The Beltline's permanent art collection is about to get a whole lot more ? Corinthian. Expect to see a 23-foot-tall Corinthian column erected as part of the Art on the Atlanta Beltline exhibit. The niftiest part? The 13-ton edifice is an ode to Atlanta's railroad history — built entirely of rails, spikes, plates, switches and rail anchors. The Beltline issued a request for proposals in December, offering one metalwork artist up to $20,000 for the railroad-themed commission.
A donation from the (deep breath) Georgia Chapter of the International Interior Design Association funded the addition. Requirements stated that the chosen work must be visible from a distance. Check!
A panel selected local artist Phil Proctor's design from more than 20 applications, Beltline officials said. The structure also recalls the Corinthian columns on the façade of the former Union Station, Atlanta's main railroad hub. It was demolished, of course, in 1972.
The column is scheduled to be installed along the Eastside Trail, just east of the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark, before the end of August. Just in time for the Beltline art series, which launches Sept. 7.
· Local Artist Commissioned to Construct Railroad Artifact Sculpture on the Atlanta BeltLine [beltline.org]
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