Billy Tripp
Encyclopedia
William Blevins Tripp, born 1955 in Jackson, Tennessee
, is a nationally known practitioner of outsider art as well as the author of numerous poems and a novel, The Mindfield Years, published in 1996. ISBN 0-9652238-0-9
Biography and Works
Billy Tripp is the creator of The Mindfield, the largest outdoor sculpture in Tennessee
. A work in progress, The Mindfield contains many individual artworks and reaches heights over 125 feet. One of the latest additions, a huge, spherical water tower salvaged from a defunct factory in Kentucky
, was transported and reconstructed single-handedly by the artist. The Mindfield continues to grow and evolve, most recently with the inclusion of several silhouettes depicting Billy's birth and death, and his "Mindfield Interpreter". Also, a 17 ft. canoe, used by author William Least Heat-Moon in his cross-country navigation of the United States inland waterways (River-Horse, 2001), was recently added to the structure.
Billy has given numerous interviews over the years to newspapers, television stations, and radio programs, including National Public Radio. His artwork has been exhibited at the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
as well as the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center (photographic representation), and is documented by the Smithsonian Institution
.
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
, is a nationally known practitioner of outsider art as well as the author of numerous poems and a novel, The Mindfield Years, published in 1996. ISBN 0-9652238-0-9
Biography and Works
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. A work in progress, The Mindfield contains many individual artworks and reaches heights over 125 feet. One of the latest additions, a huge, spherical water tower salvaged from a defunct factory in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, was transported and reconstructed single-handedly by the artist. The Mindfield continues to grow and evolve, most recently with the inclusion of several silhouettes depicting Billy's birth and death, and his "Mindfield Interpreter". Also, a 17 ft. canoe, used by author William Least Heat-Moon in his cross-country navigation of the United States inland waterways (River-Horse, 2001), was recently added to the structure.
Billy has given numerous interviews over the years to newspapers, television stations, and radio programs, including National Public Radio. His artwork has been exhibited at the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
as well as the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center (photographic representation), and is documented by the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.