Billy Tripp’s Mindfield

Sep 24, 2013

—

My blog posts are usually about genealogy but during last weekend’s trip to Haywood County, I had a few extra minutes to grab some photos of a very unusual folk art display right in the middle of Brownsville, Tenn. My wife is into outsider art so she would do a better job of explaining it but I did want to share my photos.

Billy Tripp’s Mindfield

Located right next door to the grocery store where my grandmother won $500 at the “Let’s go to the Races” promotion, the Minefield is the largest outdoor sculpture in Tennessee and reaches over 125 feet tall.

Sculpted by Billy Tripp, who is from Jackson, Tenn., the Mindfield has to be experienced. I’ve driven by it hundreds of times, but on this morning I was able to take the time to walk around and really look at it. The fact that it sits right in the middle of Brownsville makes it even more interesting.

Tripp began his sculpture in 1989 and he says he will continue to work on it until he dies and then it will become the place he is buried. The sculpture is intended to represent various events in his life including the death of his father, Rev. Charles Tripp.

The Mindfield is made from steel girders, scrap metal, and lots of other materials thrown in for good measure…including a bathtub, Incredible Hulk doll, water tower and…well you get the idea.

If you’re really wanting a dose of outsider art and Billy Tripp’s Mindfield (along with music by Joe Cocker), you could watch the video below. Then, the next time you are driving down I-40, take Exit 56 and visit it for yourself.

One last tip: when you’ve worked up an appetite, head over to Helen’s Barbecue and have lunch.

For more of my genealogy research, visit rscottwilliams.info.

Update:

Me with Billy Tripp and his wife Beth Shaw Tripp at Discovery Park of America in 2021.

Since sharing this blog post back in 2013, Billy Tripp continues to work on the Mindfield, and it has continued to grow both in size and in importance as both a tourist attraction and artwork. According to the Haywood County website, “the Mindfield has grown slowly over the years, eventually becoming a signature part of downtown Brownsville and a certifiable tourist attraction.”

SPACES—Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments—an organization dedicated to the study, documentation, and preservation of art environments and self-taught artistic activity, has arranged for permenent preservation of the Mindfield through the Kohler Foundation.

I attended the premier of “The Steel Garden,” a documentary about Billy Tripp and the Mindfield in 2024. You can watch the full documentary here.