Bows - Revised
July 2010

News from ArtSandySprings

Greetings!
 
I have enjoyed serving over these past three years as Director and President of this young, dynamic organization.  With your volunteer and financial support, we have accomplished a great deal for our city.  Look no further than Roswell Road to see lovely seasonal planters gracing our city sidewalks.  Spend time to enjoy both the solitude and beauty of our new Reading Garden at the Sandy Springs Library.  While there, enjoy viewing ten magnificent sculptures on display during the upcoming year.  ArtSS has delivered on its promise to bring art and beauty to the streets of our city.  With enthusiastic and talented volunteers, we have accomplished a great deal in a short time.  Thanks for your dedication and hard work as we look forward to exciting new projects in the coming years.
 
Gratefully,
 
Bernadine Richard
President

Second Juried Sculpture Contest

Griffith House Driveway Flanked with Sculptures
 
The second ArtSS in the Open sculpture celebration was held on May 15, 2010, at the historic Griffith-Richard House in Sandy Springs, featuring an international gala, Art Around the World.  Guests were invited to stroll the grounds and view all ten of the finalists' sculptures.  Entries ranged from the inspirational like a forged steel horse named Magic that was created by Sandy Springs sculptor Eric Strauss to the abstract from Spelman College Fine Arts professor Toby Martin entitled Companion.  The artists were on hand to share their visions behind their work.  A special word of thanks to RBC Bank-Prado for its support of ArtSS and its sponsorship of this special event.  Thanks to Chairs--Lynne Walker and Leonard Mason--for planning a wonderful evening for art lovers in Sandy Springs and to Jean-Paul and Bernadine Richard once again for opening the gates of their lovely estate to the community!
 
  • Samuel Burns, Chattanooga, TN - Torch
  • Jim Collins, Signal Mountain, TN - Kavanagh Himself
  • Chris Condon, Atlanta, GA - Taxi
  • Andrew Crawford, Atlanta, GA - Spooky Tooth
  • Raymond Katz, Pontiac, MI - Transformation 2
  • Toby Martin, Atlanta, GA - Companion
  • Corrina Sephora Mensoff, Atlanta, GA - Walking Boat
  • Greely Myatt, Memphis, TN - Quilts and Sheets
  • Steve Steinman, Atlanta, GA - Broken Circle
  • Eric Strauss, Atlanta, GA - Horse
 

And, the Winner is Spooky Tooth

ArtSS President-Elect Jerry Stapleton (left), and Art in the Open Project Team Member, Randy Young (right), present Andrew Crawford, the winning Sculptor, with the award check
ArtSS 2010 Winning Sculptor (Andrew Crawford)
 
Andrew Crawford was the winner of $15,000 for his seven-foot-tall, 250-pound stainless steel sculpture called Spooky Tooth.  "This sculpture, Spooky Tooth, is part of a body of work that found its inspiration in manufactured objects, mechanical movement and industrial design,"  wrote Crawford in a description of his art.  And, according to the artist, "the goal of the work was to celebrate the evolution of form found in objects that we see and use every day."  Spooky Tooth had been on display on the campus of Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, until it was brought to the Richard home as a Contest finalist.

Winning Sculpture to Be Donated to the City of Sandy Springs 

 
Spooky Tooth, by Andrew Crawford, Winner of the 2010 ArtSS Sculpture Contest
2010 Sculpture Contest Winner - Spooky Tooth
 
ArtSS purchased the sculpture to donate to the city of Sandy Springs.  The 2010 Sculpture Contest winner and the other nine finalists will be on display late this summer at the Sandy Springs Branch of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, 305 Mount Vernon Highway.  Come and enjoy these wonderful sculptures throughout the year at your leisure.

ArtSS Sponsors a New Reading Garden at the Sandy Springs Library

The Peace Pole flanked by (l-r) the President of ArtSS, Bernadine Richard, Project Chair, Laua Jones, and Anna Pfohl, President of the Sandy Springs Garden Club
Reading Garden Dedication (1)
 
On April 18, 2010, ArtSS sponsored a Celebration of Peace with a dedication of the new Reading Garden right in the heart of our community.  It is located immediately adjacent to the east side of the Sandy Springs Branch of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System (395 Mount Vernon Highway) on land donated to the Library by the Sandy Springs Woman's Club.
 
