Harmonious Balance

You'll find this sculpture in the heart of Downtown Clayton at the center of Horne Square, which is also showcasing "Bare Bones" and "Oasis" during this year's Clayton Sculpture Trail.

Jordan Parah holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture and a minor in art history from East Carolina University. She continues to live in Greenville, where she maintains a studio and works at City Art Gallery and the Greenville Museum of Art.

Parah's work can be seen throughout North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee - and, of course, right here in Downtown Clayton!

Parah made her debut on the Clayton Sculpture Trail last year with "Sunrise, Sunset" - which adorned Town Square - and "Up, Up and Away," which greeted visitors to the Clayton Community Center. The Public Art Advisory Board selected another pair of Parah's works for this year's trail, and you can see "Fly Me to the Moon" featured outside Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library

Here's how Parah describes her art in her own words:

"The main focus of my work is equality in our society; equal rights portrayed through large-scale sculpture. I find that the juxtaposition of my material choices expresses my personal definition of strength and equivalence. I challenge the intrinsic properties of metals and form them into unique, harmonious compositions that exemplify coexistence.

"My sculptures deal specifically with metal fabrication. In my research, I seek to connect contrasting metal forms, shapes and colors to create a nexus between the sculpture and the fundamental principle, that all people are different yet all are equal. The amalgamation of disparate metals within each sculpture is designed to place emphasis on the strength and endurance needed to form and maintain a unified and equitable society. In my current work, I utilize aluminum, steel, bronze, and stainless steel in combination to create balance and harmony out of diversity."