New Laney Contemporary exhibition spans decades of sculpture by Atlanta-based Curtis Patterson

When visitors open the grand front doors at Laney Contemporary, they are met by Curtis Patterson’s “Montgomery Bus Stop,” a magnificent 10-foot-tall bronze sculpture that conveys the courage of Rosa Parks.

Like so many other pieces in the solo exhibition "A Notable Journey," "Montgomery Bus Stop" (1989) has elements of surprise. A savvy viewer can lift the seats of the stop to reveal inspirational quotations on mirrors. The movable arm atop the sculpture might seem at first to have an abstract form at one end, but the shape references both a Ku Klux Klan hood and a Yoruba ax.

“Water for Mandela” (1987) in an adjacent gallery honors the South African leader’s years in prison. A base shaped like a sawhorse supports a bowl of water and other symbols. Nearby, “Shadows from the Past” (1986) evokes an ironing board that that seems to be supporting a bird spreading its wings.

Patterson earned degrees in art from Grambling State University and Georgia State University before becoming a professor at the Atlanta College of Art, where he taught from 1976 to 2007. Patterson has done large-scale public commissions across the United States, including in Atlanta, Dallas, Columbus, St. Paul and his native Shreveport, Louisiana.

I was fortunate to be among a small group that toured “A Notable Journey” with Patterson, his wife and his three adult children on the day before the opening reception. The artist spoke humbly of his work and the intricacies of the processes that produced such extraordinary work.

The sheer breadth and power of the exhibition can’t really be captured in a single newspaper column. The sculptures need to be experienced in person to appreciate how the forms change from different perspectives, how the various pieces are assembled, how the light plays on the metal.

“Hymn to Freedom” (2019) greets visitors as they climb the stairs to the main galleries on the second floor. The use of hot patina gives the bronze especially rich colors, and the forms suggest a guitar, steps, even an extended arm. Patterson told us that the piece references not only Oscar Peterson’s famous song of the same name but also John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s raised fists at the 1968 Olympics.

“I have a lot of affinity for music, I guess,” said Patterson at one point. He added that he would like to be a musician if he had not become a visual artist.

“Hymn to Freedom” is one of several sculptures from Patterson’s Rocker Series, a body of “mid-scale” work that is also represented by the compelling pieces “Cold Front” (2021), “Monk’s Moods” (2018) and “Spiral” (2011). The exhibition takes its name from a 2019 piece inspired by Patterson’s 1972 trip to Nigeria.

“A Notable Journey” is curated by Patterson’s former student Melissa Messina, who obviously worked closely with gallery owner Susan Laney and her staff to maximize the visitor experience. A temporary curved wall has even been installed to display the 12 mask-like sculptures – one for each month – that Patterson created last year as part of the series Diasporic Reflections.