Observant visitors to downtown Eatonton will no doubt notice a few changes to the sculpture trail introduced last year.
The brainchild of local entrepreneurs Sara Tomson-Hooper, her husband Kevin, and previous Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce (EPCOC) President Maggie Milner, the Eatonton Sculpture Trail began with 10 outdoor artworks but now boasts 13 stops.
“We work with a consultant out of South Dakota who’s kind of the conduit to find sculptures for us, and he shot me a text two days ago and said, ‘I think once you get these four new sculptures mounted, you’ll have one of the best sculpture trails in the Southeast,’” Kevin Tomson-Hooper said Friday night during a sculpture trail reception at Barrel 118. “So, we’re pretty happy about that.”
Some of the original pieces were returned to their artists to make way for the latest additions: “Delicate Balance,” outside The Artisans Village Gallery on West Marion Street; “Humpty Dumpty,” sitting in front of Barrel 118 on North Jefferson Avenue; “Clancy,” appropriately playing his flute outside The Plaza Arts Center; and “Our Angel,” gracing the lawn at Eatonton First Methodist Church, across North Madison Avenue from The Plaza.
Among the original 10 sculptures, “The Professor,” at Smith Communications, publisher of The Eatonton Messenger; “Rival Readers,” in front of the Georgia Writers Museum, and “Swift Ferocity,” by Eatonton artist Brian Danson at the Veterans Wall of Honor Park, are all permanent installations now, after being purchased by the respective businesses.
Robbie King, now president of the EPCOC, said during the event that he’s proud to continue supporting the sculpture trail and believes it helps his team’s mission to promote Eatonton and Putnam County.
“And when we say partner, that’s probably overly generous. I think we’re more of a supporter of the trail, but we love it,” King told more than 100 people who had gathered for the announcements. “One of the things we do in our office is attract tourists to our area. So, this is one of those things that we’re starting to see. People come here because of this sculpture trail. I see the statues; I see people walking up, taking selfies and group photos with the statues, so we know people are interested. We know they’re coming to see these, and I think it’s great.”
Eatonton Sculpture Trail maps with descriptions are available at the Chamber of Commerce office as well as next door at The Artisans Village Gallery, both on West Marion Street, across from the downtown Putnam County Courthouse.