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, […]
Tag: Atlanta Arts
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
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
What’s the point of being a theatre critic?
By Kelundra SmithRecently, on a theatre trip to New York City, I was listening in on a panel hosted by the American Theatre Critics Association that featured diverse playwrights—some of whose work has been mounted on Atlanta stages. After an hour of stirring conversation, I went up to one of the playwrights (who happens to […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Equality in the Arts: Where is Our Blue Wave?
By Robin Bernat With the midterm elections, we’ve witnessed a sea change in American politics and culture as more women were elected to national and state legislatures. How is this tilt back toward equality reflected in opportunities for artists in Atlanta? The national organization Artadia announced its 2018 awardees from Atlanta: Krista Clark and William […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
BALLET ON THE MOVE
Is Ballet Hardwired for Touring? By Arturo Jacobus, President & CEO, Atlanta BalletBallet is quite possibly the most mobile large-scale art form in the world.Through the decades, ballet companies such as Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Dance Theater of Harlem have had a business model at some point in […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Soul Food Cypher, a Force for Creative Placemaking in Atlanta’s Little Five Points
Photo above by Anthony “Truth” Gary – SFC’s “One Hundred” cypher gathered over 70 people in the Little Five Points Community Center this past June By Vincent Mitchell By now there is little question of the value of the notion of “creative placemaking:” that cultivation of a community’s arts and its culture can spark socially […]
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The Arts as Community Builders
By Lara Smith, Managing Director, Dad’s Garage If you have a parent who dies, would your co-workers show up to their funeral (even if they’ve never met your parent) simply to support you emotionally? If you have to leave town for a last-minute business trip, do you know who will feed your cat and water […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Does arts journalism matter in Atlanta?
By Andrew Alexander Does arts journalism matter in Atlanta? That question is much tougher to answer than it should be. Clearly, I think arts journalism matters (it’s my work, after all). But nothing makes you sound less important than trying to convince someone how important your job is. A better question to get at the […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Moving Past ‘Six White Men and One White Woman’ to Arts that Represent our Community
by Travis Sharp, PlaywrightFor me, writing a play isn’t that hard. The hard part is figuring out what to write about, which is probably why I’ve written, and co-written, plays about some pretty stupid things. Zombies. Hormonal teenage werewolves. Singing Ewoks. A woman who hates musicals whose life becomes a musical.The first play I ever […]
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Moving Past 'Six White Men and One White Woman' to Arts that Represent our Community
by Travis Sharp, PlaywrightFor me, writing a play isn’t that hard. The hard part is figuring out what to write about, which is probably why I’ve written, and co-written, plays about some pretty stupid things. Zombies. Hormonal teenage werewolves. Singing Ewoks. A woman who hates musicals whose life becomes a musical.The first play I ever […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Art enhancing Atlanta’s MARTA Stations
By Matt Terrell, Dad’s Garage Major praise deserves to go to Midtown Alliance for their latest public art collaboration with MARTA’s Midtown Station. The work is focused on a new mural, “Confluence: Burst Forth with A Terrific Noise,” created by Atlanta based artist Andrew Catanese. The mural features Catanese’s signature style of brightly colored organic […]
Posted inUncategorized
Art enhancing Atlanta's MARTA Stations
By Matt Terrell, Dad’s Garage Major praise deserves to go to Midtown Alliance for their latest public art collaboration with MARTA’s Midtown Station. The work is focused on a new mural, “Confluence: Burst Forth with A Terrific Noise,” created by Atlanta based artist Andrew Catanese. The mural features Catanese’s signature style of brightly colored organic […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Leadership Trainings Builds Stronger Arts Communities
By Lara Smith, Managing Director of Dads GaragePeek into the business world and you’ll see executive of all types enrolling in leadership training courses. Listen to the radio and you’ll inevitably hear calls to enroll in some weekend course on leadership: Leadership for Women, Leading your Sales Team, Leading other Leaders, etc. You can take […]
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"Black Nerd" by Jon Carr: A play that draws on the unexplored Black Experience
By Jon CarrOne of the goals of Dad’s Garage is to produce new work that you would never see anywhere else. I’ve been an improviser at Dad’s Garage for more than a decade, and the marketing director for four years—and what I love about working here is our company’s commitment to producing the work we […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
“Black Nerd” by Jon Carr: A play that draws on the unexplored Black Experience
By Jon CarrOne of the goals of Dad’s Garage is to produce new work that you would never see anywhere else. I’ve been an improviser at Dad’s Garage for more than a decade, and the marketing director for four years—and what I love about working here is our company’s commitment to producing the work we […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
The Genius vs Moments of Brilliance
By Fabian Williams (AKA “Occasional Superstar”)While scrolling down my Instagram feed, I come across at least two posts a day claiming someone is a genius. Any and everybody: Albert Einstein. Prince. Steve Jobs. Most recently—Kanye West, via Jimmy Kimmel Live, has been telling the world he’s a genius. I thought to myself, genius! By doing […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Fabricators, Funders, and Fixers
(Featured photo provided by Midtown Alliance)By Matt TerrellArt is not created in a vacuum. There is perhaps no more malicious myth than that of the lone wolf artistic genius, squirreled away is some studio far away from civilization, sending their wares into the world. It’s true that some of the great artists of the 20th century, […]
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"How can theater artists help communities tap their rich cultural assets for economic and civic development?"
By Adam Fristoe, Co-Artistic Director at Out of Hand TheaterThe answers to this question, originally posed by Roadside Theater and Imagining America in their Performing our Future Initivative, can develop sustainable revenue streams for artists and arts organizations, drive cultural and economic development in Atlanta, and create community relationships that make art not only relevant to the community, but essential. Since […]
