A 12-foot stainless-steel hummingbird now perches near Alpharetta City Hall, its flower stems glowing with internal LED lights after dark. It's one of ten new outdoor sculptures the city has installed across parks, trails, and public spaces, part of a fresh exhibit meant to keep Alpharetta's public art scene rotating with new work every couple of years.
The piece, called “Just One Look,” comes from Gregory Johnson, according to CBS News Atlanta. According to CBS News, the sculpture took roughly 300 hours for Johnson's team to fabricate, standing about 12 feet tall. The exhibit itself carries a formal name — Dazzle and Discord — and runs from 2026 through 2028, according to Awesome Alpharetta, with the citywide installations scheduled to take place during August and September.
A Two-Year Loan With a $6,000 Stipend
Sculptors chosen for Dazzle and Discord aren't donating their work outright. Each artist receives a $6,000 stipend for the two-year loan, and the exhibit is curated by the nonprofit Arts Alpharetta under contract with the City of Alpharetta, per details published by Creative West. That structure gives the city a rotating collection without a permanent purchase commitment on every piece, while still compensating the artists who create for it.
Johnson isn't a newcomer to Georgia's public art landscape. His past commissions include “The Modern Peach” at the Georgia World Congress Center and a John Lewis memorial statue at Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Atlanta, the same CBS News report notes.
Nine Other Pieces Round Out the Collection
“Just One Look” is only one entry in a ten-sculpture lineup. The collection also includes “Vortex Vortex,” a solar-powered rotating sculpture, and “Red-Green Construction,” a colorful geometric work that will be installed at Union Hill Park, according to an ArcGIS StoryMaps account of the exhibit. Kevin Chambers contributed “The Defenders,” honoring combat veterans.
Public Art as a Commercial Showcase
Arts Alpharetta's biennial exhibit doubles as something closer to an open-air gallery for developers. The organization structures the program as a commercial leasing showcase, giving private real estate developers the option to purchase sculptures once their two-year rotation ends so the pieces can be displayed outside new commercial developments, the CBS News report explains.
A previous temporary exhibit featured Nathan Pierce's sculpture “Big Sky,” according to a post from the City of Alpharetta's Recreation, Parks, Cultural Services Facebook page.
Following a Music-Themed Predecessor
Arts Alpharetta describes a series called RIFF, short for Representing Inspiration in Free Form, as a music-themed series reflecting Alpharetta's identity as a regional music hub. With the new installations scheduled for August and September, the Alpharetta Arts Walk now totals more than 33 permanent and temporary sculptures spread across downtown streets, public parks, and multi-use trails like the Alpha Loop, Awesome Alpharetta reports.
Alpharetta's public art program is also connected to development activity, with developers able to purchase sculptures after their rotation.
