Cohn Brings Stella Sculpture to Buckhead

Buckhead Village features a unique and experiential art installation made possible by the connections of local gem Hope Cohn, an award-winning independent curator, artist, and educator dedicated to fostering unions between art, artists, and audiences.

Because of her personal and professional relationship with the late Frank Stella, Cohn rescued and restored the colorful sculpture, “K.3” (large version), which was created in 2007 and weighs 650 pounds, and composed of fiberglass, foam, and urethane. The sculpture was placed in storage until current owner Jamestown LP supported its move to Buckhead Village to share with the public until the end of 2025.

Cohn said, “My goal now is to find a permanent home … as this is just a temporary space.”

Stella, who died in 2024, was noted for his work in minimalism and post-painterly abstraction. He developed a reductionist approach stating that he wanted to demonstrate that “every painting was a flat surface with paint on it — nothing more.”

Cohn, who worked closely with Stella and remained friends, shared, “I met Frank Stella over 30 years ago and had no idea that working for him would take me on such an incredible journey. It was like living in an art history textbook and was literally like being inside a Frank Stella painting. Everything was constantly in motion. Art being made, projects being planned, chaos needing calm and puzzles to solve. He was always experimenting and expanding his visual language. His work took many changes over his career, yet there is still a thread that connects it all.”

Cohn further describes “K.3” as “a striking masterpiece, celebrated for its vibrant colors, bold geometric forms, and dynamic presence.” This artwork is part of Stella’s “Scarlatti Kirkpatrick” series, featuring fluid shapes that vividly capture the lively sounds and rhythms of Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti’s harpsichord sonatas. The series’ title also pays homage to Ralph Kirkpatrick, a Yale musicologist and harpsichordist, who significantly contributed to the popularity of Scarlatti’s works and compiled the definitive catalog of his sonatas in 1953. The piece is lyrical, gestural, colorful and playful.”

Moving the sculpture from storage to the gallery space was a challenging feat, requiring a team of more than a dozen to transport it with a structural engineer and builders to design the supporting wall. They moved it in the middle of the night, closing streets and just “barely made it through the door with less than an inch to spare.”

In addition to the Stella masterpiece, Art in the Village showcases some of Atlanta’s local artists displayed on two levels, and while visually distinct, carry the memory of Stella’s vision.

Cohn has curated numerous exhibitions for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, including, “Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia,” E-Merge Contemporary Atlanta Artists. She conceived and curated, “SCORE: Sports + Art,” for MOCAGA, and “Beyond Words,” for the Swan Coach House Gallery. She was the director of the Spruill Gallery and led exhibitions such as, “Nelson Mandela: Man of the People,” “Katrina: Five Years of Reflection,” and “Breaking New Ground: Intersections at the Crossroads of Art and Technology.”

She taught at SCAD Atlanta, Georgia State Ernest Welch School of Art & Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Pratt Institute, The School of Visual Arts NYC, and the High Museum of Art. She received her master’s degree in painting from Pratt Institute and her BFA from the Atlanta College of Art. As an artist, Cohn was represented by Fay Gold Gallery and her work is included in various private and corporate collections, including The Neiman Marcus Corporation, King and Spalding, Alston and Bird, Highland Group, Kilpatrick Stockton and others.

Cohn works with developers throughout the city including Alliance Residential, Edens, and Jamestown Properties to educate and encourage companies to support and understand the impact art can have on the community. Originally from New York, Cohn is married to architect John Schneider with whom she raised three children.

Art consultant, Micaela Robinson, was Cohn’s project assistant.

Art in the Village is located at 3035 Peachtree Road, at the corner of Buckhead Avenue and Peachtree Road. Hours are from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday to Sunday. The exhibition is free and will run until the end of the year. For more information, please visit Artinthevillageatl.com.