Representation and appropriation are buzzwords that have fluttered around depictions of African-American culture for ages, but artist Romare Bearden made portraying a fuller picture of black people his life’s work.
In warm, vibrant colors, he filled his canvases with collages of black people working, creating, gathering, cleaning and just simply being.
Alan Avery Art Company exhibits 24 artworks by the North Carolina-born abstract-expressionist, mostly collages, for which he was best known, but also watercolors and monotypes that span 20 years of his career, from the mid-60s to the mid-80s.
Among the show’s most significant pieces is “Wading Pool,” a collage of a woman bathing in a forest, created as a gift to Bearden’s wife. It reflects Caribbean influences that began to show up in the artist’s work later in his life, after he and his wife began traveling to Martinique.
Also noteworthy is “Mecklenburg Autumn October – Toward Paw’s Creek,” a 1983 collage from Bearden’s Mecklenburg series, featuring a particularly complex collaging technique depicting a forest scene.
"When I Conjure These Memories" is on view through Jan. 16 at Alan Avery Art Company, 315 E. Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta. www.alanaveryartcompany.com.
THEATER
Serenbe Playhouse reprises ‘The Snow Queen’
Before Elsa and Anna learned to “Let It Go” in “Frozen,” Hans Christian Andersen spun a tale about another set of siblings who inspired the Disney movie. Their names are Gerda and Kai, and one fateful winter day the ice-hearted Snow Queen captures Kai, and Gerda is determined to find him. That is the story of “The Snow Queen,” playing at Serenbe Playhouse Dec. 3-23.
Serenbe first produced the show last year and it was a sold-out smash. Founding artistic director Brian Clowdus commissioned playwright Rachel Teagle to pen the adaptation.
“’Frozen’ drew me to ‘The Snow Queen,’” Clowdus said. “I have a niece and twin nephews and saw it with them a dozen times. Plus my sister BreeAnne feels like my soul mate, so I connected to that idea.”
The site-specific production takes place outdoors, with the audience moving from location to location, following the action.
“It’s such a fun show, and once you step on the grounds, you’re enthralled by the magic of it,” said Brittney Ellis, who returns in the title role.
To keep patrons warm, space heaters are strategically placed, hot chocolate and apple cider are served.
Parking for "The Snow Queen" is at 10642 Serenbe Lane, Chattahoochee Hills. $20 adults, $15 children under 12. www.serenbeplayhouse.com
VISUAL ART
Atlanta artists interpret meanings of flight for aviation exhibit
When photographer Connie Cross decided to curate an exhibit about flight for the Fulton County Aviation Community Cultural Center (ACCC), her vision focused less on turbine engines or landing gear, and more on the human desire to transcend the ordinary and brush shoulders with the mythological. So she assembled a group of Atlanta photographers, including Miriam Phields, Carolyn Miller, Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier and J Vazquez, and they created 19 pieces of collage photography for the exhibit, “Flight.”
“I wanted this exhibit to take the audience to a higher plane of existence,” Cross said. “I looked for others like me with tenacity and a desire to take collage photography to a new level.”
Cross is already working on a new show called “Soul Searchin’,” featuring photographs that “capture the essence of the soul,” she said.
Opened in 2014 and located at Charlie Brown Airport, the ACCC is a community gathering place focusing on the history of North American aviation, training for aviation careers and visual and performing arts.
"Flight" runs through Jan. 15, 2016. Free. Aviation Community Cultural Center, 3900 Aviation Circle, NW Atlanta. www.fultonarts.org.
MUSIC
ASO transports audiences to a galaxy far, far away
In anticipation of the Dec. 18 release of “Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra brings back one of its most popular programs, “Star Wars & More: The Music of John Williams,” Nov. 27-28, featuring songs from “Star Wars,” “Superman,” “Jaws” and “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial.”
Led by principal POPS! conductor Michael Krajewski,, the orchestra will perform “Star Wars” favorites “Twentieth Century Fox Fanfare,” “Main Title,” “Duel of the Fates (Phantom Menace Suite),” “Anakin’s Theme (Phantom Menace Suite),” “Imperial March (Star Wars Suite),” “Throne Room” and “End Title (Star Wars Suite).”
The Saturday matinee performance is a 75-minute, family-friendly event for all ages, with Stormtroopers taking photos with audience members in the Galleria before the concert.
Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. $20-$60. www.atlantasymphony.org
