Obituary of Tom Attridge

Thomas Erwin Attridge Age 77 of St. Paul, Minnesota, died December 14, 2016, peacefully in his sleep in the house he was raised and live for many years. Tom was a true artist, both in his work and his approach to life. A sculptor in bronze and other mediums, he also created drawings, lithograph prints and collages. Born April 8, 1939 in St. Paul, he grew up in the Highland Park Neighborhood and attended high school at St. Paul Central. After graduating from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1963 he apprenticed in Holland with renowned sculptor Shinkichi Tajiri. He had gallery shows in Minneapolis and internationally. Most of his artwork resides in the private collections of patrons and friends. In the early 1970s, he led the Mississippi River Sculptors project. He later founded Acme Video and documented Willie Murphy and the Bees and other musicians and art events. He influenced and mentored others and in the 1980s he opened the Franklin Avenue Gallery in Minneapolis to nurture Native American artists. A connoisseur of people, he was a master storyteller. He liked to travel and sought out interesting and novel experiences. Although he embraced the role of the starving artist, he enjoyed a wealth of friendship and love. He continued his father’s passion for music and his mother’s tradition of welcoming friends with a good meal and an open heart. He lived a charmed life. Preceded by parents Raymond Attridge (1959, age 59) and Ruth Attridge (1993, age 79), brother Tim Attridge (2016, age 63) and survived by wife Katie Carrigan Attridge, son Mark Attridge, nephew Ray Attridge (and Erica Lehnhoff), and Jan Rivard Attridge (first wife and mother of Mark). The family is grateful to Katie for providing love and companionship and being his primary caregiver in his later years when he was troubled by illness. ARCHIVE PROJECT & SURVEY Sculptor Poet: The Life and Art of Tom Attridge As his son, I am starting a project to document his life and his art work. I am creating an archive of photos of him, the people in his life, and his art. My goal is to arrange for a retrospective show of his artworks at a gallery and publish a companion tribute book. In the book, I want to recount his life story and career path and feature many pictures of his art works and also to share some of the personal stories and photos from his friends and colleagues who made his life so meaningful. You can help by completing a brief survey (see link below to website) - only 10 minutes of your time and see some great photos of Tom embedded in the survey Web link to survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3252229/TomAttridge Thank You, Mark Attridge