In commemoration of W&A Engineering’s 20^th Anniversary, and the relocation of their company headquarters into the historical Southern Mill Complex, W&A Engineering will be hosting a special outdoor sculpture unveiling ceremony on January 28^th, 2021. Social distancing practices will be strongly encouraged. Guests will be greeted by Extra Special People, Inc’s infamous Java Joy Joyristas. The program will promptly begin at 10AM, and members of the press are welcomed to attend this invitation-only event. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Steve Sweetser— Artist and Owner of Howlin’ Art

Steve Sweetser comes from a strong background of artists and has considered himself one since childhood. As an Athens native, Steve grew up on Pound Street within the Boulevard neighborhood. He often played in the hollows and along the railroad tracks of the Southern Mill complex. A retired Pipefitter by trade and veteran having served in the United States Army, Steve has spent more than a decade fine-tuning his craft and is passionate about incorporating metal into his works of art. Steve finds pride in creating upcycled art out of materials used every day to make our lives easier. 

“My hope is that the piece I've created for W&A Engineering represents the effort and vision Jon Williams has built his business upon as well as highlights the firm's dedication to bringing new life into historical structures.”- Steve Sweester

ABOUT THE SCULPTURE DEDICATION

Dedicated to W&A Engineering’s 20^th- Anniversary— “The Tree of Oneta”

“In March of 2020, I was contacted by Jon Williams of W&A Engineering to discuss a sculpture to represent the five branches of his business. We discussed the company’s roots and location of their business headquarters, which is located within the old Southern Mills site on Oneta Street. I found his mindset of urban renewal in-line with the upcycle theories of my sculptures. Jon suggested we use a piece of machinery from the old mill, which was an industrial washing machine. My suggestion to Jon was a totem tree with five branches with the roots of the tree attached and growing over the drive pulley of the washing machine mounted horizontally. This design would hopefully allow the sculpture to rotate with the wind. He loved the idea and he gave me permission to start.” recalled Steve. 

The material used to create the tree is all stainless-steel pipe and fittings of various sizes. The five branches include flowers that are made from discarded well pressure tanks, silver bread baskets, and brass plates. To fill-in the tree, there are four leaves per branch to represent the 20 years that W&A Engineering has been in business.