This community event featured the unveiling of an international peace pole and a classical-designed labyrinth on the grounds of the Reading Garden.  Music was provided by The Franklin Pond Student Quartet and the Ridgeview (Middle School) Singers.  Candace Apple, the owner of Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore, explained that the classical seven-circuit labyrinth pattern used in the reading garden is found in many cultures dating back at least 3,500 years.  Its pattern flows back and forth along the pathway of turns and contributes to the way the labyrinth quiets the mind.  Andrea Kay Smith, a co-Founder of Atlanta Peace Trails, told the audience how the peace pole project was started in Japan in 1955 by Masahisa Goi who dedicated his life to spreading the message, May Peace Prevail on Earth.  Since then, more than 300,000 have been placed around the world in 180 countries.  The Reading Garden  peace pole, the 40th in metropolitan Atlanta, says "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in the 16 most-spoken languages at Riverwood International Charter School.  During the celebration, students from Riverwood recited this phrase in their native language and shared with the audience what peace meant to them.  The dedication closed with Rabbi Mario Karpuj from Temple Or Hadash leading the audience in a prayer for peace.
 
Thanks to the hard work of Laura Jones, Reading Garden Chair, and other ArtSS volunteers, our community has a lovely place of  solitude right in the heart of our city.
 
The Peace Pole was unveiled by the Heards Ferry Girl Scout Troop #26304
Girl Scout Troop at Reading Garden
 
 

Planters Installed along Roswell Road in Sandy Springs

A planter at Sandy Springs Plaza being tended to by (l-r) ArtSS Member, Sherry Bergmark, Mary Reid of Spalding Garden Club, and Cynthia Swann, Project Chair
Roswell Road Planters (4)
ArtSS made the beautification of our city one of its top priorities by installing planters of seasonal flowers all along Roswell Road.  The beautification project was spearheaded by Cynthia Swann, Bernadine Richard and many other volunteers throughout our city who secured nearly 30 sponsors for the planters.  The beautification effort also included the installation and landscaping of the planters (plants, mulch and rocks).  The Sandy Springs Fire Rescue has been assisting by watering the planters.  The Fire Department is in the process of purchasing a 6-Wheel Drive Multi Purpose Polaris vehicle with a 75-gallon water tank and pump which will assist in this watering project.  If you are interested in sponsoring one of the two remaining planters, contact Cynthia Swann at 770-993-4503.
 
Many thanks to our Planter Sponsors: 
 
2009 Sponsors
Alyssum Garden Club
Jan and Bill Collins
Kate and Russ Dalba and Family 
Cheri and Terry Morris
Gail and Marvin Pechter and Family
Joan and Don Plunkett
RBC Bank
Riverside West Garden Club
Stephanie and Bill Spalding
Lynne Walker and Leonard Mason


2010 Sponsors
A Friend of ArtSandySprings
Nancy and John Bell
Cornerstone Bank
Winston and LaFon Dees
Suzanne and Joel Engel
Betty Van Gerpen
Jill and Rodger Johnson
Meredith Johnson
Magnolia Garden Club
Bernadine and Jean-Paul Richard (2)
The Sandy Springs Society (2)
Jan Saperstein (2)
Brenda and Dick Smith
Cynthia and Jerre Swann
Lorellee and Rick Wolters / Jerry and Buddy Wright
 
Joan Plunkett with the plaque on the planter dedicated to the memory of her mother, Eddie Lokey, and mother-in-law, Dottie Plunkett
Planter (Joan Plunkett)
 

Honoring our co-Founder & President, Bernadine Richard

We would like to thank Bernadine and Jean-Paul Richard for their infinite hospitality, thoughtfulness and dedication to ArtSS over these past three years.  They are to be commended for all that they do not only for ArtSS, but also for all the other  organizations they support within our community and in the metro-Atlanta area. Bernadine Richard has been a catalyst for the development and launch of fine arts in the City of Sandy Springs through her innovative ideas, relentless spirit, and hard work.  Sandy Springs is a better place because of this wonderful couple and their efforts to bring culture and art to our community.
 
It is an honor for me to follow in Bernadine's footsteps as the new President of ArtSS.  I am dedicated to carrying on with what our organization has worked so hard to establish.
 
Most sincerely,
 
Jerry Stapleton
President-Elect