Musica (sculpture) facts for kids
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Musica is a huge bronze statue in Nashville, Tennessee. It sits on a grassy hill in the middle of a big traffic circle. This spot is known as the Music Row Roundabout or Buddy Killen Circle. You can find it right across from Owen Bradley Park. The statue is in the famous Music Row area of Nashville. It was created as part of a plan to make the Music Row neighborhood better. The statue was first shown to the public in 2003.
What is Musica Made Of?
Musica is the biggest sculpture ever made by the artist Alan LeQuire. It is also currently the largest group of sculptures in the United States. The statue shows nine figures, both men and women, dancing in a circle. It stands about 38 feet (11.5 meters) tall.
Five of the figures seem to spring up from the base of the statue. Four more figures float above the others in the center. At the very top, there is a female figure holding a tambourine. Each dancer is very large, about fourteen to fifteen feet tall. This is more than twice the size of a real person!
The dancers and part of the base are made from bronze. The other part of the base is made of large, natural limestone rocks. These types of rocks are very common in the Nashville area. Much of the work on the statue was done in a special workshop in Wyoming. The different pieces were then brought to Nashville and put together there. The entire statue weighs about 10 tons.
The Idea Behind Musica
Artist Alan LeQuire shared his thoughts about Musica: Musica shows how people physically express music through dance. The statue is meant to make viewers feel simple joy and excitement. The main idea of the sculpture is music. This is because of the important history and economy of the area. This spot is the heart of Music Row. It is famous for its artistic activities, which Nashville is known for.
The sculpture shows how important music is to Nashville. It represents music from the past, present, and future. It includes all kinds of music, not just one style. The statue is a visual symbol for the Music Row area and for the whole city. While the main idea is music, the sculpture also represents artistic creativity itself. An artistic idea often seems to appear suddenly and magically. This is what happens in the sculpture. The title Musica means "all the arts of the muses".
LeQuire also wanted the statue to show diversity and different cultures living together. He said he wanted it to reflect our culture as it truly is. Nashville is a multicultural city with many different ethnicities.
To create the figures, LeQuire used real people as models. He carefully shaped their faces and bodies. The statue includes two Caucasian women and one Caucasian man. There is also an African-American man and woman. You can also see an Asian-American woman. A Native American man is part of the group. Finally, there is a Hispanic man and woman. This mix of people shows the diversity LeQuire wanted to represent.
How Musica Was Funded
The Musica project cost $1.1 million. Local art supporters paid for it, but they wanted to remain anonymous. They offered the statue as a gift to the city. This gift was meant to highlight the importance of art. The Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and Metro Council approved the project.
The artist, Alan LeQuire, said that the supporters wanted to create something lasting for the area. Music Row is a very important place in Nashville's history and future. People felt that Music Row, despite its importance, never had a special identifying feature. The traffic circle itself was created for this reason. Those who designed it always imagined a monument in the center.
