Art continues to bloom in Sandy Springs. The nine sculpture finalists of the second annual ArtSS in the Open Sculpture Competition are now installed along the perimeter of the City Green, creating the City’s second “gallery without walls” at City Springs. The finalists were chosen through a juried process, which included local museum and gallery curators and established artists working in the public art arena. More than 260 entries were received from across the country. The sculpture finalists include:
Billow by Jacob Burmood; Boreas by Jonathan Bowling; Flora Duet by John Parker; Groovy Peace Sign by Joe and Terry Malesky; He Always Carried It With Him by Charlie Brouwer; La Voyageur Qui Fait Son Nid by Corrina Sephora; Motion #1 and Mountain Landscape by Hanna Jubran; and Specimen by Joey Manson.
Artist Corrina Sephora of Atlanta was delighted to have her sculpture chosen as a finalist in this year’s competition. “Sandy Springs really appreciates public art…that’s something I really appreciate.” When she received a notification—amid the pandemic crisis—that her sculpture “La Voyageur Qui Fait Son Nid” had been selected as a finalist, she took the news as a sign of hope. “There was something that was really special about the timing,” she recalls. Artist John Parker made his first-ever trip to Sandy Springs from Pennsylvania to install his entry “Flora Duet.” Upon seeing the City Green site, he said, “It’s a great site. I love this area…it’s really beautiful.”
Descriptions of the ArtSS in the Open finalists, including sculpture images and artist information, can be found at citysprings.com/art. The new exhibition will be on display until May 2021. At the end of the exhibition’s run in 2021, at least one sculpture will be selected as the competition’s winner and purchased as part of the growing collection within the city. As part of the inaugural exhibit, the City purchased four pieces, now placed at Windsor Meadows Park, Hammond Park, and at a new sculpture park at the northeast corner of Abernathy and Wright Roads.
ArtSS in the Open is an initiative of Art Sandy Springs, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to enrich the quality of life for Sandy Springs residents and visitors through public art and special events. ArtSS in the Open began in 2008. Through four semi-annual competitions and privately funded purchases, an estimated $400,000.00 of public art has been installed in the city. The inaugural exhibit attracted sculpture entries from 135 artists from across the country.
Art continues to bloom in Sandy Springs. The nine sculpture finalists of the second annual ArtSS in the Open Sculpture Competition are now installed along the perimeter of the City Green, creating the City’s second “gallery without walls” at City Springs.
