Light Seekers (2019)
Light Seekers (2019)
Artist: Melissa Bridgman
Medium: Custom stamped concrete
Location: The Grove at the Germantown Performing Arts Center, 1801 Exeter Road, Germantown, TN 38138
Moths are primarily creatures of darkness and are irresistibly drawn to light. As The Grove lights up the night with vibrant performances, moths will literally be drawn to the lights of the stage as the artists—on stage or screen—draw people to view their performances. The subtle but graphic design elements on the pathway that leads into the performance space, blending the seam between indoors and out and spreading the message of light seekers into the world.
The moths that appear in Light Seekers are inspired by two native species: the virgin tiger moth (Grammia virgo), a species common in this area, and the grape leaffolder (Desmia funeralis), a less common, strikingly graphic insect. Moths are quietly beautiful, blending into their surroundings until you seek them out. Their subtle exterior wings give way to astounding geometry and color once their inner wings open up.
Commissioned by the Germantown Public Art Commission in 2019
Location: First Horizon Plaza at the Germantown Performing Arts Center
Melissa Bridgman
Melissa Bridgman is an alumna of Salem College in Winston Salem, NC, where received her degree in History and American studies. During this period, she spent three semesters interning and exploring the collections of the Reynolda House Museum of Art and the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts, enriching her love of art, pattern, printmaking, fine textiles and ceramics, and the folk traditions of North Carolina. She holds a Master's in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi, where she studied documentary fieldwork, art history, self taught and folk art. Melissa has been a teaching artist with the Memphis Brooks Museum and the Greater Memphis Arts Council. A full-time potter, she also teaches ceramics workshops for adults in Memphis. She spends her time in her garden and studio with her family in her midtown home.
