The sesquicentennial last week of the Battle of Atlanta reminds that the Civil War will always be with us in Atlanta.
Since March, so has General William T. Sherman — specifically Sherman's stern visage that has returned in "Apparitions,"artist Gregor Turk's temporary public art installation commissioned by Atlanta Celebrates Photography and Art on the Beltline.
Sherman’s eyes stare down from five different billboards clustered together along the Atlanta Beltline adjacent to Piedmont Park (a quarter mile north of the intersection of 10th Street and Monroe Drive).
The arresting display is the third and final phase of Turk’s project. In the first one, which went up last fall, the billboards were covered with images of blank billboards, photographed in a previous Turk project and suggesting mischief to come. It arrived in the second phase when the billboards were plastered with life-size images of the very views they obscured.
Part three, titled “Look Away,” strikes a more serious and provocative note.
“The configuration of the encircling billboards could be construed as an inverted version of the Cyclorama featuring Sherman’s eyes rather than the battle he witnessed from nearby Copenhill,” Turk wrote in an email to the AJC, referencing the site of the current-day Carter Center.
The artist clarified that his intention was “to reflect on the city’s progress and shortcomings since its destruction 150 years ago through the intimidating gaze of Sherman.”
There's also an obscure reference to the Dr. T.J. Eckleburg billboard of the disembodied spectacled eyes located in the Valley of the Ashes in "The Great Gatsby."
Not everyone appreciates Sherman’s stare. Two of the billboard facades have been hit by rocks, and the general’s eyes have been defaced with gold spray paint on a third one.
“Look Away” has been extended through mid-August, which Turk thinks is dandy, since he approves of the kudzu now creeping up one of the billboards, adding some Southern gothic flair.
THEATER
Front Porch Players to give ‘Miracle’ reprise
Anna Fontaine and Megan McKneely, who costarred in a recent production of “The Miracle Worker” for the the Front Porch Players, have been invited to reprise their roles Sept. 11-14 at Camp Courage at Ivy Green, birthplace of Helen Keller in Tuscumbia, Ala.
The invitation was extended by Alabama Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow to Fontaine (who portrayed teacher Annie Sullivan) and McKneely (Keller) after Morrow and his wife, Martha, attended a June performance at the Clayton County community theater.
Camp Courage is an intensive camp for visually and hearing-impaired children that offers hands-on learning experiences similar to those encountered by Keller, and introduces participants to activities for learning through senses other than sight.
More on the Front Porch Players: thefrontporchplayers.com.
VISUAL ART
Public art transforms area south of Turner Field
A blighted area south of Turner Field has been revived as part of the recently unveiled University Avenue Corridor Public Art Project orchestrated by WonderRoot and supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Titled “Strong Roots Wide Branches,” the work, near the intersection of University and McDaniel Street, features three 20-foot-long sculpted cement panels and four three-dimensional sculptures placed in front of them.
Collectively they celebrate the past, present, and future of surrounding neighborhoods including Pittsburgh, Adair Park, Capitol View Manor and Capitol View.
The lead artist was Atlanta sculptor Fred Ajanogha, assisted by Eddie McBride and Katlin Rothacher.
The high-relief sculptures run along a fence behind which are long-abandoned lots with cracked asphalt once occupied by trucking companies.
The Casey Foundation is a national philanthropy that helps build brighter futures for disadvantaged children in the U.S.
WonderRoot is a nonprofit arts and service organization with a mission to unite artists and community to inspire positive social change. Information: uacpublicart.org.
Fourth art crop growing in WonderRoot CSA
WonderRoot also has announced details of its newest CSA (community supported art) project, a twist on the traditional agricultural CSA (community supported agriculture).
For the fourth edition, 40 investors can purchase “shares” in six works of art by metro artists for $400. The artists selected for this round are Danielle Brutto, Terri Dilling, Daniel Flores, Julie Sims, Jason Thomas and Joe Tsambiras.
Ranging in medium, the artwork will be distributed at a series of three gallery pick-up parties between September and December, each featuring artist talks and refreshments.
Shares of the WonderRoot CSA are available until Sept. 1 or until it sells out. Information: wonderroot.org/csa.
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