Art In Public Places Gallery
Tillie K. Fowler Memorial
Riverwalk
Northbank at Jackson Street
Showing the Way: Tillie K Fowler Memorial (2009)
Brower Hatcher (Providence, RI)
Stainless steel, powder coating, aluminum, rock
Artist Brower Hatcher was inspired by the tree imagery Rev. Barnum McCarthy used in Fowler’s eulogy – “She may have been known as a Steel Magnolia, but to me she was a mighty oak. She reached out in all directions, gracing everything she touched. She always made a difference.”
Fowler served as Jacksonville’s first female City Council President from 1982-1985 and later served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. When she retired in 2000, Fowler was the highest ranking woman in the U.S. Congress and received the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Fowler joined the Washington D.C. office of Holland & Knight in 2001, and died in March 2005.
The artist explained, “Tillie’s spirit (is) captured in the image of a magnificent oak tree – strong, protective of her community, concerned for all and always reaching out.” Three orbs create the foliage of the tree and represent the levels of Tillie’s spirit: family, community, country.