Art lovers are celebrating the opening of Artisphere, a three-day festival of visual art, dance, and music in Greenville this weekend.

The opening ceremonies took place Friday on the banks of the Reedy River and included the unveiling of a new piece of public art, a large-scale, permanent sculpture that serves as a gateway to Liberty Bridge.

The sculpture, titled Paradigm Pathway, is by S.C. artist Stephen Kishel. His proposal was selected from hundreds of entries. Kishel, who lives on an acre of wooded land in Bluffton, has had a lifetime appreciation for nature, which is evident in his design. The sculpture evokes the colors and shapes of fall foliage, and the reflection of the water below reflects on the underside of the aluminum structure.

Paradigm Pathway is dedicated to the memory of one of Greenville’s great art lovers, the late Buck A. Mickel, “in appreciation of his support and love of the arts.”

Greenville mayor Knox White was on hand for the ceremonies and explained that the sculpture realized “an early aspiration of Artisphere which was to leave something behind.”