by Kaitlin Gress, Manager of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and Interim Director of Education at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra “Ahh, music! A magic beyond all we do here!” Albus Dumbledore (and J.K. Rowling) understood the fundamental importance of it. In my short time as a music educator, I have witnessed many magical aspects of […]
Category: Arts & Culture Seen
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Art Does Make You Smart
A new study validates arts education programming By Alvin Townley Supporters of the Woodruff Arts Center invest generously to provide arts education programming to nearly 200,000 students and children each year. Yellow school buses constantly encircle the Center’s midtown campus as they bring students from 150 of the 159 counties in Georgia to experience the […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
The Slogans of Management
Photo above: Members of the Synchronicity Staff. From left to right – Rachel May Producing Artistic Director, Emma Calabrese Development Director, Maddie Mahood Marketing Manager, Celise Kalke Managing Director and Ashley Earles-Bennet Social Content Director. Celise Kalke, Managing Director, Synchronicity Theatre www.synchrotheatre.com This summer I made a career pivot from work within the literary world […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Atlanta’s young “digitized” culture matters
By Loli Lucaciu, Marketing Manager at The Woodruff Arts Center “You matter – your thoughts and feelings matter!” Iyanla Vanzant, an American inspirational speaker, lawyer and teacher, was shouting at me on my way to work this morning. While I’m no Iyanla Vanzant speaking on Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations, I second her fired-up statement, especially as […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Life is an Eight Count
By Angelica Pugh, Program Director for NBAF NextGen Artist Program The best way I describe who I am is to compare my career journey to that of a series of eight counts. You know, “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8” or preparing a routine presentation with a countdown AND “5,6,7,8.” In dance, I have three ways I teach my students and […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
What Happens When Women Don’t Tell Their Own Stories? Wikipedia’s Massive Gender Gap and How to Change It.
By Eva Berlin, Digital Content Specialist, High Museum of Art Wikipedia is the world’s largest and most popular online research tool. The web-based encyclopedia offers a wealth of well-cited information contributed by people like you and me. And it’s all available for free. So, what’s the problem? Women’s voices and stories are too often […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
A year of Artist in Residency at Anne O Art Gallery
By Diana Toma Spring 2018 arrives and I’ve been dreaming about creating large-sized paintings for quite a while. Problem is: my home studio is not adequate for painting and storing multiple large pieces. It must be my lucky day – as I scroll through my Facebook feed I notice a friend’s post. It says gallery […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Art, America and People of Color
By Lewinale HavetteForeign children of color often shoulder the burden of success of their parents.As a Liberian female visual artist, I know that this truth permeates my culture.The prevailing fact is that artists of color are unequally represented in the art world, despite the heavy influence , in art, of African, South American and Asian […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
ART is the heART in Education
Yes – the role of the arts in our Atlanta community is multifaceted! It relates to its value; its economic impact; its role in economic, community and neighborhood development and redevelopment; its strength in enhancing the human connection and its legacy for generations to come! Many people still see the arts as frills and fluff; […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Accessibility Starts By Listening to What Your Patrons Need
By Lara Smith, managing director of Dad’s Garage Accessibility. This is a word that comes up so often in the nonprofit art world. We are asked in grant applications how “accessible” we are. We tout accessibility as a way to bring in new audiences. But what the heck does this word even mean. The first […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Entrepreneurship in the Arts: Dance Canvas’ path to startup, growth, and finding a place in the community
By Angela HarrisI wrote a retrospective blog in 2014, looking back on why I founded Dance Canvas and how as a young artist, I discovered the value of entrepreneurship. In thinking about the SaportaReport blog and offering insight on my experience as an entrepreneur in the arts, I look back on my experiences founding an arts […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Inspiring those who inspire us
By Alvin Townley“When you’re in a combat zone, you exist in two worlds,” explained Colonel Randy F. Rizor. “You’re in a world of constant diligence, struggle and hurt whenever you’re on duty. Then you retreat to another world when your day’s mission ends. You create your own home, a place of escape – a place of peace, […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre – a new stage for Atlanta
By Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director, Alliance TheatreArthur Schopenhauer, speaking of Leonardo Da Vinci, said that while “talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one else can see.”I love that.I love that because hitting a target that no one else can see – yet – is […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Podcasts are on the rise, and for great reason
Two years ago, if I mentioned podcasting to a friend – even a Millennial – I was commonly met with a blank stare or a passing mention of “Serial,” the first-ever podcast to reach mainstream audiences. Now, when I mention I own podcast production company FRQNCY Media and host The Cultured Podcast, the response is […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
In Atlanta, Working as an Actress Provides Satisfied and Stable Life
By Whittney Millsap How does an actor in Atlanta make a living? While we may think of “actors” as people who move here from Hollywood to work in our film industry, there are many home-grown talents working smaller gigs that keep Atlantans entertained. My name is Whittney Millsap and I am an actor, an ensemble […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Don’t Support The Arts: How To Fix Atlanta’s Talent Bleed
By Nathan Sharratt, Artist, Seedworks FounderAtlanta has always been a city in flux; a hub for change and transition. From post-Civil War reconstruction to the civil rights movement to the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta–for better or worse–moves forward. This desire for constant progress is often at odds with the desire to maintain our heritage, culture, […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Claiming the Arts as One of Georgia’s Greatest Assets
Karen Paty, Executive Director of Georgia Council for the ArtsI travel the state frequently, and that my inroads into communities lead through the complex beauty and power of the arts in Georgia, I find to be a humbling privilege. Those travels have taught me that as diverse and varied as the state’s landscape is, so […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Health, Housing, and the American Artist
By Jessyca Holland As we examine the role of artists in our community, we also must examine the career development resources available (or not available) to typical, working artists. I hope this an ongoing conversation. I want to preface by writing that I am aware that the following is complex. Once you layer in intersectionality […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Investigating the Creative Process in Photography
Photo above by Fernando DecillisBy Kevin D. LilesI am continually fascinated with the creative process. How do artists get in the creative mood, priming themselves to do their best work? What tactics do they employ to get the desired work, time and time again? It’s questions like these that I find myself thinking about often.It’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow…
By GREG MIKEWill we run out of walls? Will urban artwork go out of style? Will city ordinances change the future of murals? As an artist, creative entrepreneur, and co-founder of mural arts festival Outerspace Project, these are all questions that are constantly running through my head. Atlanta has become a global destination for street […]
