Culture
Athens Municipal Arts Commission opens public sculpture park behind Stimson Avenue firehouse complex Saturday
By: Emily Votaw
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Most hikers don’t give raccoon pawprints a second glance.
However, Morgan County artist David Griesmeyer and his two young children are not most hikers. On walks through the Appalachian woods near their home, Griesmeyer encourages his daughters to see those prints not only as evidence of local wildlife but also to allow their imaginations to get to work and creatively reframe those pawprints as signs of something more magical: benevolent woodland fairies.
That sense of wonder inspired Griesmeyer’s contribution to a new public sculpture park that will open Saturday behind Athens’ new Stimson Avenue Firehouse Complex.
“I want my children to maintain that childhood innocence as long as they can,” Griesmeyer said. “I want others to realize that their imagination is and can be their superpower—to come up with new solutions to problems, to cope, and to find joy.”
His piece, a large stainless-steel fairy perched on a flower, is one of six sculptures selected by the Athens Municipal Arts Commission (AMAC) through a blind jury process last spring. The park is the latest project made possible by the City of Athens’ Percent for Art policy, which allocates funding for public art alongside new public construction.
The new sculpture park features six works crafted from various materials, including stainless steel, heavy-gauge steel, bronze, concrete, and treated wood. Each artist selected for the project has a personal or professional connection to the Athens area. The six artists are David Griesmeyer, Luke Hawk, Virginia Kistler, Kevin Lyles, Joe Warte, and Ross Dipenti.
Lyles, an art history professor at the University of Rio Grande, explained that his stainless steel sculpture, Enigma, is inspired by dendrites—the branching structures in the brain that help transmit information and form new connections as we learn.
“I was doing research on learning theory and how the brain works,” Lyles said. “Dendrites are part of what makes learning possible, and they continue to grow as we age, as long as we keep exercising our minds. That’s what Enigma represents.”
Lyles hopes the sculpture will prompt viewers to reflect on the mystery of human thought and the importance of staying mentally active. He says children often gravitate toward the sculpture and enjoy climbing on it, which he sees as a bonus.
Virginia Kistler, another contributing artist, emphasized the role of public art in accessibility.
“Public art reaches people who might never walk into a gallery,” she said. “It brings art into everyday life, especially for children.”
The City of Athens and AMAC will host the official opening of the Athens Sculpture Park on Saturday starting at 4 p.m. The event happens rain or shine, and the public is welcome. Attendees can expect remarks from representatives of the Mayor’s office, AMAC members, and several featured artists. The program includes a brief presentation, a self-guided tour of the sculptures, and a reception in the Stimson Firehouse Community Room.
The sculpture park reflects AMAC’s mission to make the arts more visible and accessible in Athens.
“Whether you’re watching or participating, the arts help us feel connected,” AMAC Chair Kelee Riesbeck said. “Public art invites us to reflect, to ask questions, and to share space—and what’s more visible than a sculpture park?”