New bicycle sculpture now on display at pocket park

People driving through downtown may have noticed something new in the pocket park across from the police station since this past weekend.

A new sculpture by local artist Katie Sappington has been placed there.

Community Development Director Billye Jean Stroud said Sappington was commissioned to create the sculpture, which was funded by a grant from the Mississippi Hills Heritage Alliance.

Stroud said the sculpture, which is owned by the city, will remain in the pocket park for a year, then be moved to some other park location here and a new one will be commissioned.

The sculpture comprises an adult bicycle, two children’s bikes, a vintage tricycle and miscellaneous bicycle parts. It is 12 feet tall and hand-painted in bright colors.

Sappington said the sculpture was designed to highlight the nearby Tanglefoot Trail as well as the Union County Library’s bicycle loan service.

An added bonus is that the sculpture design is suitable for good photos from various angles at the same time.

This is Sappington’s first large public art creation.

“It has been a dream of mine since I was a child to have a public art installation, so this was a such a tremendously rewarding labor of love for me!” she said in a post. “I know all ages can appreciate and relate to the freedom and fun that comes with riding your bicycle. The Tanglefoot Trail is such a marvelous way to do just that while also exploring this beautiful area of Northeast Mississippi.”

The pocket park had previously displayed “Swamp Flower,” a sculpture by Louisiana artist Mia Kaplan.

That sculpture was installed in 2017 and here for two years after being displayed at the University of Mississippi as well as New Orleans and throughout the South.