Gift From Moscow Artist Joins Roswell Sculpture Tour

ROSWELL, GA -- A gift of art from a Moscow artist will soon delight and spark curiosity in the north Fulton County city of Roswell.

“Sky Maintenance” by Dima Alekseyev will be installed Saturday, March 25 Don White Park. The large public work of art will be suspended from the bridge on S.R. 400, which crosses over the Chattahoochee River at Riverside Road.

“Sky Maintenance” will be visible to all, including those driving along Riverside Road, walking in Don White Park or kayaking down the 'Hooch.

Dima Alekseyev has a world-class background in public art. While perhaps best known for his large, suspended silhouettes, which have been featured on numerous public structures, his work is also on display in many private collections in Russia and elsewhere.

In addition, Alekseyev has worked in film, theater and as artistic director for an architectural firm. In Atlanta, Alekseyev is most recently known for a piece commissioned last year by the Millennium Gate Museum called “Games: Ancient Olympia to Atlanta to Rio.”

Alekseyev's latest creation, “Sky Maintenance,” has been more than a year in the making. It comes to the city by way of his son, Feodor Alekseyev, a resident of Roswell.

In late 2015, Feodor approached the city with an offer from his father to create a unique work of art as a gift to the community. The city asked Rochelle Mucha, chair of the Roswell Arts Fund, to coordinate the project.

Thus began a year-long pen pal relationship with Alekseyev in which Rochelle served as the liaison between the artist and the various agencies, including the Roswell and Georgia departments of transportation, to work through the myriad questions and safety concerns involved in getting approval for the project.

Approval was ultimately granted in large part due to the tenacious efforts of Darrell DeJean, formerly with the GDOT, and Robert Dell-Ross. Both are now on the staff of the Roswell Department of Transportation.

After working with Rochelle Mucha and the Roswell Arts Fund during the past year, Dell-Ross expressed interest in doing more projects like “Sky Maintenance.”

“We look forward to future collaborations with the Roswell Arts Fund and the Georgia Department of Transportation on projects that improve our residents quality of life," Dell-Ross added.

“Sky Maintenance” was one of three designs submitted by Alekseyev. It was chosen by a Public Art Selection Panel comprised of key stakeholders in Roswell, who saw the work as an organic fit with the location over the river, as well as its appeal to the wide range of people, who frequent the area.

Once the sculpture was approved, the artist began fabricating “Sky Maintenance” in Moscow and then with special permissions, transported the pieces here to Roswell.

On March 17, Alekseyev began assembling the artwork at the old machine shop located in the Roswell Mill.

Once installed, "Sky Maintenance" will remain suspended four to five meters above the Chattahoochee for two years.

Following the project's completion, Alekseyev will remain in Roswell with his wife, Anna, and daughter, Vasilisa, before heading back to Moscow. Anyone interested in contacting the artist can do so by writing to board@roswellartsfund.org.

“Sky Maintenance” will be installed beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 25. The day-long installation will be a unique experience for locals and visitors to observe how an artist works and appreciate the intersection of art, science and technology.

The city and the Roswell Arts Fund invite everyone to visit Don White Park to experience this unique approach to public art.

“Sky Maintenance” joins 12 other works of art as part of Roswell's second ArtAround Roswell Sculpture Tour, which officially opens at 11:30 a.m. April 22 with a ribbon cutting and celebration at Heart of Canton Street.

ArtAround Roswell is produced in collaboration with the Roswell Arts Fund and the city of Roswell’s Department of Recreation and Parks.

This year, the tour is available on the OtoCast app (downloadable free from your favorite app store). More information on ArtAround Roswell can be found at www.artaroundroswell.org or www.roswellartsfund.org.

Image via Shutterstock