Winners Of Inaugural ArtSS Sculpture Competition Named

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The winners of the inaugural ArtSS in the Open Sculpture Competition were announced on Feb. 4, during the regular meeting of the Sandy Springs City Council. Four pieces were selected for permanent placement within the city: Optimistical, Doppelganger, Delilah, and Hand Plant. The pieces were among nine finalists on display on the City Green at City Springs since April 2019.

“First, I want to thank all of the participating artists for allowing us the privilege of enjoying their art as part of a temporary exhibit," said Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul. "It was a difficult decision. The addition of these four pieces continues to support the city’s efforts to further cultural arts in our community, and we look forward to building that collection with each year’s competition.”

The ArtSS in the Open initiative began in 2007, in partnership with Art Sandy Springs (ArtSS), a Georgia nonprofit corporation working to enrich the quality of life for Sandy Springs residents and visitors through public art and special arts events. ArtSS in the Open at City Springs officially launched in 2018, and in its inaugural year, 135 artists from across the country submitted entries. Finalists were chosen through a juried process including museum and gallery curators and well-regarded artists working in the realm of public art. The nine selected pieces were placed surrounding the City Green, creating a temporary gallery without walls at City Springs. In December 2019, ArtSS evaluated the finalists, taking into account feedback from the community obtained from social media and responses to an online feedback form to make recommendations to the City on pieces to purchase as part of a permanent collection.

• Optimistical by Nathan Pierce, Cape Giradeau, MO: The stainless steel and cast acrylic sculpture inspired hope and confidence about the future. The large circular form represents unity, and the transparent colored acrylic panels off a new perspective on the world around us.
• Doppelganger by Carl Billingsley, Greensboro, NC: This oiled steel sculpture is a special means of communication for the artist, a way to express some of his thoughts and ideas about the human condition. The artist doesn’t traditionally create abstract sculptures. He is inspired by his connection as an artist to all artists that have gone before and all those who will follow. He believes they are a part of a vast continuum of human history.
• Delilah by Joni Younkins-Herzog, Athens, GA: This Cor-ten steel, stainless steel, chrome, plastic, and silicone sculpture is filled with humor, with references to botany and anatomy, along with a taste for the fantastic. Working with many materials, the artist seeks to engage the viewer to take a moment and come closer.
• Hand Plant by Jack Howard-Potter, New York, NY: The galvanized and powder-coated steel sculpture is meant to capture movement in a medium that does not move. Using steel, which is an inherently rigid material, the artist tries to convey a sense of fluid action in space.

Images and descriptions of all ArtSS in the Open finalists can be found at
citysprings.com/art.

In March 2017, the Sandy Springs City Council adopted its Public Art Policy, identifying an annual competition for sculpture as one of the city’s official components for the application of art within public spaces. The city allocated $50,000 per year to support the ArtSS in the Open Competition for purchase of outdoor sculptures appropriate for open and green spaces within Sandy Springs with the first competition held in year two of the program. The four pieces will have a total cost of $73,000. The city is working with ARTSS and Designing Local, the city’s consultant, to build a master arts plan to identify permanent locations for the four selected pieces.

The current sculpture display will be decommissioned in April, with a new sculpture garden at the City Green planted in May.