Arts Archives - South Fulton Observer

Mausiki Scales, Atlanta Drum Academy Lead Red Oak Festival Lineup

12Oct

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Arts, Community, Entertainment, Events, Red Oak

Mausiki Scales, Atlanta Drum Academy Lead Red Oak Festival Lineup

The Annual Red Oak Art Festival returns to the City of South Fulton on Saturday, Oct. 15. Now in its second year, the festival promises an expanded lineup of artists, artisans and performers from across the metro Atlanta area. This year’s musical lineup includes performances by Mausiki Scales and Common Ground Collective, Planet Alstarz, local cellist Jenn Cornell, and classical guitarist Gladius. A performance by the Atlanta Drum Academy is also planned. Members of the academy have been featured in film and television, including NBC’s Little Big Shots. Youth attending the festival will have an opportunity to participate in a free drum clinic with the nationally renowned group. “This year’s festival is an interactive experience for the entire family,” said Caitl...

Sandtown Residents Collaborate with Artist on City’s First Creative Placemaking Project

28Jul

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Arts, Community, Economic Development, Sandtown

Sandtown Residents Collaborate with Artist on City’s First Creative Placemaking Project

After a series of community brainstorming meetings and coordination with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), South Fulton's first creative placemaking project has been installed. The four-panel monument in the roundabout at the intersection of Campbellton, Boat Rock and New Hope showcases the diverse natural surroundings of the Sandtown community. The project, which began in 2018, was spearheaded by District 1 Councilwoman Catherine Foster Rowell. She tapped local artist Allen Peterson to produce the artwork. Over a period of several months, Peterson and his design partner, Julia Hill, toured the Sandtown community and took photos for inspiration, and collaborated with residents on imagery and design during multiple meetings. "We wanted to cast a wide net to get as much...

Quilt Festival Opens at Southwest Arts Center on Aug. 6

28Jul

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Arts, Community, Events

Quilt Festival Opens at Southwest Arts Center on Aug. 6

The 14th Annual Atlanta Quilt Festival is headed to Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road. The exhibit, held in partnership with Acres of Ancestry, South Fulton Institute and Southern Poverty Law Center, will run Aug. 6 thru Sept. 2. Over 100 quilts celebrating the African-American heritage will be displayed. This year's exhibit will honor the life and legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis. The "Good Trouble Quilts," a collection of more than 20 pieces, will be on display.Congressman Lewis represented Georgia's 5th District until his death. He was a longtime resident of the formerly unincorporated area now known as the City of South Fulton. Quilt Artist Lola Jenkins is this year's featured master quilter. She will lead two master classes in portrait quilts Aug. 19-20. Both ...

Public Art: South Fulton Makes Plans for a More Vibrant City

20Jul

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Arts, Government

Public Art: South Fulton Makes Plans for a More Vibrant City

South Fulton’s Public Art Commission is soliciting feedback on the future of public art in the city via an online survey available through September 30. Input from the survey will be incorporated into the city’s first public art master plan. Input is sought from residents, city leaders and personnel, business owners, local artists, and other stakeholders. Feedback will help to guide future programming and funding priorities. Two projects have been completed in South Fulton this year. A “paint by numbers” mural was produced by artist Vernon Robinson in collaboration with community members at Sandtown Park in April. Earlier this month, a four-panel sculpture created by artist Allen Peterson was installed in the roundabout at Campbellton Road and Boat Rock Road. Councilwoman Cathe...

Juneteenth Concert Brings Artists Together for Milestone Event in South Fulton

18Jun

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Arts, Events

Juneteenth Concert Brings Artists Together for Milestone Event in South Fulton

Tomorrow, South Fulton will mark Juneteenth with a virtual concert featuring artists from South Fulton and around the metro area. The milestone event, a first for the city's revamped Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (PRCA) Department, will be available on YouTube starting at 12 p.m. The event is the brainchild of Cultural Affairs Manager Salondia Aveni and Southwest Arts Center Production Manager Michael Hernandez. It was born from the city's recently launched Wednesday Windown series which brings artistic talent into the homes of South Fulton residents via social media. Aveni reached out to dancers, vocalists, actors and other performers in South Fulton and throughout the metro area and asked them to donate their time for the event. The overwhelming response yielded a jam-pa...

