Frank Fleming

Frank Fleming (born June 17, 1940 in Bear Creek, Marion County) is a sculptor.

Felming grew up in Marion County. After high school he attended Florence State College (now the University of North Alabama) where he discovered painting through his speech therapy classes. At the same time the college maid taught him to sculpt from river clay.

After graduating, he entered the fine arts program at the University of Alabama, eventually being able to complete his Master of Fine Arts with multiple scholarships and fellowships. He moved to Homewood and enjoyed success creating his signature fanciful animal sculptures for a range of clients.

A 1974 exhibition at the Birmingham Museum of Art led to the purchase of one of his pieces by Arnold Glimcher, director of New York's Pace Gallery that proved to be his big break. He returned to Tuscaloosa as an artist in residence during 1975 and gained numerous commissions for public projects, including perhaps his most notable work, the Storyteller fountain at Five Points South. His work is owned by the Birmingham Museum of Art as well as the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga, the Smithsonian in Washington DC, the Wiesman Museum in Malibu, California. Fleming's sculptures are also owned by numerous institutional and corporate collections, as well as private collections.

In 2001, Fleming suffered a heart attack. In 2007 he relocated from Homewood to Huntsville to live with his brother.

References

• Huebner, Michael (April 15, 2007) "Fleming will leave city full of fanciful animals." Birmingham News.