We like public art here at Access Unexpected. And by "we," I mean "I," since I'm the only one here, writing about chickens and school buses.
So, naturally, the Suwanee Town Center attracted my attention with its rotating art collection.
The collection on display now is not the first - the SculpTour, as it's called, began in 2011 and is on it's fourth tour. Originally, the tours lasted one year but in 2013 the tours were bumped up to two years.
"We're going to be taking down this exhibit in March of 2017, and then a new round will be up in May of 2017," said Denise Brinson, Development Director for the City of Suwanee.
The walking tour is approximately one mile long and features a combination of both temporary and permanent pieces. Permanent pieces include the "Old Sweet Song" mural behind the ampitheatre, which features numerous Georgia musicians.
"That was done in the mid-2000s, led by Sonny Franks. He's a local artist and put together a bunch of sign artists that came together for kind of a weekend conference, so to speak, and they worked on this in their free time when they were here and donated it back to the city," Brinson said.
And, the 9-11 "Rememberence" plaza. "It's a timeline of the happenings of 9-11. In fact, we'll be having a service event, on 9-11 this year, to talk about the piece and it's also the 15th anniversary."
The current tour is about the rotate out next March. Some temporary pieces include Dancer XX by Jack Howard-Potter, The Herd by Phil Proctor and Father and Son by Adam Walls.
But if you see one you just think Suwanee can't live without go vote for your favorite, and if funds allow it, the sculpture with the most votes will get to stay.
"One of the things I love the most is watching people find out about the art," said Brinson. "They'll walk by and see something in it, they'll stop and talk about it. It's great people watching. Sometimes they immitate the art. It's just really exciting to see."
If you think you missed some great art, you can catch up on the previous tours on the city's website. And, like many other things I blog about here, the funding for this project is run on donations and sponsorships.
Join me next week as I tour the Elachee Nature Center and get to flex my (very weak) science muscles.
Until then,
Stay curious.
