Teenage girl in dress sitting on step #309, 1982 by Oraien Catledge
TGIF, the weekend is here! Get some of your workday yayas out at one of these art events. This week’s agenda is loaded with nostalgia, celebrity, and packs some artist punch … literallly. As usual, read on for the rundown.
Continue reading “Weekend Arts Agenda: Broadening your horizons” »
Finally, a bag that fits both your spyglass and a tub of lard.
Does someone in your life need nautical-themed letterpress cards? A charm necklace that expresses the love that pirates need? A tote bag to carry sea-faring essentials?
Then, by all means, set sail toward the Indie Craft Experience on Saturday. The one-day-only event is a mecca for all things knitted, charmed, pressed, and generally hand-made.
There is a small cover charge to get in the door, but the first 200 attendees will receive gift bags that look to be stuffed with some decent swag.
Over 100 vendors will be on hand to offer their handcrafted wares, which are not necessarily nautical themed.
More details, directions, and a full list of vendors available at the Indie Craft Experience website.
Coolness: Decatur’s delightful children’s book shop, The Little Shop of Stories, won a challenge issued by rock-star genre writer Neil Gaiman to throw the best Halloween party in the United States. Thanks to the success of Little Shop’s Graveyard Book Halloween Party on Oct. 30, Gaiman will visit the store on Mon., Dec. 14, at 6 p.m. (Little Shop shares the honor with McNally Robinson Booksellers of Winnipeg, Manitoba.) Given the popularity of the English author’s graphic novels (Stardust, Coraline), film scripts (Beowulf), prose fiction (American Gods), laundry lists, etc., you might want to start lining up now.
Vacant space at 479 Edgewood will host the Cheap Paper collective exhibition as part of AXIOM on Sat., Nov. 21.
The corner of Edgewood and Boulevard will be the epicenter of a vibrant arts district this weekend. The first project from the newly founded local non-profit Public Acts of Art, AXIOM: Baby Proof will exhibit art in the Old Fourth Ward from a staggering list of local talent on Saturday.
The Edgewood corridor doesn’t possess the wealth of galleries that neighborhoods like Castleberry Hill or the Westside Arts District can claim. That fact hasn’t stopped event organizers Alana Wolf and Danny Davis, rather, it’s encouraged them. “The whole reason I’m running around begging favors, building out spaces, and working late into the night is to see this neighborhood excel. I want to see what’s in this neighborhood put forward and given a lot of light,” Davis says.
Continue reading “AXIOM transforms the Old Fourth Ward on Saturday night” »
The Plaza Theatre joins with ASIFA-Atlanta to present Mary and Max,the Claymation comedy of mismatched pen pals. Director Adam Elliott, who won the Oscar for Best Animated Short for “Harvie Krumpet” (narrated by Geoffrey Rush) explores the 18-year friendship between a lonely Australian girl (Toni Collette) and an obese New Yorker with Asperger’s Syndrome (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). The opening film of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Mary and Max screens at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16.
Role Model Citizen by Fahamu Pecou
As usual, here are a few arts events to add to your weekend roster. Also, don’t forget about the Hense exhibition at The Rail Yard and the Kvares show at Beep Beep. This weekend’s art scene is chock-full so enjoy.
FRIDAY (Today)
Head to Castleberry Hill’s tattoo parlor/art gallery City of Ink to check out John Hairston Jr.’s vivid, realistic graffiti-style art. His latest work, Hollywood Africans, celebrates the life and career of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Walk away with a unique perspective on one of the world’s first African American art greats and maybe even some new ink. Free. City of Ink. 404-525-4465. www.thecityofink.com/.
Fresh from the NYC fashion scene House of Diehl’s Style Wars hits Atlanta runways. Watch designers battle head-to-head and make killer creations in 5-minute knock-out rounds. It’s Project Runway on crack! $15-$20 7:30 p.m. Opera. 404-874-0428. www.houseofdiehl.com/stylewars.
SATURDAY
Eyedrum’s First Annual Ear Ball is sure to satisfy all your aural cravings. The event–originally conceived as a fund raiser–is a showcase of the works of a diverse pool of local sound artists. Whether you’re into jazz improv or are looking for some electronic soundscapes Eyedrum’s got you covered. Pay what you can. 12 p.m.-2 a.m. Eyedrum. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org.
Get This! Gallery is housing Atlanta neopop artist Fahamu Pecou’s first solo show. Whirl Trade was inspired by Pecou’s travels in Africa and explores the interpretations and misconceptions of blackness in African-decended communities. Through images that are arranged as faux magazine covers he sends a powerful message about popular media and the power of influence. Free. 7-11 p.m. Get This! Gallery. 678-596-4451. Gethisgallery.com.