South Fulton Artist Wins $10,000 Prize to Fund Product Launch

10Mar

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Arts, Community

South Fulton Artist Wins $10,000 Prize to Fund Product Launch

As a teen, South Fulton resident Ashley Daramola was told that she couldn't make money as an artist. Now, in her thirties, she's continuing to prove the naysayers wrong. Her East Point art studio is thriving, and she just won $10,000 to launch her first product. Just last year, Daramola opened the doors to Artzybella Studio + Shop. From the start, she distinguished herself from her competitors by using her mental health background to empower her customers to use art for self-care. Plus, she began looking for ways to scale her business by applying for accelerator programs. Within a few months, her company was selected for the Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund. The fund was established last year with a grant from The Marcus Foundation and is overseen by the Georgia State Universi...

‘A Song for Coretta’ Opens Tonight at South Fulton Arts Center

21Feb

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Arts, Events

‘A Song for Coretta’ Opens Tonight at South Fulton Arts Center

New African Grove Theatre Company's production of "A Song for Coretta" opens tonight at the South Fulton Arts Center. The play is written by Pearl Cleage and directed by Keith Franklin, the company's artistic director. The one-act drama pays homage to civil rights icon Coretta Scott King. It takes place on February 6, 2006 as people line up outside of Ebenezer Baptist Church to pay their respects as her body lays in state in the small sanctuary.The play's cast of five characters are at the rear of a long line of mourners: a respectable society widow, over 40, who met Mrs. King as a child; a pushy college wannabe journalist; a middle-aged portrait artist and Katrina survivor; a street-smart, wise-mouthed teenage mother-to-be; and a traumatized Iraq war veteran contemplating desertion. ...

Commissioner Arrington Hosts Annual Black History Film Festival This Weekend

20Feb

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Arts, Entertainment

Commissioner Arrington Hosts Annual Black History Film Festival This Weekend

Fulton County District 5 Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington Jr. will host his annual Black History Film Festival this weekend. Films will highlight the unsung heroes and stories African-Americans in the struggle for civil rights and progress in America. The festival begins with an opening reception on Friday, Feb. 21 from 6-8 p.m. at Wolf Creek Library. Screenings are planned for Wolf Creek Library (3100 Enon Road), Southeast Atlanta Library (1463 Pryor Rd SW) and ArtsXchange (2148 Newnan St.) on Saturday, Feb. 22 starting at noon. Actor Lamman Rucker will emcee the opening reception, which will include a screening of "Building Atlanta: The Story of Herman J. Russell." Additionally, awards will be presented to the student winners of the Unsung Black Heroes Film Competition. The rem...

True Colors Tackles Colorism, Body Shaming in Comedic Hit ‘School Girls’ Opening Feb. 11

5Feb

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Arts, Events

True Colors Tackles Colorism, Body Shaming in Comedic Hit ‘School Girls’ Opening Feb. 11

Jocelyn Bioh’s comedic hit School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play is headed to Southwest Arts Center. The True Colors Theatre Company production is directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and will run Feb. 11 through Mar. 8. This production follows a clique of young students at an exclusive Ghanaian boarding school at the start of the 1986 school year. Paulina, reigning queen bee of the group, has her sights set on winning the Miss Ghana Pageant and ultimately, the Miss Global Universe Pageant. Paulina prides herself on successfully shaming her friends over their weight, hair and status. When American transfer student Ericka arrives and begins to threaten Paulina’s position atop her hive-minded friends, the power struggle begins. Colorism, classism, body shaming and more play a role...

True Colors Continues Free Play Readings at Southwest Arts Center

28Jan

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Arts, Events

True Colors Continues Free Play Readings at Southwest Arts Center

True Colors Theatre Company continues its free play reading series with If Pretty Hurts... by Tori Sampson. The play is a contemporary riff on a Nigerian fable about a pretty girl and seven jealous women. It earned Sampson the Kennedy Center's Paula Vogel playwright prize. Sampson says the play meshes contemporary African and American culture and takes on how Black women view beauty. The play raises a number of questions for audiences including what it means to be a Black woman in today's society, how beauty is celebrated and how women are sometimes taught not to love themselves. "I really want people to engage in this discussion about beauty on a deeper level than we usually do in front of people," said Sampson in a past interview. She said that she hopes the play helps audie...

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