After 18 months at its prominent location on the corner of Main and Market, artist Terry Cannon’s “Hope” sculpture has moved to Alton Park.

In 2007, the city of Chattanooga leased the sculpture as part of a public art project on Main Street. The lease expired in April, and it was recently purchased by Darryl Wyche, a resident of the Hope VI project development off of W. 38th street.

An avid art collector, Mr. Wyche has displayed the “Hope” sculpture in his yard on Kirkland Avenue. Mr. Cannon said, “Darryl wanted the sculpture for his own community as a statement on behalf of neighborhood kids.”

“It’s not mine. It’s everybody’s,” said Mr. Wyche, a minister at Aldhouse Church of Christ in Bridgeport, Ala. “Hope is a very powerful word, not only for me, but for many people. The Hope sculpture means that there is a chance to attain anything and everything I want in life. And for those whose life is downtrodden, there is always hope for them through the grace of God.”

The “Hope” sculpture was one of six sculptures included in the first round of public art installations on Main Street — an effort to draw pedestrian traffic to the Southside spearheaded by the Lyndhurst Foundation and Allied Arts of Chattanooga.

Public Art Chattanooga recently installed a second round of art exhibits on Main Street.

The Lyndhurst Foundation’s Sarah Morgan said, “Because of its location at Main and Market, and because it had ‘hope’ written on it, Terry’s sculpture captured the spirit of the revitalization effort—hope and belief. His sculpture spoke to people’s vision for the community. And it can do the same for Alton Park. It is exciting to see that an individual has grabbed hold of it and shared it with a new part of the city.”

Mr. Cannon said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to publicly support the revitalization of the Southside than with the Hope sculpture. I will always remember seeing a diversity of people using the sculpture to sit and lean on. And I am thrilled that Darryl will also use it as a symbol of hope in Alton Park.”

Mr. Cannon also developed the Off Main Art Collective, a formerly abandoned turn-of-the-century warehouse on Rossville Avenue that now houses numerous small businesses, artist studios and galleries including Mr. Cannon’s own art gallery and event hall, Loose Cannon.