PALM 00610

Lewis, Erma "Junior"

St. Charles Hotel Tree Guard

Metal

Iron

This bronze cast tree guard is one of two dozen commissioned as part of the 1995 plan to create a Cultural Arts District along Louisville's historic West Main Street. The tree guards were cast from wooden walking sticks carved by artists from all over Kentucky. The original wooden walking sticks are now hanging at the Metro Development Center at 444 South Fifth Street.

Each tree guard makes reference to one of the businesses or buildings that formed Main Street's history. This tree guard, carved by Erma "Junior" Lewis, depicts a man and a woman surrounded by suitcases and marks the former location of the St. Charles Hotel, previously located at 626—628 West Main Street.

Erma "Junior" Lewis lived in Isonville, Kentucky (1948 — 1999). He was a tobacco farmer who also drilled oil wells and worked as a carpenter. He began carving around 1987, creating fanciful devils, biblical scenes and animals. Lewis' work can be found in several museum collections including that of the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, the Kentucky Folk Art Center and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. (KG)