SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. - A mixed media art project that reflects on the life and journey of world-renowned fighter Muhammad Ali is coming to his former training camp near Deer Lake in Schuylkill County.
"We're calling it 'Fighter's Heaven in Art'," said artist Mark Dickens, adding that the project is a collaborative effort.
"What's unique about the work is the insertion of handwritten quotations from a lot of the people that knew Ali or were inspired by Ali," he added.
It will also incorporate paint, fabric and photographic elements. Many of the photographs that will be part of the project were taken by boxing photographer Jeff Julian, who was at Friday's event.
"We're going to see these 15 rounds in art, which he's calling it," explained Ali's daughter, Khaliah Ali. "A series of paintings explaining what life was like here in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania for my father and all the incredible people over the years that visited him here, like Elvis Presley, like Michael Jackson, like sitting presidents."
Dickens, who lives in Abu Dhabi, says this is the first time he's visiting Fighter's Heaven, and the artist found the experience to be very moving.
"It can be quite overwhelming, which I want to happen, because I want to put all this feeling into the work," said Dickens.
"It's an incredible opportunity for this training camp, for the area," Ali said. "This was such a huge part of my father's life, one that is not spoken about as much as it should be."
