Welcome to the Statesboro Art Park!
Located on the corner of East Main Street and Railroad Street, the Statesboro Art Park is breathing color and life into a once-vacant property at the Eastern entrance to Downtown Statesboro. The park occupies what was an undeveloped piece of railroad property in the heart of Downtown, which the city has leased from Norfolk Southern Railway. The park property lies adjacent to an active railroad that intersects with East Main Street.
ABOUT THE PARK
An aerial view of the art park reveals an expansive flower design stretching over the full length of the lot, with sculptures located on each of the three outspreading “petals” and one sculpture situated in the middle of the flower “bloom.” The park features stained concrete sculpture pads and a sidewalk installed by the City of Statesboro’s Public Works Department as well as recycled rock aggregate sourced from GreenRock, a local recycling company that produces the rocks from 100% recycled material collected in Bulloch County. At the far end of the park, six-foot-tall white letters spelling “BORO” cast a shadow over the flower design.
The art park also hosts an “analemmatic sundial,” an interactive installation that uses the sun and shadows to display time. The sundial was donated by the Leadership Bulloch Class of 2022, and each handmade number reflects the individuality, diversity, and personality of the 13-member class.
The main attractions of the park, though, are four sculptures created by nationally renowned artists, which adorn the walking path along the park. The featured sculptures include:
“Lemongrass” by Gregory Johnson. A visually captivating and emotionally resonant sculpture that merges form, motion, material, and light. Inspired by the artist’s life’s journey and nature’s curves, the artist created lyrical shapes that evoke familiar yet intangible feelings, challenging our minds and boundaries.
“Underfire” by Adam C. Walls. The sculpture is derived from the artist’s love of fantasy, escapism, and pop-culture imagery.
“Meditation Bench” by Glenn Zweygardt which explores the theme of finding one’s place in a relationship with nature, which allows the artist to share his collective experiences with others.
“Slider” by Duke Oursler. The sculpture was designed to embody balance, weight, and gravity, symbolizing harmony.
ART SELECTION
To aid in the selection of the sculptures, the City of Statesboro formed an Art Advisory Committee consisting of five members, Kim Riner, Michael Van Wagenen, Marc Moulton, Frank D’Arcangelo, and Johnesia Lucas, who were chosen based on their expertise and artistic sensibility.
Since the City of Statesboro desired to have art installed as soon as possible, the committee reached out to artists who had completed pieces in inventory that could be delivered quickly. Through the work of this committee, one-year lease agreements were signed for three of the pieces, which span from July 2024 to July 2025. One piece, “Meditation Bench,” was purchased by the City as a permanent fixture in the park.
Though the current sculpture selection took place internally, future plans for the Statesboro Art Park include a public call for sculpture submissions which the advisory committee would review for final selection. The juried event would happen biennially and coincide with the end of the current sculptures’ lease agreements.
