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New Mexico sculptor Jeremy Thomas is making his first trip to Georgia, but he is leaving behind a work that promises to last for years to come.

Thomas has done a W.C. Bradley Co. commissioned piece in the new Mathews D. Swift Park in downtown Columbus. The park is adjacent to The Rapids, a $52 million apartment complex that opened earlier this year. It is accessible from the Chattahoochee Riverwalk and Front Avenue.

Thomas’ work is entitled “Bolls” and has four colorful pieces that loosely resemble cotton bolls and serve as a tip of the hat to the textile industry that long occupied the riverfront site.

The work is a powdered coated stainless steel.

“These works are inspired by the agricultural and industrial cotton production roots of Columbus,” the plaque that marks the spot will read. “Thomas creates sculptural objects by inflating steel forms from geometric constructs using pressured air.”

The work was a significant investment in public art, says W.C. Bradley Co. President and CEO Marc Olivié.

“It is the first time a company — The Bradley Company — has from the beginning decided that the projects they are building they are going to reserve money in the budget for public art.”