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Spring cleaning is in the air
Inside the Arts
1
Camille
Russell Love
Camille Russell Love
Love has been
executive director of
the City of Atlanta
Mayor’s Office of
Cultural Affairs
(@atlantaoca) for
more than two
B decades.
The history of spring cleaning is
contested. Some scholars believe its origins
lie in the Iranian New Year or Nowruz—a
Persian-language term for the spring equinox
and a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baha’is,
and some Muslims. Just before the holiday,
Iranians practice khaneh tekani (shaking
the house). Others maintain the practice
dates to the springtime festival of Passover.
Traditionally, observant Jews conduct a
thorough spring cleaning of the home
in anticipation of the holiday. In Greek
Orthodox traditions, a thorough house
cleaning is done before or during Great Lent
(also known as Clean Week), and corresponds
with April 1, the Julian New Year. Regardless
of the culture, it seems as if humans around
the globe recognize the importance of
celebrating the
emergence from
winter and welcoming
spring’s promise of
renewal.
Public Art is
the Mayor’s Office
of Cultural Affairs’
department with
which Atlanta
residents and visitors
most frequently
interface. Whether
strolling along one
of Atlanta’s main
thoroughfares
or neighborhood streets, spending time
with family and/or friends in a city park,
or visiting a municipal building, art is
everywhere in Atlanta—and it must be cared
for.
Within the Public Art department, the
Collections and Conservation team oversees
and manages the care and conversation of all
public art in the city’s collection. Comprised
of two conservators and two conservation
techs, spring cleaning, such as it is, falls
under their purview. Typically, conservation
and maintenance work slows with the onset
of winter, as cold weather is not conducive to
these activities. Now, just weeks into spring,
temperatures are on the rise and more cyclical
cleaning and restorative treatments can begin.
Spring serves as the perfect time for
Collection and Conservation staff to
proactively assess the condition of art
around the city and to schedule cleaning and
restorative work. The staff field numerous
calls from Atlanta residents regarding art that
has been vandalized and/or “tagged” (defaced
with graffiti). In addition, water damage,
particularly rust, and the impact from other
environmental elements (sun, animal waste,
pollen, etc.) have a deleterious effect on
artwork and must be removed.
In Spring 2020, while faced with the
relentless challenges of a global pandemic,
the Collection and Conversation team
undertook a restoration project
at Folk Art Park, located above
the Downtown Connector at
the intersection of Ralph McGill
Boulevard and Courtland Avenue.
Opened prior to the 1996
Summer Olympics, Folk Art
Park is a popular destination for
residents and visiting art lovers.
FFowever, two-plus decades of
exposure to human interaction
and weathering had taken a toll
on the art. Artist James FFarold
Jennings’ “Guitar Girls and
Archway” were de-installed on
February 26, 2020 (just before
COVID lockdown), restored
during the height of the pandemic
and re-installed on June 16,
2020. The staffs commitment
to the care and maintenance of
the City’s collection, even under the most
difficult circumstances, speaks volumes not
only to the love they have for their work, but
also demonstrates the value they place on the
importance of art for Atlanta residents and
the city’s built environment.
Occasionally, the Collection and
Conversation team get to combine the more
tedious and, sometimes, less savory, elements
of their work with ones that foster civic
pride and celebration. Such was the case last
month when Atlanta prepared to celebrate
former Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador
Andrew Young’s ninetieth birthday. The team
scheduled time to clean up Andrew Young
Tribute Plaza and make sure the artifacts were
in pristine condition. Located at Andrew
Young International Blvd NW and Carnegie
Way NW, the site represents the legacy of
Ambassador Young—and is, as expressed
by Central Atlanta Progress President A. J.
Robinson, “a compelling destination that
honors the contributions of one of our most
important leaders.. .a point of reflection
and inspiration along the
path to Downtown’s major
destinations.”
Without the Collection
and Conversation team’s
hard work and dedication,
much of the artwork we
enjoy around the city
would fall into disrepair. It
is they who maintain and
conserve the art that makes
Atlanta’s cityscape visually
appealing and unique.
As we begin to shake
off winter’s dust and
anticipate the spring and
continue the centuries-old
traditions of renewal and
rebirth, take some time
to enjoy the public art
that makes us proud to call
Atlanta home. na
52 APRIL 2022 | Id
AtlantalntownPaper.com