 Ralph Nielsen is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of the Fred Price Memorial |
We are building a bronze statue of "Fiddlin" Fred Price
to be located at the Johnson County Center of the Arts in Mountain City Tennessee.
We need your help to match some current committed funding.
Our Goal - $16,000.00 If everyone I know donated $10.00 we would easily reach our goal.
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Ralph is a retired Sculptor and Production Designer who has worked on: Theme Parks, Feature Films and TV all over the world.
"I have spent my whole life preserving storytelling, traditional music and building lifelong memories for families."
But we need your help…
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Ralph Nielsen with the Fred Price maquette (concept model).
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The vision
behind the project. In 1984 I met “Fiddlin' Fred Price” the legendary old-time fiddle player. When he died in 1987 hundreds of people came to his funeral. It was an incredible experience.
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My dream since then was to build a Bronze Monument to preserve his legacy.
Fred Price, Clarence Ashley, Clint Howard and Doc Watson
Fred toured nine times in
the 1950s with Clint Howard, Clarence Ashley and Doc Watson.
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“Fiddlin' Fred
Price” the legendary old-time fiddle player. Born on July 16, 1915 in the remote mountain community of Shouns in Johnson County, Tennessee, Fred heard his mother sing old time mountain songs and picked the banjo when he was a baby.
When he was still a little boy, Fred's father encouraged him to take up the fiddle, which he carried in a sack when he visited his sisters on Sundays.
When Fred joined the US Army during World War
II, he was already a skilled fiddler who entertained his fellow soldiers with old time fiddle tunes.
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The Bronze Memorial
Why crowd funding?
I sculpted a maquette
(a miniature model) of Fred in 1989. I wanted to do this project with my own
money but then I worked all over the world until I retired in 2016. At 79 years
of age I realized that I would need help to make this dream happen.
So we have applied to the National Endowment
for the Arts for an “Our Town” Grant that pays for 50% of the cost of the arts project.
We have matching sources for much of the rest of the project. However we are still $16.000.00 short of meeting our goal.
Who are the partners that are making this happen?
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Val Lyle, sculptor.
See more about Val's history here:
https://www.possumeggs.com/ValLyle.htm
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Ralph Nielsen, designer.
See more about Ralph's history here: |
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and the Johnson County Center for the Arts https://www.jocoartcenter.org/
Our Total Budget $ 68,356.00
Your Impact
Any contribution you make will go straight into the project.
We need to earn $16,000 to match grants and other donations.
The $16,000 will pay for 25% of the total project cost.
· $ 1,000 – to scan & digitize the maquette
model
· $1,900 – to machine carve full size
model
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$13,100 – Part the of fee to mold and cast the finished bronze sculpture.
Committed donations by others
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$16,600 by others in the community.
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Matching funds applied for with an NEA “Our Town” Grant
Other ways you can help
1. Help us spread the word! Use this link to share on
social media and email: gofundme/fredpricememorial
2. Come experience the traditional music culture of
Johnson County Tennessee with us, you and your family will leave with memories
that last a lifetime.
3. Support the Johnson County Center for the Arts!
Whether it is financially or through volunteering, they are working on amazing
projects in the Far North East Tennessee area. They are looking for volunteers
in art, music, storytelling, writing and video production as well as
fundraising and business sponsorship. Get involved! https://www.jocoartcenter.org/
4. Expert advice! This is a collaborative piece and we would
love to have local experts be a part of this process. Help us build the next
chapter in our Appalachian Culture and Music History.
Thank you so much for all your support. We would not be able to complete this
project without your help!
All our Love and our sincerest Best Wishes,
Ralph, Val, and all the staff and volunteers at the Johnson County Center of
the Arts.