On the far western edge of Heritage Park, next to the Waleska Street Bridge, Canton's plan calls for an eight-foot fish made of woven metal dowels. Its fins, scales and eyes are sheet metal. Scrolls of solid metal dowel, an inch or more across and shaped like moving water, hold it up, and native aquatic plants from the Etowah River are worked into the base. The City set Friday, October 23 for the ribbon cutting at the sculpture site. Parking is at the Heritage Park entrance next to the G. Cecil Pruett YMCA.
The piece is called Currents of Canton. It shows the Etowah Darter, and the choice of fish explains most of what the sculpture is doing. The City's announcement says the darter "can only be found in the Etowah River." That river runs beside the sculpture site. So the first public artwork Canton has commissioned sits right beside the only kind of place where its subject can live.
A Small Commission With a Specific Job
Currents of Canton is the first sculpture under the City's Public Art Master Plan, which the Canton Cultural Arts Commission carries out. City Council adopted the plan in July 2023, according to the City's adoption notice. The call for artists ran from September 22 to October 24, 2025. The City's request for qualifications set an all-inclusive budget of $20,000 and offered up to three finalists a $300 stipend for their concepts. The City agreed to pour the concrete pad itself.
For a city's first permanent sculpture, $20,000 is a modest budget. It pays for one landmark at a park entrance. The City says a private donation covered the whole cost, and the donor has not been named.
The commission voted unanimously for artist Huelani Mei's design. CCAC Chairperson Shanna Coulter explained the vote in the City's June 10 release:
"The Canton Cultural Arts Commission unanimously chose the design for the Etowah Darter sculpture because of its striking beauty, thoughtful design, and universal appeal. Huelani Mei sets the bar for future sculpture installations."
The same release says the design draws on several parts of Canton's history. It nods to the Cherokee who lived along the Etowah River, and the hot-dipped galvanized finish refers to the city's industrial past. The City says the sculpture is built to code and safe for public interaction. In that release, Mei called the darter "a species found nowhere else on earth."
What the Fish Actually Needs
The Etowah Darter has been on the federal endangered species list since December 20, 1994, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service species profile. FWS places it mainly in the upper Etowah system above Lake Allatoona, in the main river and named tributaries. The agency also reports genetic evidence of Etowah Darters below the lake. So the fish belongs to one river system, but not only to the stretch through Canton.
FWS describes very particular habitat:
- Moderate- to high-gradient creeks and small rivers
- Shallow riffles over gravel, cobble and small boulders
- Clear water with little silt
- No impounded pools, which the darter avoids
The Upper Etowah River Alliance adds the pressures. Sediment, polluted runoff, altered flows and dams all affect darters that need fast, clear water with plenty of oxygen.
The Etowah Darter also has company. FWS lists the Cherokee Darter as federally threatened and the amber darter as federally endangered. The Alliance adds two state-endangered species to the watershed's rare fish, the holiday darter and the Etowah bridled darter. The galvanized fish at Heritage Park stands for a whole group of small fish that depend on the same clean, fast water.
That makes the sculpture's spot matter. From the western gateway of Heritage Park, you can walk to the river the darter depends on.
The Walk From the Sculpture to the Water
The City's parks page lists Heritage Park, at 508 Riverstone Parkway, as 48 acres with a one-mile concrete walking trail. That trail connects to the Etowah River Trail and to Etowah River Park. Across the river, Etowah River Park at 600 Brown Industrial Parkway covers 58 acres. It has a half-mile concrete trail, a public canoe launch, an amphitheater, inclusive playgrounds and a bridge over the Etowah. All City parks are open from dawn until dusk.
Here is one way to do it on a late-fall afternoon:
- Park at Heritage Park. Explore Canton points to two places. One lot is by a small park sign just past Mr. Clean Car Wash on Riverstone Parkway. The other is near the YMCA, where you reach the park by a long cement staircase.
- Start at the sculpture site. It's on the westernmost side of the park, next to the Waleska Street Bridge.
- Take the concrete trail toward the river. Explore Canton describes a shaded half-mile route that crosses the Etowah on a pedestrian bridge and links Heritage Park with Etowah River Park.
- Stop on the bridge. From there you're looking down at the river the sculpture is about. FWS describes the habitat as shallow riffles over gravel, cobble and small boulders.
- Keep going or turn around at Etowah River Park. There's a quarter-mile loop around the main field. Explore Canton also describes a 1.75-mile extension heading east under I-575 for anyone who wants more distance.
Daylight is the limit this time of year. Clocks fall back in early November, and since the parks close at dusk, an after-work walk has to start sooner than it did in October.
Where the Public Art Plan Points Next
The sculpture's riverside spot also fits what the City has said about future pieces. The Public Art Master Plan recommends art in parks and along trails. It lists possible locations at Boling, Brown, Burge, Etowah River, Harmon, Heritage and McCanless parks, Lake Canton, and the proposed South Canton Park. Instead of naming a next commission, it calls for a schedule, a funding review and future calls for artists.
The plan's other ideas are concepts, not confirmed projects:
- A series of gateway artworks at the city's entrances, plus themed art along trails, possibly at trailheads
- A temporary downtown sculpture tour with up to 10 plinths
- Denim-themed sculptures and a light installation at Lake Canton
The darter is the first piece built from that list, and it sets a pattern. It sits at a park gateway, on a trail, by the river. In the City's release, Coulter said Mei "sets the bar for future sculpture installations."
The river ties into downtown plans as well. In July, the City announced the West Main Street Pedestrian Corridor to link Historic Downtown with The Mill on Etowah. The plan converts West Main to one-way westbound traffic with angled parking and adds a 10-foot brick-paver sidewalk, underground utilities, lighting, landscaping and benches. The City's announcement said construction was expected to begin in early fall and take about 20 months.
Pairing the Walk With a Weekend at The Mill
The Mill on Etowah, at 225 Reformation Parkway, is the other riverside destination with a full fall calendar, and its events fit easily around a walk to the sculpture:
- Fall Plant Festival, Saturday, November 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with more than 50 plant and local vendors
- Makers Market, November 14
- Christmas at The Mill, November 27 and 28, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with skating, Santa, football, live music and a tree lighting
- Grinchmas at The Mill, Friday, December 18, 5 to 9 p.m., free, with a toy drive, train rides and a 7 p.m. outdoor screening
The plant festival is the best fit. It runs during daylight, so you can do the river walk and the festival on the same Saturday.
Knowing which parts of Canton sit closest to the Etowah River Trail and its parks is part of the local knowledge we use for clients every day. Whether you're weighing a move across town or just curious how places like Heritage Park affect your street, Sterling Realty Partners is glad to talk it through. Schedule Your Consultation.
