From left: "Second Chances" by Eldon Slick

"Urban Trees" by Gary Gresko

"Astromera" by Nicole Beck

"Starlight" by Thea Lanzisero Monier-Williams

"Recoil" by Mark Yale Harris

An artist's rendering of Rodney Carroll's sculpture for the Roanoke Civic Center

The Star City is about to become the Sculpture City, at least for awhile.

The city on Monday released an artist's rendering of a new 30-foot abstract steel statue with seats and walkways planned for the Roanoke Civic Center. The $115,000 artwork is meant to be a "welcome gesture," said Baltimore artist Rodney Carroll.

"The elements wrap around each other as the sculpture reaches upward toward the sky," Carroll said in a prepared statement. "The polished stainless pipes and sculptural elements bring a feeling of celebration."

The city also released images of eight sculptures that will be exhibited around the city for 18 months starting in October. The sculptures are on loan to the city.

The exhibit, to be named "AIR" (for "Art in Roanoke"), is aimed at bringing new visibility to the city's public art program, said Doug Jackson, chairman of the Roanoke Arts Commission.

The sculptures are:

"Rainbow Children," by Roanoke's Polly Branch, at Jackson Library;

"Starlight," by Thea Lanzisero Monier-Williams of Huntington, N.Y., at South Roanoke Village;

"Urban Trees," by Gary Gresko of Oriental, N.C., at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Third Street;

"Comma," by Lee Badger of Hedgesville, W.Va., at Wachovia Plaza;

"Happy Wanderers," by Charlie Brouwer of Willis, at Brown Robinson Park/Lick Run Greenway;

"Recoil," by Mark Yale Harris of Sante Fe, N.M., at Wells Avenue Plaza;

"Second Chances," by Eldon Slick of Tucson, Ariz., at Fire Station No. 7 on Memorial Avenue;

"Astromera," by Nicole Beck of Chicago, at the Williamson Road Library.

A selection panel of citizens and city representatives chose the sculptures for the temporary exhibit out of 117 entries by 56 artists. The pieces should all be installed by about Oct. 10, public art coordinator Susan Jennings said.

The arts commission will seek feedback from the public on the sculptures and may purchase or seek donors for a few of them to keep them here permanently, she said.

The Carroll sculpture, which was also chosen by a community-based selection committee, will be owned by the city and remain at the civic center on permanent display. Carroll's sculpture is the first major purchase by the city's Percent For Art program, which designates a percentage of the capital improvements budget for public art.

It will be unveiled outside the Roanoke Civic Center Auditorium at 5 p.m. Oct. 1.

Opera Roanoke in black

Opera Roanoke ended the last fiscal year in the black while more than doubling its endowment to more than $500,000, said the opera's executive director, Judith Clark. In addition, subscription sales for the upcoming season highlighting Verdi and musical adaptations of the works of Shakespeare are going at a record pace, she said.

Buy book, help museum

Book lovers can help the new Taubman Museum of Art by buying books at any Barnes & Noble store in the country Saturday through Aug. 15. Simply mention the Taubman museum or give the code numbers 319640 to the cashier, and a portion of what you spend will go to support museum outreach and education programs.

The museum is planning a kickoff celebration at the Barnes & Noble at Tanglewood Mall on Saturday, with working artists, face painting, a poetry reading, lectures and a sneak preview of upcoming museum exhibits.

"It's a nice fundraiser," said Kimberly Templeton, museum external affairs director.