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Finding Funding
ATHENS ARTS ORGS TEAM UP TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES
By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com
a newly acquired minibus will be used to bring creative
programming and activities to various neighborhoods and
events throughout the year. Leisure Services is seeking a
local artist or team to design a bus wrap that conceptually
embodies the mission of the program and will pay $800 for
the selected artwork. The deadline to apply is June 5, and
the official request for proposal can be found on athens
clarke county, com/9391.
ARTS IN COMMUNITY AWARDS: Dedicated to promoting creative
place-making, the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission’s
Arts in Community Awards have funded a variety of
events, activities and public art projects over the years. At
a voting session last month, the Mayor and Commission
unanimously voted to expand funding for the program by
adding $85,000 from the Athens Resiliency Package to the
ACAC’s own $15,000 AICG budget. This round of funding
will be 20 times larger than ever before, and is intended to
support artists, musicians and other members of the cre
ative community who have been financially impacted by the
pandemic by providing approximately 50 awards of $2,000
each. Guidelines and applications should be posted
any day now, so check athensculturalaffairs.org for
updates.
COMMUNITY FLOW FOR LOCAL AID: Raising aid through
art, mosaicist Krysia Ara developed a unique proj
ect that allows supporters to choose which com
munity cause they’d like to support. Combining
fragments of mirror with pieces of painted ceram
ics left over from her recent “Flow” mosaic in the
Cobbham Triangle Park, Ara created a total of 27
hangable mosaics in three different sizes with
correlating price tiers. The pieces create one long,
meandering river when lined up beside each other,
and the movement within the mirror’s reflections
captures the spirited energy of rushing water.
Keeping two pieces for her own art garden, she
sold the other 25 works within the first 24 hours
or so, with 75% of each sale adding up to over
$7,000 in donations for local aid. Moving forward,
Ara would like to keep the “Community Flow”
going on a commission basis. To request a work or
see behind-the-scenes process shots from Ara’s studio, visit
creativeflow.art.
ON THE COVER: This week’s Flagpole cover features an oil paint
ing by Joe Ruiz, from this year’s juried exhibition at the
Lyndon House Arts Center. Ruiz says, “My painting, ‘When
Justice Kneels...’ (oil on canvas), is about a justice system
that helps only the well-connected or rich; the sword of
justice is blunted, and the world starts to burn as a con
sequence.” The Lyndon House reopened on June 2, with
safety precautions in place. ©
SHELTER PROJECTS: Though artists and musicians are required
to take a break from expressing themselves in person on
gallery walls or venue stages, the lockdown has remained
a productive time for many who are working diligently at
home. Recognizing the urgency of our collective situation,
UGA’s Willson Center, through the Office of Research
and in partnership with UGA’s Graduate School, Arts
Council, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Flagpole,
launched a mini-fellowship program called “Shelter
Projects,” to support graduate students and communi
ty-based artists and practitioners. These $500 mini-fellow
ships fund tangible reflections on experiences of
the current pandemic through a variety of media,
including music, installation art, film, writing,
painting, sculpture and spoken word. A total of
34 micro-fellowships were awarded, with familiar
faces including musicians like Jace Bartet (Bit
Brigade), Hannah Jones (New Sound of Numbers),
Jesse Kennedy (Wild Abandon) and James Wilson,
plus visual artists like Ruth Allen, Cindy Jerrell,
Chris Taylor and Cheryl Washburn. Projects will be
completed while sheltering in place and adhering
to CDC guidelines, and will be shared periodically
through Flagpole as well as during UGA’s Spotlight
on the Arts festival in November. Go to willson.
uga.edu to see the full list of recipients.
hopes this survey will help educate the local government
while planning the Athens Resiliency Package and other
arts initiatives. Survey responses and interpretations can
be read in full on Flagpole’s blog.
ATHENS RANNER PROJECT: Taking inspiration from the public
poster art of the Works Progress Administration in the
1930s, the Athens Banner Project is the first artist relief
opportunity to emerge. Five artists who work in the ser
vice, hospitality or retail industries, and who have become
under- or unemployed due to the pandemic, will receive
ATHENS ARTS ALLIANCE: At the onset of the sheltering
in place ordinance, representatives of various local
arts organizations began meeting virtually each
week: ATHICA, Georgia Museum of Art, Athens
Area Arts Council, tinyATH gallery, Get Artistic at Krysia
Creature Comforts, Flagpole, Lyndon House Arts
Center, ACC Arts Division, Athens Downtown Development
Authority and Athens Cultural Affairs Commission. This
informal group, nicknamed the Athens Arts Alliance,
quickly focused its energy into compiling an updated list of
resources for artists. Additionally, the group administered
a survey to collect feedback on how members of the artistic
community have been financially impacted by the pan
demic. As expected, the responses indicate a significant loss
of income among most participants, with other challenges
including separation from creative partners, event cancel
lations and inability to access sources of relief. The AAA
Ara’s “Community Flow”
$350 each in exchange for banner designs. Funded by the
Athens Downtown Development Authority, these vinyl
banners will be distributed to 130 downtown storefronts
to spread encouraging messages of resiliency and unity
this summer. Visit athensarts.org for the announcement of
selected artists.
ATHENS POP-UP PARK: ACC Leisure Services’ new mobile out
reach program, Athens Pop-Up Park, presents another
exciting opportunity for artists to participate in public
art. In addition to offering passenger transport and tours,
Republic
salon
312 E. BROAD ST. ' 3RD FLOOR
706.208.5222
FRIGIDAIRE BUILDING • ENTRANCE ON JACKSON ST. • WWW.REPUBLICSALON.COM
14 FLAGPOLE.COM | JUNE 3, 2020