Whirling Dervish on Display in Decatur's MARTA Station

You may have noticed there's a new addition at the Decatur MARTA station. It’s a white sculpture by a local Atlanta artist as part of an exhibit in six of the area’s busiest stations.

The exhibit, dubbed “Light Up Atlanta,” features seven artists, including Jim Ferguson, who created “Whirling Dervish,” which lights up inside the Decatur MARTA station.

Ferguson is part of the Atlanta architecture and design community and each artist was tasked with creating a sculpture that reflects how the city inspires them, according to a MARTA release.

The dervish is made out of Corian, the stuff used for countertops that also is used among architects and designers in a range of ways. C.H. Briggs, a local distributor of specialty building products, commissioned each statue.

“Together [with MARTA] we wanted to provide a platform that champions local artistic expression,” said Luis Arias, chief marketing officer of C.H. Briggs. “The Atlanta design community is robust.”

Beverly Scott, chief executive of MARTA and general manager, said the art enhances the transit experience, in a release.

Some of the other art installations can be seen at Five Points, which has two sculptures, as well as the CNN Center station.

The art will be on display through June at the MARTA stations. Following the exhibit, C.H. Briggs plans to donate the statues to Atlanta-based organizations.