Those who visit Suwanee's Town Center may find their heads turning to see something new.

 Fifteen outdoor sculptures have been installed throughout Town Center as part of the inaugural Suwanee SculpTour, a public arts initiative that officially opens Saturday during the Arts in the Park festival.

 The sculptures, representing various styles, materials and sizes, are on loan from a dozen different artists and will be on display through March. Residents will be invited to vote for their favorite sculpture here beginning in July. The sculpture with the most votes at the end of the exhibit will be the "People's Choice" and purchased as part of the city's permanent art collection.

"The city of Suwanee values public art as a key component in our economic development efforts - great cities, big or small, have public art," said Denise Brinson, Suwanee's economic and community development director. "The SculpTour provides a relatively low-cost way to bring quality public art of various styles and mediums to our community. Our hope is that the art pieces will engage our citizens and bring new visitors to downtown Suwanee."

The sculptures and other examples of permanent public art have been arranged as an approximately one-mile walking tour. A brochure with a map and information about each piece is available at City Hall.

In selecting the 15 sculptures from more than 30 art pieces submitted, Suwanee's Public Arts Commission considered quality of workmanship, originality, structural soundness, ease of installation and community appeal.

The pieces and artists selected include:

n Amne and Dreams of Flying by Harry Zmijewski of Buford

n Arachnid by Damon Lusky of Dawsonville

n Bright Idea by Lori Sturgess of Roswell

n Catching the Wind by Gregory Johnson of Cumming

n Deconstructed Bolt by Andrew T. Crawford of Atlanta

n Free Spirit and Ribbon Dance by Jennifer Freeman of Johns Creek

n Intrusion by Harry McDaniel of Asheville, N.C.

n Magic Rain and Sunset by Gus and Lina Ocamposilva of Clearwater, Fla.

n Mother & Child by Elusia Altman of Bogota, N.J.

n Prayer Booth by Dylan Mortimer of Kansas City, Mo.

n Sticks 7 by Dennis Primm of Buford

n Sunbeam II by Sydney Atkinson of Woodstock

"I love that each of the sculptures has such a distinctive personality," Brinson said. "In the best tradition of public art, some of these pieces are sure to be conversation-starters."