Art Rocks Athens, an organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating the art that surrounded Athens’ music boom of the 1970s and ’80s, kicked off its efforts last year with shows spotlighting paintings, drawings, artifacts and graphics.
While the music created in Athens 1975-1985 has been well-documented and celebrated around the world, Art Rocks Athens’ efforts are the first full-scale attempt to preserve and spotlight the contributions of the city’s artists and filmmakers of the period.
» Read our story about last year's Art Rocks Athens exhibitions and events here
This year, the group has turned its attention to photographs documenting the scene surrounding the B-52’s, R.E.M., Pylon and more. “I’ll Be Your Mirror: Images From the Athens Scene, 1975-1985" offers a window into a creative and fondly remembered time in the city’s history, as seen through the eyes of its photographers.
One of those photographers, Sandra-Lee Phipps, is now a professor at SCAD Atlanta and served as curator for the show. Phipps has had a long and distinguished career as a photojournalist (for the Village Voice, among others) and as a fine-art photographer, but it’s her iconic photos of R.E.M. in the early years that are most recognized by the general public. If you own a copy of the band’s full-length debut album, “Murmur,” you have photos by Phipps in your home right now.
» Read the rest of the story, including our interview with curator Sandra-Lee Phipps, here.
