A Beautiful World Is Hard to Find...
One of Birmingham's landmarks is a Five Points South sculpture created by local artist Frank Fleming. The sculpture was commissioned in late 1985/early 1986 by the Birmingham Art Association and dedicated in late 1991. It includes a figure with the head of a ram and a clothed human-like body, a "ram-man." The ram-man is seated on a stump, holding an open book in his left hand and a 9-foot tall staff in his right. An owl is perched atop the staff. Arranged in a circle facing the seated reader are an assortment of animals, gazing attentively toward the reader. A plaque affixed to the fountain reads:


"The Storyteller
Frank Fleming, artist
Born Bear Creek, Alabama, 1940
Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art
Storytelling is a deeply rooted southern heritage. The animals are listening
to a story intended to convey the idea of a peaceable kingdom.
Fleming's deep respect for the dignity and honesty found in nature
is symbolized in these figures." (description taken from www.bhamonline.com)