Millennium Fountain

“On Jan 22, 2003 my family and I stood with the residents of Clarksville who proudly gathered for dedications of the restored Montgomery County Courthouse, Millennium Plaza, and the new Montgomery County Courts Complex.”

These words are from the article “The Bronze Fountain” written by metalsmith/sculptor John Medwedeff. The article was originally published in the Fabricator and again later in The Leaf Chronicle.

The 16’ bronze fountain sits in Millennium Plaza, reflecting in the shiny windows of the state of the art, Montgomery County Courthouse and Courts Complex. Both the fountain and the plaza are the result of the reconstruction of Downtown Clarksville after the infamous F4 tornado struck on January 22, 1999, damaging 524 buildings and destroying 124. 

Montgomery County was designated an official Millennium Community by The White House Millennium Council launched by Hillary Clinton. Subsequently, the plaza and fountain were named for the adopted theme.

“When I begin to design, I concentrate on the question of design relative to a specific site and my aesthetic. I draw and build test models until I am confident that I have realized a form that is correct in proportion and style to the site, it’s intended function, and how viewers may perceive it,” Medwedeff said. ""The elements in this sculpture are based on the movement of water in a wave.""

Observers of the piece are compelled to follow the long fluid lines of curving bronze that narrow from a ball of waves into a single spike jetting skyward. Equally impressive is the water serenely cascading from a small pool in the middle of the piece to the large pool at its base.

by Marlon Scott