Another sculpture on Augusta's sculpture trail along Broad Street, this is an interesting piece…read morethat I thought was quite pretty. Flowery, colorful, interesting. The artwork is titled "Invasive" and the online caption reads, "Jenn Garrett is from Gainesville, FL. An homage to her mother and sister who have fought breast cancer, Invasive is simultaneously beautiful and somewhat unsettling. The pair of hot pink forms appear to have sprouted from the landscape bringing a robust splash of color to an otherwise ordinary backdrop. The aluminum plate petals are cut with a cell stain pattern, referencing both plant forms and the disease process. Are these flowers or are they weeds?" Stop by and check it out for yourself. What do you think? [Review 15047 overall, 549 of 2021, number 410 in Georgia.]

Two of a series of sculptures in the center divider of Augusta's Broad Street. The Augusts…read moreSculpture Trail features ten by artists that were installed in January 2021 and will be here through January 2023. This sculpture is titled "Maestro / Forever Young" and is by artist Larry Schueckler. The artist's statement says that "[It] was created as visual stimulus for examining the impact of movement when conveying thoughts, ideas, and even entire stories through the performing arts. The directives of the conductor, which oftentimes are perceived as abstract, have been intentionally magnified during the creation process. The youthful exuberance of a small wide-eyed student bridges the gap of time as the commanding power and authority of the 9′ plus tall maestro exhibits a slight boyish complexion and an insight into how it all began." The sculptures are available for purchase at $24,700. [Review 14729 overall, 229 of 2021, number 393 in Georgia.]

Located along the Augusta Sculpture Trail, this impressive piece is cut and painted steel. By…read moreartist David Shelton who lives in Asheville. It is an interesting piece and it was helpful to have the caption to understand the artist's message. It reads, "David Sheldon lives in Asheville, NC. Created with what he calls a 'NASA aesthetic', his current sculpture series are influenced in form by the immaculate instruments of space exploration, as well as the moving rhythms of modern, minimalist music and architecture. Humankind has always sought to understand our place in the Universe, and he believes Art plays a vital function in that search. Beauty goes hand in hand with the acquisition of knowledge." There is metered parking nearby and lots to see and eat along the way in Augusta GA. [Review 15035 overall, 537 of 2021, number 409 in Georgia.]

Sooo we had nothing to do while we were in the area for a soccer tournament. I mean, if you are…read morewithin 15 minutes of this, sure check it out as it makes from some cute pictures. I wouldn't drive more than 15 minutes to do this again. And it is a one and done experience. Looks neat though for pictures.

I wanted to checkout this mural in person because it kept popping up on things to do while in…read moreColumbia. It was a quick visit and the mural is definitely run down but neat to look at. Other than that, it is what you see and that's about it.

Standing tall in the Oconee Rivers Greenway, this art installation is designed as a "public example…read moreof creative architecture" by Los Angeles-based designer and educator Andrew Kovacs. The artwork is thirty-six twelve-foot brightly-colored columns at the entrance to the new Greenway Trail. The columns are spaced six feet apart and are standard 8" by 8" by 8" concrete masonry units. Each column is painted in two different colors, dematerializing the columns and providing an array of coloration to the field of columns. According to the statement, "The colors can be read in myriad ways, from diversity and individualism, to race and sexual liberation, while also commenting on the long history of brightly colored public art work." They are completely weatherproof but not weedproof. The ground has certainly picked up some local flora since it was installed. There is parking along the roadway and there are no barriers to enter the artwork. You can certainly selfie with them or use them as a background to a photo shoot. [Review 18063 overall - 538 in Georgia - 1585 of 2022.]

I've added this cool gas station with the category of "Public Art" rather than "Gas Station"…read morebecause it's not an open gas station. Instead, it is a former station that is decorated with vintage gas pumps, a vintage air pump and even a mannequin in the window dressed as a gas jock wearing appropriate period clothing and ready to "fill 'er up." 29.9 a gallon! Who remembers those days? The station is surrounded by a wrought iron fence for protection but the bars are far enough apart that you can get a camera lens between them for a good picture. [Review 13652 overall, 971 of 2020, number 608 in South Carolina.]

Looking back to a time when we didn't have the utilities we have today and how we've come to take…read morethem for granted. This statue and the stone at it's feet point out some of how that history changed. The almost life-sized representation of the man is so accurate that you'd wonder why he's standing so still. The facial expression shows him perhaps looking at a lighted building that he owned. The marker reads, "Native son William Church Whitner developed the concept and spearheaded financing for the first hydroelectric plant to transmit power over a long distance in the South. On May 1, 1895, electricity travelled six miles from a generator at High Shoals on the Rocky River to downtown Anderson, S.C. "Whitner was born in 1864 and attended the University of South Carolina. After considering law, he chose a degree in Civil Engineering in 1885. He set out as a railroad engineer, but soon contracted typhoid fever. He was at home in Anderson recuperating when in 1889 the city hired him to build an electric plant and system for running water. He completed a steam engine in 1890, as a source for electricity, but his attention soon turned to hydropower as a more cost effective alternative. Whitner sought the advice of Nicola Tesla, famous for his work with (and later against) Thomas Edison and the invention of the alternating current motor. Whitner returned to Anderson in 1894 with designs for an AC-driven hydropower plant in hand. Less than a year later, the High Shoals Experiment succeeded and Whitner collected investors for the much larger Portman Shoals Hydroelectric Station on the Seneca River, completed in 1897. That plant transmitted electricity 11 miles, the longest line in the United States at that time. It was this harnessing of "white fire" and its delivery which caused Anderson to be called "The Electric City" -- applicable then, as applicable today! "Whitner would later marry Katherine Roddey of Rock Hill and partner with Dr. Gill Wylie to form the Catawba River Company, forerunner of Duke Power. This sculpture by artist Zan Wells was unveiled on October 12, 2004. Given to the citizens of Anderson to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Duke Power. A grant from the Duke Foundation, secured by the Anderson County Arts Center, made this sculpture the first in our community's Public Art Series. It depicts Whitner peering up, watch in hand, waiting for the street lights to illuminate with the power his plant supplied. "The Man Behind the Idea" lives on in the hearts of this community which now reaps the benefit of his lasting contribution." [Review 208 of 2025 - 1262 in South Carolina - 23772 overall]

Despite the sign over the door, this is not actually the police station for the City of Barnwell…read more This small white structure is on a square just adjacent to the county courthouse. The plaque on the side reads, "The Police Station. Built by Charles C. 'Carl' Cheek in early 1944 with the assistance of German prisoners of war who helped draw up the plan and worked on the construction. This police station was first used as a guard house at the prisoner of war camp where the Allendale and Barnwell Counties Disabilities and Special Needs Board is now located at the corner of Hagood Avenue and Park Street. After the war when the camp was dismantled, the building was moved to the circle to serve as a police station. Many 'interesting' conversations took place between Senator Edgar Brown and Speaker of the House Solomon Blatt while sitting on the bench in front of the station. The old Barnwell Police Station was given to the Barnwell County Museum in memory of the Ashley twins, Clarice and Ethel, by their sister, Carrie Gene Ashley." There is street parking around the square. [Review 16844 overall - 875 in South Carolina - 357 of 2022.]