Massive Seven-Foot Tina Turner Statue Coming to Tennessee Heritage Park

A seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Tina Turner will be unveiled at Heritage Park in Brownsville, Tennessee, on September 27, during the annual Turner Heritage Days.

Brownsville officials joined forces with Ford Motor Company on this project. Nigerian-born artist Fred Ajanogha created the bronze work in his Atlanta studio. The statue will be placed at 709 East Jefferson Street, near the grounds of Carver High School, which Turner attended.

The celebration will last three days, starting September 26. Music fans will walk the streets of Nutbush, where Turner grew up, watching films, catching shows, and sharing stories. 

The statue stands between two key places from Turner's youth: her high school and the Flagg Grove School building, where she learned her early lessons. 

Since 2014, the Flagg Grove School has drawn visitors worldwide as a museum. Its walls hold precious items from Turner's past, managed by staff at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center.

Art lovers will have the chance to meet the sculptor on Thursday. Friday takes visitors through Nutbush streets, ending with a screening of "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome". The statue will then be unveiled to the public on Saturday morning. 

Professor Tim Riley from Emerson College will speak about Turner's music and impact. Past band members Ferly Prado and Ollie Marland will share stories from the road.

The final day will start with prayers at Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church before a farewell meal. All events take place in Brownsville, a small Tennessee town of 10,000 just off I-40.