Tag: Decatur artists

Decatur Arts Alliance Hiring Artists to Take to Decatur Streets During Sidewalk Saturdays

I don’t believe it’s an overstatement to say that this is one of the cooler things to come out of Decatur EVER!  The Decatur Arts Alliance sends along this note…

Sidewalk Saturdays in Decatur are fast-approaching! During April, May and June there will be street performers, artists, poets, singers, musicians, dancers, and sidewalk chalk artists performing on key streets and corners in downtown Decatur and Oakhurst. Performers will pass an audition and receive an hourly stipend.

Ready to take your art to the streets of Decatur? The application deadline is March 21st and we will be hiring artists quickly. Submit your application along with a digital copy of, or link to, your work. If you are not interested in participating in Sidewalk Saturdays but know artists who may be, please pass this email along.

Artists: Download the application HERE!

Pete the Cat Kicks It to #2 on New York Times Bestseller List

Dave at Little Shop of Stories pointed this out to me yesterday. And in fact, he beat me to the post today.

Eric Litwin and James Dean’s second installment their Pete the Cat children’s books, “Pete the Cat: Rocking My School Shoes” is already #2 on the New York Times Children’s Book Best Seller List, just a couple weeks after its release!

Looks like Decatur’s unofficial mascot is quickly becoming a household name.  The Decatur Tourism Bureau needs to find some sort of angle.  A Pete the Cat Musuem or roller coaster perhaps?

As Dave points out on the Little Shop blog, Eric and James will be the Grand Marshalls at the AJC Book Festival parade on Sunday, September 4th.

Decatur’s New Postcards

From a City of Decatur press release…

The City of Decatur will debut a set of six postcards at the Decatur Arts Festival over Memorial Day weekend. The designs, created by five different artists, represent creative perspectives of Decatur.

The Decatur Postcards Project included a contest calling for artists and community members to submit original work that showed special places and visions of Decatur. We received over 50 submissions from artists and students. A jury of local business, arts, and community leaders judged the submissions and picked their top 5 choices and one student choice. Artists received an honorarium of $150 each and the images now belong to the City of Decatur for sale as postcards.

An exhibit showing each postcard will be on view in the lobby of the Old Courthouse on the Square during the Decatur Arts Festival. Postcards will be available for sale at the Arts Alliance Souvenir table. They will also be for sale at Seventeen Steps, 235-M Ponce de Leon Place. Postcards are 50 cents each.

The postcards and artists include:

  • •“city of deCATur” – painting by James Dean
  • •“Decatur Neon” – photo montage by Doug McMillen
  • •“Celebration VII Series I” – photo by Joe Dreher
  • •“Utility Cover” – photo by Joe Dreher
  • •“Snowy Valentines” – photo by Sheila McIntosh
  • •“Doors of Decatur” – photo montage by Sofia Rose Said

The postcards are the result of the Decatur Postcards Project sponsored by the Decatur Arts Alliance, the Decatur Downtown Development Authority, and the Decatur Tourism Bureau. Proceeds from the sale of the postcards will go into creating more Decatur postcards. The Postcards Project was spearheaded by Decatur resident Moira Bucciarelli.

Decatur Artist Sanithna Phansavanh Opening Show at Young Blood Gallery

Blowing on Dandelions, Stepping Over Cracks from dehanza rogers on Vimeo.

Sanithna Phansavanh writes in…

I wanted to pass along some info for an art show that I’m opening on September 11th. It will be at Young Blood Gallery and will investigate superstitions, talismans, and beliefs. I realize that the show doesn’t necessarily count as Decatur news, but I *AM* a resident of the city and one of the promo videos for the show [see above] was filmed on the corner of Mead & W. College and around that area.

There will be a free performance by Modern Skirts, King of Pops will be there, and an Atlanta Tumblr meetup has been set up for the night.

More details can be found here: http://sircle.net/knock/.

You can also view samples of Phansavanh’s work, HERE.

HomeGrown Decatur Opens Its Doors

I received a note from Beth Thompson yesterday announcing that HomeGrown Decatur at 412 Church Street is now officially open for business!  Here’s their opening announcement…

With 50 local artists showcasing their work, you are sure to find something beautiful to take home. From wall hung art in many mediums to pottery and glass; pet supplies to hoola hoops; no one should go home empty handed. Come browse through the unique jewelry items and cards.

We look forward to seeing you in the shop,

Beth Thompson & Lori Ronca

David Stephens’ New Music Video

One of my favorite local musicians, the banjo-picking, puppeteer David Stephens, has just released his first music video.  And what sort of video might you expect from a banjo-picking puppeteer? One that features banjos AND puppets of course!

Luckily, Stephens doesn’t disappoint.  Enjoy!

h/t: Decatur CD

Atlanta Artists: How Has the Recession Affected You?

On the eve of the Decatur Arts Festival, and in the time-honored tradition of copping ideas from the New York Times, I thought it would be interesting to pose a question directly to our city’s artists.

The recent response to a question posed by the New York Times about how artists were responding to the recession peaked my locavore-ish interest.  While many artists relayed the expected stories of less work and funding, many also mentioned in the same virtual-breath that the slowdown was also in some ways “liberating.”   Singer/songwriters have found more time to write and play their own work – instead of an endless cycle of covers, while visual artists talked about time to focus on refining their skill set.

Obviously the economic slowdown is going to hit some people harder than they can take it.  What may seem liberating to one artist who brings in less work but can still pay the bills, can feel like the end of the world for one with no work or income.   However, the Times article talked a lot about how these “dispatches from the arts world were infused with fortitude and resolve, as well as a sense of release” and I was curious to see if Decatur/Atlanta/Georgia artists have had a similar reaction.

Art and economics have always been intricately connected, so there’s no doubt that this newly termed “Great” Recession will have a very real impact on the world’s art forms.  The physical results are yet unknown, but thanks to a little more time on our hands, it may just be an age of rediscovery.

I look forward to your responses.