Atlanta – On Friday, November 8, at 10 am officials from Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs and IIDA Georgia will dedicate a permanent piece of art on the Eastside Trail next to Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark. Weighing over 13 tons, “Iron Column,” by Phil Proctor, was installed in late August for Art on the Atlanta BeltLine. Proctor made the sculpture out of old rails and other artifacts from the Atlanta BeltLine corridor. A ribbon-cutting for the sculpture by Phil Proctor will be held on Friday, November 1 at 10 a.m. at the site of the sculpture, on the Eastside Trail near the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark. The sculpture was made possible by a generous donation from IIDA Georgia.
The dedication is happening near the close of the 2013 Art on the Atlanta BeltLine temporary exhibition, which officially ends on November 11. The annual exhibition positions emerging artists alongside established professionals, and features visual and performing art in addition to the permanent collection, which now includes Iron Column.
“We are grateful to our partners at IIDA Georgia and the interior design community who recognize the value of quality, timeless art in great public spaces,” said Paul Morris, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “It is partnerships like these that keep the Atlanta BeltLine’s momentum strong, bring unique value to every neighborhood and capture the spirit of our collective investment in our city.”
“We are pleased that our partnership with the Atlanta Beltline was able to yield such as timeless piece of permanent art for the public to enjoy for years to come,” said Ronnie Belizaire, President of IIDA Georgia. “Our donation is simply a symbol of our commitment to supporting the arts and extending IIDA Georgia’s reach to the Atlanta community-at-large.”
“The Atlanta BeltLine has become the home of some of the most exciting and inspriational public art in the City of Atlanta,” said Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
The sculpture represents Atlanta’s architectural and railroad history and recalls the Corinthian columns on the façade of the former Union Station, the city’s main railroad station, demolished in 1972. Using old rails,spikes, plates, switches, and rail anchors that were removed from the Atlanta BeltLine corridor, the sculpture transforms artifacts from Atlanta’s railroad history into a permanent piece of public art.
The railroad once existed as a border between neighborhoods, a birthplace of industry and the foundation of Atlanta as a trade and business hub. However, in the past decades the corridor has been subject to years of neglect, with businesses and residences facing away from the rail corridor. As the Atlanta BeltLine develops, the historic rail is being removed, giving way to a multi-use trail and transit corridor, readopting the corridor as a public amenity. This monumental sculpture recognizes the rich history of the Atlanta BeltLine as a rail corridor, preserving historic artifacts, exemplifying restorative vision and contributing to the beautification of the corridor through public art.
UPDATE: See photos from the Iron Column dedication in the gallery now!
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About the Atlanta BeltLine:
The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive transportation and economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs currently underway in the United States. The Atlanta BeltLine is a sustainable redevelopment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly to each other. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine in partnership with other public and private organizations, including City of Atlanta departments. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit www.BeltLine.org.
About the International Interior Design Association (IIDA):
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) works to enhance quality of life through excellence in interior design and to advance interior design through knowledge, value and community. IIDA is a professional networking and educational association of more than 13,000 members in 31 Chapters around the world; IIDA Georgia currently has over 400 Members.