SUNDAY
It’s Pecha Kucha time! Volume 14–the last of the fall season–is titled Back to Basics. The diverse roster (including CL favorite Danielle Roney and former mayoral candidate Kyle Keyser) promises to provide some tasty food for thought and make for lots of candid conversation. Free. 7 p.m. Octane Coffee Lounge (Westside). www.atlantapechakucha.com.
Before hitting the stage at Jungle, drag queen Gigi Monroe talked to us about the importance of Pride and people’s misconceptions about drag performers, whom she considers “Renaissance men.” Check out Monroe’s thoughts and highlights of the entire stage show above. Also don’t miss the rest of our Pride videos, including our view of the parade from the CL float and coverage of the AIDS Walk, after the cut.
Continue reading “Behind the scenes with Gigi Monroe” »
Breastplate by Flora Rosefsky
Add some extra excitement to this beautiful weekend by heading to these free art events. See what’s going on around town after the jump.
Photo by Flickr user silaslevi
If you really want to know what’s happening in the world of Atlanta graffiti, you probably should go get on a bicycle, ride around town very slowly, and stop often to check out the back side of buildings and alleyways. The next best option would be the Atlanta Graffiti Pool on Flickr. The collection has more than 6,000 images right now and a number of talented photographers documenting the hard work of Atlanta-based artists painting on walls. I’m particularly fond of the multi-shot panoramics that nda5150 has been posting. It’s also a good opportunity to search for individual artists like DOSE, ARSN, or HENSE.
Speaking of HENSE, his first solo show Surface Strength opens next Friday at The Rail Yard.
Calling all dancers! MTV’s coming to Atlanta to cast street dance groups to compete in the fifth season of “America’s Best Dance Crew.” The series (produced by “American Idol’s” Randy Jackson) pits 12 groups against each other in an intense 10-week competition. Each week the dance groups are presented with a choreography challenge and face elimination. The winning team receives 100K, a Golden B-Boy Trophy, and the satisfaction of knowing that it’s America’s Best Dance Crew.
Take a look at last season’s winner, We Are Heroes, below. The auditions will be held at Dance 411 Studios (475 Moreland Ave.) on Fri., Nov. 20 at 8 a.m. Callbacks will be the next day at the same time. E-mail info@dance411studios.com with your crew name and phone number to reserve an audition slot.
Euridice around town to promote The Atlanta Opera's production of Orfeo & Euridice
To garner interest in the premier of Orfeo & Euridice the Atlanta Opera is placing a living statue of Euridice in a different Atlanta neighborhood seven times between November 3 and November 18. The first person to take a picture with the statue each day she hits the streets gets a pair of free tickets to see the show. To win the contest just be the first to email your pic to cswint@atlantaopera.org. The winners will be contacted by e-mail and the photos will be posted to The Atlanta Opera’s Facebook page.
Euridice’s locations on upcoming dates from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. after the jump.
Create a puppet workshop (Courtesy Joe Boris)
The Center for Puppetry Arts just received a $75,000 Common Good Funds Grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta so they can keep doin’ what they do.
Since 1951, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has been connecting community members, nonprofits, and other partners to strengthen the Atlanta region through philanthropy. Today they are one of the largest Community Foundations out of the more than 700 that exist around the country. With the support of their donors, The Community Foundation averages more than $75 million in grants annually to an estimated 2,000 nonprofit organizations locally, nationally, and internationally.
The Center for Puppetry Arts nonprofit organization operates with minimal staff and limited resources and still manages to continually provide awesome programming to the community such as the Ghastly Dreadfuls this time of year. The Center is dedicated to educating the public about the past, present, and future of puppetry as an art form. It’s not afraid to experiment either, as with 2008’s Cinderella Della Circus. The Center also tries to make its programming accessible to as much of Atlanta as possible through ticket donations and special programming.
Untitled, Sovereign Tree (kingfisher branch) by Todd Murphy
The Atlanta art scene serves up some seasonal spooky shows as well as some great opportunities to meet local artists this weekend. Read on for the rundown.
Half Familiar by Monica Cook. Oil on Canvas. 2009.
If you were planning on attending the Castleberry Hill Art Stroll this evening, think again. The event was quietly moved to a second-Friday event earlier this month. Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association President Laurel Emery explained by e-mail that scheduling on the last Friday of the month often conflicted with holidays — like this Halloween weekend, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The next Art Stroll will be Fri., Nov. 13.
If you skip out of work early today, you might be able to catch a few of the shows hanging right now. Most gallery hours end at 6 p.m. today, like the Marcia Wood Gallery which is currently showing work from the very talented Monica Cook.
