobic Art,” Crosstown Concourse Plaza Fountain, 1350 Concourse, Saturday, June 26, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., free.

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Urban Child Gives $2M to U of M Project

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burkes

Justin Fox Burkes

The Urban Child Institue headquarters on Jefferson.

The Urban Child Institute (TUCI) has given $2 million to the University of Memphis for a project focused on the health of at-risk children.

Earlier this year, the Memphis nonprofit organization announced a new gifting strategy that would give $8 million in 2016 to organizations supporting children’s needs. The new strategy increased the amount of money TUCI will give annually to children’s causes.

The U of M’s $2 million grant was outlined in April as a part of that gifting strategy. The money will support a project with the university, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Project (ACE). aims to “create a culture of health for vulnerable children in Memphis,” according to a Wednesday news release from the U of M, and will focus on areas such as child neglect and abuse, housing, asthma, and breastfeeding.

“The university’s contributions to the Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Project will help to ensure the implementation of holistic, integrated approaches to enhancing the health and educational environments of the most needy infants and toddlers in the area.” said U of M Provost Karen Weddle-West. 

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Urban Child Gets New Board Chair, New Gifting Strategy

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burkes

Justin Fox Burkes

The Urban Child Institue Headquarters on Jefferson.

The Urban Child Institute [TUCI] will give away $8 million this year to organizations supporting children’s needs and has a new board chairman, Jill Crocker, a Bank of America executive.
 
All of this was decided during a regularly scheduled meeting of the TUCI board Thursday, according to information sent by Crocker Thursday evening.

TUCI board members approved a 5 percent gifting strategy for 2016. That means $8 million will go this year to “community organizations working to support children’s needs.”

Crocker said more details on the strategy (such as which organizations will get the money) will be revealed later.

The new gifting strategy seems to be a major change for TUCI. The nonprofit has long been criticized in the community for sitting on a large investment fund but giving little of it to Memphis charities that actually help children ages 0-3 years, the group of children TUCI focuses its research work. 

The board also approved Crocker as its chairwoman. She replaces Dr. Hershel “Pat” Wall who announced his resignation from the board in late December.

“I am honored to be elected as board chair of The Urban Child Institute,” Crocker said in a statement. “Our organization’s support is critical to community organizations working to help improve the health and well-being of children. Our board is committed to upholding that mission.”

The board also approved the re-election of Jim Witherington, managing partner at SSM Partners, one of the largest private equity firms in the Southeast. Also, the board re-elected Dr. Cyril Chang, a healthcare economics professor at the University of Memphis. The board elected Jon McCullers, chair of the department of pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

The nonprofit organization has also been long criticized for paying Eugene Cashman, its former CEO, a top of the line salary. TUCI saw some major leadership changes the year. Cashman announced his plans to retire from TUCI in early December 2015.