Fresh Loaf

A weekend break-in at WonderRoot Community Arts Center that forced the closure of its digital media lab won’t impact the Reynoldstown nonprofit in the long term, its executive director Chris Appleton says.

“It’s unfortunate it’s happened here,” Appleton tells CL. “A space that’s worked toward bettering and building the community. We’re sad that some people are not respectful of the work the artists have created.”

The five computers that were taken were all insured, Appleton says, so the digital media lab will most likely be back up and operating by next week.

“We’re not going to let it stop us or slow us down,” he says.

He says he was surprised by the outpouring of support from WonderRoot and community members. Minutes after he sent an email to notify artists about the break-in, Appelton says, he received 30-40 responses asking if the center needed any assistance.

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All day Sunday, a small cadre of local artists and arts lovers gathered at Eyedrum to kick off the first phase of a grassroots project to add a touch of art to the Beltline — and to make more people aware of where it is.

The project, which has been months in the making, involves creating more than 100 artful signs to designate where the 22-mile smart-growth project crosses public streets.

Angel Poventud, one of the project’s co-organizers, says WonderRoot staff spent $400 on wood on Saturday night. The next day, artists brought whatever materials they had — oils, pastels, even house paint — and got to work.

“It’s hard to believe you can pull off a project like this for less than a grand,” Poventud says. “But it’s all about the passion. And it’s here.”

The group plans to install the signs along the project sometime this week. After the jump, more photos from the event.

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Beltline Arboretum

Trees Atlanta has selected local artist David Landis to create the first piece of public art for a planned arboretum, or tree museum, along the Beltline.

Once completed, the arboretum will circle the entire 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, and be one of the largest tree museums in the United States.

Landis was selected from a field of 20 applicants. His sculpture, which will be inspired by residents’ memories of trees and the historic West End community, will represent the first of 14 tree and plant collections along the smart-growth project.

Trees Atlanta says the sculpture will be designed to be a “landscape in motion” and will be installed in the West End’s Rose Circle Park early next year. The work is made possible by a grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

Landis, who created the Butterfly Pavilion at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, has also shown work in Minneapolis, Albany, Ga., Toulose, France and throughout the metro region. A graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia State University, he’s also taught at the latter and Dunwoody’s Spruill Center for the Arts.

Beltline and community officials will celebrate Landis’ selection on Thursday, July 9 at 7 p.m. at the Hammond House. The event is free and open to the public.

This post has been altered to fix a typo of the artist’s name.

(Screenshot courtesy of Trees Atlanta)

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In addition to its tree-planting project with Brown Middle School along the Beltline, Trees Atlanta is requesting artist proposals for public art in a southwest Atlanta segment of the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit’s southwest segment.

Debbie’s got the details over at Culture Surfing.

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It’s been a big year for political art. Shepard Fairey’s soviet-styled Obama posters are still all over the place; Sarah Palin has shown up in some great paintings; and the Denver Police Union even designed some political T-shirts. In light of all this recent visual-art politicking, Beep Beep Gallery will show Popaganda, a group exhibit celebrating and criticizing contemporary and traditional propaganda.

Participating artists include Evereman, Rene Arriagada aka Transmit Device, Sat Kirpal Khalsa, Ben Goldman, Travis Dodd aka Machete, Bryan Westberry, Kerri Boles, Kim Feigenbaum,Charstarr, Stenvik Mostrom, Baxter Crane, Bean Summers, J.R. Schulz, Reed Elliot and more.

Popaganda Opens Sat., Jan. 10, 8-11 p.m. Through Feb. 8. Fri.-Sun., noon-6 p.m. 696 Charles Allen Drive. 404-429-3320. www.beepbeepgallery.com.

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1. 10 films released in 2008 that were worse than Delgo (People love lists — see, you’re reading this one! — especially when they count down the worst of the worst.)

2. Year in review: A look back at the arts in Atlanta for 2008 (The only thing folks love as much as lists: heavy doses of nostalgia.)

3. Atlanta nightlife is DEAD (Um, not really. But the headline sure is catchy.)

4. Don’t Panic: Why is Israel bombing Gaza? (The over-simplified, bloggy answer: Bed-wetting)

5. Atlanta after an asteroid or nuke bomb … thanks, Google! (Is your neighborhood inside the mushroom cloud? Click to find out!)

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Swedish artist Hannes Isaksson, whose totally awesome sketches of American gangsters have typically centered on the New York set (think Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols, and Leroy “Nicky” Barnes), has broadened his horizons to the Atlanta-based Black Mafia Family.

OK, so Isaksson incorrectly identified BMF co-founder Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (left), as his brother — and fellow BMF founder — Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (right). Still, the drawing’s pretty rad.

(Sketch by Hannes Isaksson, obviously)

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The Clayton Daily News reports a Clayton County Sheriff’s Department employee has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Sheriff Victor Hill and the state. The plaintiff, Pamela Blasingim, alleges Hill lavishly spent vending machine and forfeited drug funds on various items, including office artwork that sounds so wild it’ll blow your mind. Click here to read the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Pamela Blasingim, the plaintiff, alleges Hill demoted her because she had a disagreement with a friend of Hill’s who cut inmates’ hair and because she was white. Blasingim says in the lawsuit Hill wanted an all-black department.

Here are some choice snippets from the Clayton Daily News‘ report on the lawsuit:

The lawsuit also outlines allegations of egregious misuses of money in the sheriff’s office. According to the accountant, three days into Hill’s term, he called her into his office and asked about expense accounts and discretionary funds. Blasingim expected to be asked to brief the newly elected sheriff about purchasing policies, but Hill, she said, seemed to only be interested in finding out where there was money he could use as he saw fit.

Blasingim reportedly said “the only thing even close” to a discretionary fund would be the “employee fund,” which was money from the vending machines in the jail and was, under previous sheriffs, used for retirement parties or a Christmas dinner.

At the time Hill took office, there was about $8,339.47 in the vending machine account, according to the lawsuit.

According to Blasingim, Hill bought seven of his own vending machines, placing them in the jail, collecting “thousands of dollars weekly,” spending it on “whatever Sheriff Hill wanted to spend it on.” What it was spent on is, apparently, unaccounted for, but Blasingim alleges Hill spent the money faster than he made it.

…

Some of the money was spent on art for Hill’s office, according to the lawsuit. Blasingim implies the artwork — African-American cowboys and “a lynch mob scene portraying Caucasian people with shotguns” — had racist overtones that matched the sheriff’s alleged employment policies.

Hill continued to spend money, even when there wasn’t any left in the drug forfeiture fund or the vending machine fund, she alleged. Hill would, allegedly, make purchases or create debts and then tell Blasingim to sort out the finances.

(Photo from Re-elect Victor Hill)

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