The City of Statesboro will host a ribbon cutting for the recently completed Statesboro Art Park on Thursday, October 3, at 4:30 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend.
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. Born from the vision of former District 1 Statesboro City Councilmember Phil Boyum, the art park has transformed the empty lot into a gathering place for locals to take in art and enjoy some fresh air.
“When you look at any great city with a high quality of life, one of the most consistent features of those cities is shared community spaces with public art displays,” says Boyum. “Attractive parks, walkable streets, and outdoor art installations all help demonstrate a city's commitment to beautification. As Statesboro continues to grow as a regional hub for education, manufacturing, and commerce, it is important to nurture citizens’ need to create and provide opportunities for accessible displays of artistic expression. Now with the art park in place, it can serve as an outdoor gallery for the region’s working artistswhile providing a welcoming attraction to the eastside of downtown.”
The park occupies what was once 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 a still-active railroad that intersects with East Main Street.
“Since the property is part of Norfolk Southern Railway’s right-of-way, there was little opportunity for a permanent development to be built on the property,” says Boyum. “The Statesboro City Council and Downtown Statesboro Development Authority felt that leasing the property for a park was a great way to ‘dress up’ what would most likely continue to be a vacant lot on main street.”
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.
“We wanted to create an interactive spot where people can stop and take selfies or group photos,” says Boyum. “What better way to commemorate a trip downtown than with a picture at the Boro sign? It’s already become a favorite photo stop for tourists and locals alike since its installation.”
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 journey and nature’s curves, the artist created lyrical shapes that evoke familiar yet intangible feelings, challenging 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 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.
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.
Members of the media and public are invited to attend the Statesboro Art Park ribbon cutting on October 3 at 4:30 p.m. The ribbon cutting will be followed by a small reception for Former Councilman Phil Boyum to recognize his 12 years of service on the Statesboro City Council. Boyum resigned from the Statesboro City Council in August of 2024 to spend more time with his aging parents, who live out of state. The reception will be held at 5:00 p.m. at the Georgia Southern University Business Innovation Group Incubator campus at 64 E Main Street across the street from the art park.
To learn more about the Statesboro Art Park, visit www.statesboroga.gov/artpark.
