With its recent announcement that it will present a world premiere by leading performance artist Nick Cave next April, Flux Projects is exhibiting what appears to be its greatest ambition in planning its fifth year. The Atlanta nonprofit has presented an array of innovative temporary public art in Atlanta since its 2010 launch by arts advocate by Louis Corrigan, but 2015 appears to hold particular promise:
- Cave will debut a show called "Resurrection," billed as a "call to arms, head and heart," at Ponce City Market (the former Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution center, still under renovation) in six free performances April 23-26, 2015. Best known for his Soundsuits, wearable sculptures that come to life through movement, Cave will collaborate with choreographer T. Lang, a Spelman College assistant dance professor and artistic director of T. Lang Dance. The performance will tap the talents of local performers including 13 dancers, seven actors, a spoken word artist and musicians.
- Flux announced earlier this year that it would not present its Flux Night of multiple public art projects in 2014 to better plan for an expanded extravaganza in Castleberry Hill for 2015. The event, which drew 20,000 in 2013, will be held Oct. 3, 2015. It will be curated by Nato Thompson of Creative Time, known for producing temporary public art in the U.S. and internationally.
Cave’s “Resurrection” was originally discussed as a possible substitute for Flux Night this fall and was to be thematically keyed to the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta. For a variety of logistical and creative reasons, it was pushed to next April.
“We just said, ‘We’ve hit upon a great project, we need to do what’s best for the project regardless of what ideas we came into it with,’” Flux Projects executive director Anne Dennington said. “For us, at that point, it could have been about anything.”
Dennington said Cave has broadened the Civil War theme to address Atlanta’s cycle of destruction and renewal as symbolized by the phoenix on the city’s seal.
The idea of commissioning Cave came out of brainstorms Flux leaders were having about programs that would “take the organization to the next level,” Dennington said, while showcasing the work of an internationally noted contemporary artist who might not otherwise be presented here.
Now, Dennington, Corrigan and Flux board members are busy raising the $100,000 the project will demand, a stretch compared to more typical $10,000 to $20,000 budgets. “I think it’s easier to raise money for someone who does capture the imagination and is a push,” Dennington said. “At least I hope.”
Look for updates at www.fluxprojects.org.
VISUAL ART
Fine, folk art in ‘Blurred Lines’
What common ground do fine artists such as Pablo Picasso and Robert Rauschenberg share with folk artists such as the Rev. Howard Finster and Jimmy Lee Sudduth?
More than you might think, in the view of Tina A. Cox, curator of the Hudgens Center for the Arts’ new exhibition, “Blurred Lines: Contemporary Self-Taught Meets the Masters.” The exhibit features more than 65 works by 30 “modern masters” and self-taught artists.
“They have much in common,” Cox notes in her curator’s statement. “The intense feeling to create. To express. Self-realization. Self-vitalization.”
Curator’s talk: 3 p.m. Nov. 1 (regular admission applies). Family Day: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 15 (free admission, with guided art activities and demonstrations, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.).
Through Dec. 30. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $5; age 62 and up, children 3 and up and students, $3. 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Building 300, Duluth. 770-623-6002, www.thehudgens.org.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Johns Creek Symphony’s eighth season
The Johns Creek Symphony, under the baton of J. Wayne Baughman, has announced the lineup for its eighth season:
- Dec. 20: "Christmas Gala & Holiday Pops Concert," seasonal favorites and traditional classics, with an old-fashioned sing-a-long. Concert features the orchestra, Christmas Gala Chorus and special guests including Consecrated Women. At Johns Creek United Methodist, 11180 Medlock Bridge Road.
- March 7, 2015: "Virtuoso Strings," spotlighting the orchestra's string musicians in repertoire from Bach and Bartok to Tchaikovsky and Copland. Johns Creek High School theater, 5575 State Bridge Road.
- May 9, 2015: "Around the World in 80 Minutes," featuring light classics and pops by composers including Grieg, Borodin, Smetena, Loewe, Rodgers and Kern. Johns Creek High School theater.
All concerts at 8 p.m. $30; $25 ages 55 and up; $15 students. 678-748-5802, www.johnscreeksymphony.org.
Ludwig orchestra tunes up for ‘Fall Fiesta’
The Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, under maestro Thomas Ludwig, opens its 18th season with “A Fall Fiesta Concert,” 4 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center.
The performance will feature German pianist Claire Huangci and tenor Wesley Morgan. John Lemley of WABE-FM’s “City Cafe” hosts.
$22; ages 65 and up, $19; students under 21, $12. 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 770-623-8623, www.ludwigsymphony.org.
