On November 14,the day after Jo’s death, the following article appeared in the Mobile Press Register. It was written by Thomas B. Harrison, Arts & Entertainment Editor.

The caption next to the photo reads:

Sculptor Jo Hess, shown here with her bronze sculpture “Family” at the Mobile Regional Airport, died Monday morning. The artist’s legacy to Mobile also includes “Camille,” a commissioned piece in front of the Bragg- Mitchell Mansion; and “Flora,” part of the permanent collection of the Mobile Museum of Art.

Mobile sculptor Jo Hess dies

78-year-old artist known for her bronze public art projects found throughout the Port City

Thousands who did not know her name certainly knew Jo Hess’ signature work if they passed through Mobile Regional Airport.

One of the first sights that greets new arrivals is “Family,” a bronze sculpture that features a young mother, father and child at the airport entrance.

The piece was the culmination of 2 1/2 years of work and thousands of air miles that Hess logged between Mobile and her foundry in Loveland, Colo. it reflects the artist’s passion and commitment to her art, and her desire to leave an enduring legacy for her community.

That legacy includes works such as “Camille,” a commissioned piece in front of the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion; and “Flora.” part of the permanent collection of the Mobile Museum of Art.

Hess died Monday morning at Springhill Memorial Hospital after an extended illness. She was 78.

“She will be sorely missed,” said Mobile sculptor Casey Downing, a longtime acquaintance.

“She is one of the few artists who stuck around Mobile once she started getting some recognition,” he said, “and that’s always nice, because I like people to know there are good artists in this area.”

Joseph B. Schenk, executive director of the Mobile Museum of Art, said Hess had “an infectious personality” that informed and inspired her art and made it more accessible to the public. She also “raised the bar in term of expectations … and what outdoor sculpture really costs. “l really enjoyed going to her studio and seeing her works in progress. She was good at taking ideas, being receptive and thinking about her art in a different way. She was always happy to grow in her skill and technique.”

Born Juanita Keys on Jan. 26, 1922, in Little Rock, Ark., Hess moved to Mobile in 1941. She met her husband, Charles Morrell Hess, while the two were riding dune-buggies at Gulf Shores. “She was riding around with somebody else in the sand dunes,” said Charles Hess. “l was attracted to her, and it grew the more l saw her. She was a beautiful woman, the prettiest thing l’d ever seen.”

Lifelong interest in art

 Hess said his wife had a lifelong interest in art, literature and languages, “and she always -wanted to learn more. She was eager for knowledge of ancient history and foreign countries.“

Hess’ daughter, Linda Hess Cooper of Point Clear, said her mother was a cancer survivor who didn’t take up sculpture until age 50.

“We got together during her ordeal, and she made a vow that if she recovered, she would leave something of herself forever,” Cooper said. “That to me says something about a woman who was appreciative of life.”

Her son, Charles M. Hess, Jr. of Dallas, said “he was inspired by his mother’s love for art.”
“Watching her paint camellias with pastels is something l’ll always treasure,” he said. “That was a big influence on me and my interest in art. l do have a desire to take up sculpture to try and carry on some of her aspirations.”

‘ln love with life’

Mary Noland, a longtime friend and former president of the Art Patrons League, had known Hess since 1957.

“She was in love with life,” said Noland. “l remember picking up the phone and hearing her laugh before she told me a story. But she always asked me whether l was busy. She was always thinking of other people.“

That sentiment is echoed by Patrice Baur, a member of the museum board, who met Hess 36 years ago. Baur and her husband were recent transplants from Chicago, and the Hesses took them under their wing.

“She thought we needed help,” Baur said. “We had lived in Chicago and we were buying a house in Mobile, and Jo was in real estate at the time. She suggested that we get a termite bond.” l said. “What‘s a termite bond?” She said, “You cannot buy a house in the South without a termite bond.”

“She and Charlie just showed us how to do everything.”

Baur was instrumental in persuading the Art Patrons League to commission a sculpture for the Bragg-Mitchell House. “Camille” became one of Hess’ first pieces in Mobile. The work was installed in 1991 and it symbolizes the artist’s love for beautiful gardens, which resonates through her work.

Capturing the spirit

Her life-size bronze “Flora” depicts a young woman in jeans and shirt and bandanna, kneeling among her flowerpots. The woman’s arm rests on her knee as she contemplates the landscape around her. A companion piece, “April,” depicts a 4-year old in denim overalls and ponytail, carrying a flowerpot in the crook of her arm.

“She had the ability to capture the spirit of someone,” Baur said. “Bronze is a tough medium. lt’s rock-hard, and to get the spirit of a person in bronze is really tricky.”

In the early part of her art career, Hess, focused on still-life painting. She traveled to France, Spain and ltaly, where she viewed works by the masters in person and studied the languages of those countries.

Hess’ interest in sculpture likely stemmed from her tours of the art museums of Europe, where she developed a fascination for the works of Rodin and Carpeaux. As a pupil of sculptors George Lundeen, Glenna Goodacre, Bruno Lucchesi and anatomist Jon Zahourek, she honed her skills and rapidly achieved success in the United States and Europe.

In Mobile, Hess continued her studies at the University of South Alabama, Spring Hill College and later at the lnstituto des Artes in Mexico. She took her own photographs and developed the film in her studio darkroom, then transposed the images to clay. The clay models then were transported to her studio and foundry in Loveland, Colo., where she worked with artists in that community to create a bronze likeness.

Lifelike quality; emotional appeal

Her final exacting touches lent a lifelike quality and emotional appeal to the completed work.

Her busts and life-size sculptures include subjects as diverse as W.J. Hearin, chairman of the board of the Mobile Register; Alfred Delchamps, founder of Delchamps, lnc., at the Chamber of Commerce Building; Ervin Cooper, the late president of Cooper/T. Smith Stevedoring, at Cooper Riverside Park; and a larger-than-life bronze of Fred Whiddon, former president of USA (University of South Alabama).

Most ambitious undertaking

Her most ambitious undertaking is a nine acre USA Children’s Park, a project of the University of South Alabama Children’s and Women‘s Hospital. When completed, the park will be the home of the largest collection of bronze sculptures in Mobile, with the primary focus on children. Hess donated the sculpture “April” as the first piece for the project.

Hess is survived by her husband of 58 years, her two children, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in St. Paul‘s Episcopal Church Parish House at 4051 Old Shell Road, Mobile.

A memorial service will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the church. A graveside service will be held at Spring Hill Cemetery immediately afterward.

Pine Crest Funeral Home, 1939 Dauphin Island Parkway is handling arrangements.
Contributions to the Jo Hess Sculpture Foundation can be made to: Linda H. Cooper. P.O. Box 378, Point Clear, AL 36564.

Information supplied by Pine Crest Funeral Home and the family was used in this report.