Anyone who has ever attended a Fox Theatre performance knows that the gilded 1929 movie palace is like a show unto itself, a magic carpet ride of Moorish and other exotic design influences.
Beginning April 1, the Fox will be the main attraction during new walking tours of the landmark at Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue.
The hour-long tour will visit more than 10 locations throughout the building, including the main auditorium and balcony, mezzanine lounges featuring the original furniture chosen by Eve Fox, the globetrotting wife of movie-mogul William Fox, the Egyptian Ballroom and Spanish Room.
The employee-led tours will not travel onstage or backstage.
They will be offered at 10 and 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays and 10 and 11 a.m. Saturdays. Tickets — $18, $15 military and seniors, free for children 10 and under — via 1-855-285-8499, www.foxatltix.com or the Fox ticket office.
The Fox’s in-house tours will replace the Atlanta Preservation Center’s long-time tours of the theater. For information on its final March tours: www.atlantapreservationcenter.com/fox_theatre.
VISUAL ART
Post’s covers tell an American story
Much like America in the decades following World War II, the Saturday Evening Post went through myriad changes and even ceased publication for a time in 1969. The magazine was relaunched in the early 1970s and is still published today, yet many people think of it only in nostalgic terms, a notion no doubt inspired by the 323 cover illustrations that Norman Rockwell created for it over nearly five decades.
Three of Rockwell’s original illustrations will be included in the exhibition “Covering America: The Saturday Evening Post in the 1950s and Early 1960s” opening Saturday at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville.
Presented in partnership with the Saturday Evening Post Society, the exhibit will feature 30 original paintings alongside the magazine covers they commanded. The illustrations by Rockwell, John Clymer, Stevan Dohanos, John Falter, George Hughes, Amos Sewell, Richard Sargent, Mead Schaeffer and Thornton Utz speak to a time of growth and change in the U.S.
The Booth will enhance the traveling show by including several western paintings by W.H.D. Koerner and Harold von Schmidt that were featured inside the magazine as well as 18 western-themed original Saturday Evening Post covers from the museum’s permanent collection.
“This exhibition is a great opportunity to celebrate the art of illustration, which is responsible for creating so many iconic images we share in our collective memory as Americans,” Booth executive director Seth Hopkins said in a statement. “Several of the illustrators in the exhibition went on to become important Western artists who are now included in the Booth permanent collection, giving us the opportunity to study their earlier work.”
From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, refreshments will be served in the museum’s ballroom. Joan SerVaas, the magazine’s president and publisher, will lecture on the exhibit at 7 p.m. in the Booth Theatre.
Through Sept. 29. $10, $8 age 65 and up, $7 students with an ID, free age 12 and under. 501 Museum Drive, Cartersville. 770-387-1300, www.boothmuseum.org.
DANCE
Artistic director hopes ‘Voices’ resonate
Atlanta Ballet will present the final of four “New Choreographic Voices” programs at 2 p.m. today at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, but one of those “voices” will be return in 2014 and ’15: Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.
The ballet struck a three-year deal with Naharin, one of Israel’s hottest cultural exports, after artistic director John McFall attended the annual International Exposure festival in Tel Aviv in 2010. Though Naharin colleagues helped prepare Atlanta Ballet to perform “Minus 16” for this year’s program, the choreographer himself is expected to work with the company for 2014’s performance of “Secus,” another highly energized creation that presents solos and duets that seem to unfold simultaneously.
“Ultimately what we’d like to see is that people come to Atlanta Ballet because it’s always interesting and stimulating,” McFall said of his long-term goal in mixing contemporary dance with classical ballet on the season schedule. “So it’s not so much that ‘I’m going to see “Sleeping Beauty” because I know the story and I know the costumes are going to be pretty and there will be girls en pointe.’ I’d like them to come (to performances) not knowing what they’re going to see but realizing that there’s a possibility that it’s really going to be compelling.
“That’s the hard part,” he concluded.
Information, tickets for today’s final program: 1-800-982-2787, www.atlantaballet.com.
ARTS
WonderRoot seeks fellowship applicants
WonderRoot arts center in Reynoldstown is accepting applications for its second Walthall Artist Fellowship, a career development program for metro Atlanta visual and performance artists at pivotal points in their careers, through April 12.
Over eight months, the 2013-14 fellows will participate in monthly symposia with Atlanta arts leaders, peer learning and one-on-one artist mentorships. A five-day residency on Ossabaw Island will follow, with the fellowship capped with a group exhibition at Kennesaw State University’s Zuckerman Museum of Art.
“We are excited to continue with transformative programming that strengthens the creative lives of the fellows as well as enriches our city through gained insight and meaningful connections between all those involved,” new WonderRoot creative director Stephanie Dowda said.
Applications are open to all Atlanta-area artists and are free. To apply: www.wonderroot.org/professional-development/walthall-artist-fellowship-2013.
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