Bronze tablet to be placed at Nina Simone Plaza Tuesday 

By Samuel Robinson 

Sam.robinson@tryondailybulletin.com 

TRYON—The Nina Simone Plaza will receive a memorial bronze plaque Tuesday.  

The plaque will be placed at the plaza, located in downtown Tryon, along with a handrail at the rear entrance.  

Zenos Frudakis created the Nina Simone statue for the Town of Tryon in 2010. Frudakis is a Philadelphia resident who was commissioned to create the statue that would become the centerpiece of the Nina Simone Plaza.  

Frudakis is best known for his portrait statues, public monuments, busts, and figurative sculptures. Freedom is his best-known work and has recently been listed in The Top Ten: Public Art by The Independent.  

Dr. Crys Armbrust, founder of the Nina Simone Project and the chairman of its board gave praise for Frudakis and his work for the town of Tryon.  

“Zenos is one of the top 10 bronze sculptures in the world,” Armbrust said. “It is incredible to have a piece of his work here. Something that most people don’t know is that a portion of Nina Simone’s ashes are contained in the chest cavity of the sculpture. Nina’s sculpture is one of only two in the world that has that feature”  

The bronze plaque will be added to the plaza Tuesday. Garfield Signs from Greer, S.CC is producing the plaque.  

Saluda Forge is making the handrail that will be placed at the rear entrance facing McCown Street. 

Armbrust is currently leading a fundraising campaign to add an interactive kiosk for visitors to the plaza. In addition to the kiosk, Armbrust said that the final element of the project will be to repave the surface, currently asphalt, with either stone or concrete.  

For updates on the project and more information on the Nina Simone project, people can visit https://ninasimoneproject.org/, or contact tryonarmbrust@gmailcom. The mission statement and goals of the project are featured on the website with an emphasis on three elements: scholarship, sculpture and annual music festival.  

For more information on Frudakis and his work, visit http://www.zenosfrudakis.com.