Caprice, stainless steel and bronze sculpture by Charles Pilkey of Mint Hill, North Carolina. (Sandy Springs) 
Digital Age, stainless steel and bronze sculpture by John Cheng and Wendy Zhang of Suwanee. (Sandy Springs) 
Luminaria, concrete steel and acrylic sculpture by Stephen Landis of Loveland, Colorado. (Sandy Springs) 
Nesting, steel and driftwood by Richard Herzog of Athens. 
The Reader, casted GFRC concrete with rebar, foam interior, by Jeff Whipple of Jacksonville, Florida. (Sandy Springs) 
Flowing Arches, painted steel sculpture by Matt Moyer of Columbia, Missouri. (Sandy Springs) 
Candy 4 Sandy, powder coated welded steel sculpture by Mark Larkin of Hilton Head, South Carolina. (Sandy Springs) 
Change in Direction, steel and paint sculpture by Adam Walls of Hope Mills, North Carolina. (Sandy Springs) 
UpCycle, a steel sculpture with bicycle wheels and paint, by Joni Younkins-Herzog of Athens. (Sandy Springs)
New artworks will soon rise from the City Green outside Sandy Springs City Hall following the approval of an annual agreement with Arts Sandy Springs to host its national ArtSS Walk sculpture competition.
Sandy Springs City Council agrees to buy one sculpture from the organization’s Arts in the Open Sculpture competition each year. Between city purchases and donations, approximately 31 sculptures have been placed on city properties and parks, Art Sandy Springs Chair Cheri Morris told the council at its July 18 meeting.
The city has agreed to buy one of the sculptures from last year’s competition.
“It’s called “Inspires,” the angel wings. And we like the fact that people stand in front of it and take selfies and interact with it,” she said.
The Art Sandy Springs board is close to raising enough money to buy a second sculpture that might be placed at Hammond Park, she said.
Sandy Springs began funding ArtSS Walk in 2018, with nine sculpture finalists selected from 100 to 150 entries per year.
City staff reviewed more than 70 pieces for safety, durability and appropriateness. Art Sandy Springs screened the balance and sent them for review by an outside panel of art expert judges.
“We bring it down to what makes a great exhibit with a mix of color and form and materials and shape and sophisticated and playful to curate a gallery show,” Morris said.
The recommended nine final pieces, with their values, are:
- UpCycle by Joni Younkins-Herzog ($4,600);
- Change in Direction by Adam Walls ($5,000);
- Candy 4 Sandy by Mark Larkin ($12,500);
- Flowing Arches by Matt Moyer ($7,200);
- The Reader by Jeff Whipple ($9,200);
- Nesting by Richard Herzog ($12,500);
- Luminaria by Stephen Landis ($3,000);
- Digital Age by John Cheng and Wendy Zhang ($18,000);
- Caprice by Charles Pilkey ($2,000).
Each artist will receive a $1,500 stipend to cover the costs of delivery and display, which can be put toward the purchase of selected pieces for a permanent location.