Abernathy Sculpture Garden

Take a stroll and discover Abernathy Sculpture Garden. These eight pieces were part of the winning entries from previous ArtSS in the Open Sculpture Contests. 

Optimistical 

By Nathan Pierce

Stainless steel cast acrylic

From the artist: In this modern world, where we constantly feel more connected through advancements in technology, I believe that we are simultaneously disconnected as a result of these devices. By using public art as a vehicle for expressing contemporary issues concerning communication I see the concept for my work becoming more relevant every day. Through the combination of displaced geometric forms and subtle organic curves the abstract contemporary nature of Nathan Pierce's public art installations are softly rooted in the notion of technology and communication, and the role that it plays in everyday life. His sculptures, no matter the surrounding landscape, offer a counterpoint to the viewers perception of time and place.

Boreas 

by Jonathan Bowling

Found and forged steel

From the artist: Over the past 10 years I have been working on a series of steel horses which focus on interior and negative space as much as on contours and surface. I envision each “horse” as a series of abstract sculptures which are combined to form the armature for the whole.  I have been using a forge to give the mane and tails organic curves, a contrast to the construction of the body. The materials I use are often from the turn of the last century, which I feel is appropriate for depicting an animal so intertwined with our agrarian past. Repurposed steel provides a sound structure which allows me to work on a scale that lends itself to public spaces.

Billow

by Jacob Burmood

Cold-cast aluminum, steel

From the artist: As a child, I spent my free hours walking along a creek that had carved its way through a wooded area. All the forces that determine the path of the stream also govern the rocks, vegetation and creatures that surround it. Though their reactions to these forces differ, they remain related. Becoming part of these interwoven complexities gives me a sense of deep harmony and simplicity, and is the basis of my inspiration. The forms I create are an abstraction of the fluid nature of the universe, and also refer specifically to the human body in motion while engaged in physical activities such as dance or martial arts. The purpose of each work is to find the underlying order that converges elements into a unified whole that moves as one.

Specimen

by Joey Manson

Steel, bronze, concrete, paint

From the artist:  “Specimen” abstracts a moment in a natural cycle of a plant emerging from dormancy.

Le Voyageur qui Fait son Nid

by Corrina Sephora

Forged and fabricated steel 

From the artist: This sculpture was created while looking at my own life, and others where one is rooted, and yet there is travel, in so many ways that creating home is both a challenge and desire. The nest represents home, and the ladder the journey.

In Motion #1

by Hanna Jubran

Steel and paint

Motion #1 is part of my motion [sculpture]series. This piece has to do with the circle and emotion of elements in the universe. . . . The centerpiece is coming from the dividing symbolism of the circle of life—the cycle of the season—and that’s why [I created] the ellipse shape. . .[It’s] to create an elliptical orbit. . . more like the celestial motion. Motion #1 represents the [summer] season: yellow to generate heat and hope, the blue is the sky, and the red is the emotion and the energy that we have [within us].

Mountain Landscape 

By Hanna Jubran

Steel and paint

From the artist: This abstract painted steel sculpture depicts a mountain landscape. The circular form can be interpreted as the sun rising or setting. The horizontal and diagonal forms represent the mountain, horizon and clouds. Landscapes in art are usually depicted in paintings, drawings and photographs.

Delilah

By  Joni Younkins-Herzog

Cor-ten steel, stainless steel, chrome, plastic, silicone

From the artist:  My work is filled with humor, references to botany and anatomy with a taste for the fantastic. I work in many materials and always seek to engage my viewer to take a moment and come closer.

ArtSS in the Open public art program is a project of Art Sandy Springs and the City of Sandy Springs.