MACON'S FIRST "ART STOP" has been
completed at the intersection of
Cherry Street and Martin Luther King
Jr. Boulevard. The work was funded by
Downtown Challenge 2019, a project of
the Community Foundation of Central
Georgia with grants from the Peyton
Anderson Foundation and the John S.
and James L. Knight Foundation.
Titled "Diversity in Motion," the work
was designed and fabricated by Macon
artist Jim Bodell of JR Bodell Sculpture Inc.
"The tall sculptural element on the
right represents a vortex pulling colors
up, then spilling them over into the
horizontal plane at the back of the bus
stop," Bodell said. "I used various shapes
and colors and created the illusion of
the spheres floating in space to reflect
the diversity of people and modes of
transportation in our community."
Julie Wilkerson, executive director of
Macon Arts Alliance, said the project's
intent was to improve the visual appeal
of a bus shelter in the urban core.
"This intersection is a highly
visible gateway to downtown and the
installation conveys to residents, visitors
and bus riders alike that Macon is a
creative community," she said.
"Art and transit have something in
common, they both move people,"
said Weston Stroud, transit planner
for Macon-Bibb Transit Authority. "The
purpose of this initiative is to reclaim
public infrastructure and design it for
rider experience as well as function.
For someone who is transit dependent,
transit, like art, is invaluable. So, we
believe the union between art and
transit will resonate with riders and
passersby alike."
LOCAL BUZZ
'Diversity in Motion' art enlivens
downtown Macon transit stop
26 maconmagazine.com | APRIL/MAY 2021
