Doug Makemson grew up out in the country of Rockford, Illinois and Commerce, Georgia. His childhood playground was the woods, fields, streams and lakes surrounding his home. That is where he developed a fascination with animals. He loved their infinite variety of form, their movements, and their inner life. Simultaneously Makemson has always been a collector of interesting pieces of metal or parts of machines. He would weld his metal treasures together to explore their shapes. Makemson found an artistic niche when he combined those two interests into creating whimsical and playful animal sculptures out of found metal and old machinery. And since dogs, especially, have always played a major role in his life the Art Program commissioned Makemson to create "Abby" and "Ain't Gonna Roam No More" for the Airport's Dog Park. Both of the sculptures were based on dogs Makemson knew personally, so these two lovable art pieces commemorate some of Makemson's friends while celebrating the four-legged companions that travel with their humans to Hartsfield-Jackson. Doug Makemson still lives and works in Commerce, Georgia. Visit makemsonsculpture.com for more information about him.

The model for "Abby" was my beloved yellow lab, Abby, who was always willing to strike a pose. She had a full life and, a few weeks after the sculpture was completed, had a mercifully rapid demise. She was the world's best dog; I miss her. The sculpture is made mostly from parts of a back hoe and a bulldozer, and the stone is Gneiss (granite) from an old quarry near Glade, Georgia. For me, "Abby" the sculpture will always make me remember Abby the dog, the most loyal friend I ever had. -Doug Makemson, 2009

While planning his site-specific art work for this SkyTrain station, Jim Waters admired the strong lines in the building's design with its walls of glass windows running the length of the corridor. He immediately thought of the grand 19th-and 20th-century theaters and train stations and the decorated ceilings of the gothic chapels of Europe. In particular, he was reminded of Sainte Chapelle in Paris with its beautiful star-studded overhead (commissioned by King Louis IX and completed in 1248). He then contemplated the eight-pointed star shape frequently used in early Southern quilting. In response to those two influences, Waters created the elegant expanse of "Stellar Intersection" for the ceiling of the GICC's SkyTrain station. The piece features a symmetrical star-based pattern that runs the length of the corridor. The pattern is made of holographic vinyl to take advantage of the constantly changing natural light and movement in the space. That material provides a subtle play on texture, color and light so that "Stellar Intersection" has the innate ability to shimmer and shift in response to motion on the platform below. Jim Waters currently works and resides in Atlanta.

Tim Prentice, a sculptor based out of Cornwall, Connecticut, is fascinated by the way air moves- its organic, whimsical, and unpredictable motion. He strives to take the air from the realm of faith by abdicating designs based on its qualities thereby making air visible. Prentice sees his role in art-making as one designed to explore architecture and engineering as it intersects art and play. As an architect he is interested in scale and proportion. His internal "Engineer" wants to minimize friction. Combined with his artistic sensibility Prentice's goal is to explore ever-changing forms that those ingredients create while holding on to a childlike sense of wonderment. For "Reflections" he hoped to create banners that would catch and play with the reflections of light from the long glass wall in the train station while showing the subtle updrafts and wind caused by the movement of passengers below. For more information about Tim Prentice please visit timprentice.com