Section Branding
Header Content
Large-Scale Sculptures To Be Installed At Augusta Gateways
Primary Content
Thanks to $1 million in Special-purpose Local-option Sales Tax money, Augusta will commission three large-scale sculptures to be installed at three gateways into the city. The first will be installed by the beginning of next summer at the intersection of Riverwatch Parkway and Alexander Drive, which leads from I-20 to Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament.
To select artists and sculptures, Augusta initiated a competitive call for artists through the Greater Augusta Arts Council. After months of review and debate, two finalists for the first project unveiled their designs Tuesday at Augusta Richmond County Municipal Building.
Thomas R. Sayre is co-founder of Clearscapes, a multidisciplinary design firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Sayre has been involved in the design and construction of several projects including children’s museums, historic renovations, art museums, performing arts centers and public and private art commissions. He proposed a tower of 7 or 8 conical forms — cast of steel, cement and dirt in large holes dug at various locations around Richmond County — that would stand nearly 30 feet tall. He described it as “a cairn, which is a pile of rocks from which you can tell where you are.”
Cairns are often found along trails to guide hikers to a trail head. Sayre said he chose the cairn imagery because, “It says something about the aggregation of community; that 'community' is a ‘whole,’ but it’s made up of a lot of parts that are the same, but different.”
Gregory Johnson, the other finalist, is a sculptor based in Cumming. His work can be seen in numerous museums, universities and public collections. For the last 50 years, he's created sculptures in both traditional and contemporary formats.
Johnson's idea is a 17-foot-tall, gracefully curving stainless steel structure. Its base includes representations of Augusta’s iconic azaleas. "It's a traditional element supporting a modern, lyrical feature that has multiple interpretations," he said.
Interpretations Johnson has heard so far include the Savannah River, the aroma rising from azaleas, the backswing of a golfer or a fluttering pin flag and a bird swimming on placid waters. One man told him it is reminiscent of a treble clef.
Regardless of how individuals interpret the piece Johnson hopes viewers will grasp his concept of “the modern looking to the future, while the traditional acknowledges the past.”
The process for deciding which sculpture will be built has multiple steps. First, the scale models of the two designs will be on display in the lobby of the Augusta Richmond County Municipal Building through mid-September. People can leave written comments there or at the Greater Augusta Arts Council website. After reviewing the comments, the city’s Public Art Panel will make a recommendation to the Greater Augusta Arts Council Board. The Board will either affirm or change the Public Art panel recommendation, then submit it to the Augusta Richmond County Commission, which will make the final decision sometime in October of this year.
Secondary Content
Bottom Content
