On fire because of climate change. No seriously, contemplating the future of the world's great cities is an important task. Building the future is even more important. At Night of Ideas, an event hosted by the French consulate in 100 cities around the world, artists, innovators, civic leaders and entrepreneurs, are invited to think about the future of their cities.…
Recently I reviewed a play called Informed Consent by Deborah Zoe Laufer at Horizon Theatre in Atlanta, who produced it after it concluded at the Duke on 42nd in New York City. In the play, a genetic anthropologist named Jillian is conducting genomic testing to try to find a cure for Alzheimer's-- a disease that took her mother when she…
"What was once seen as scribbles by rebellious kids, however, has joined the mainstream: a colorful, two-dimensional rendition of someone’s name on the side of a building goes from vandalism to fine art when that piece appears in a gallery." I recently interviewed an Atlanta-based graffiti artist named POEST about his first gallery exhibit. He has been "bombing" buildings with…
I imagine that when most people in Atlanta hear the words "Bankhead Highway" or "Northwest Atlanta" they think of the ghetto. At least that is what the connotation has been my entire life-- that anywhere outside of Midtown is not somewhere you want to be after dark. But there is a neighborhood in Northwest Atlanta that is beautifully preserved and…
I had the opportunity to meet playwright/novelist Pearl Cleage for the first time while I was a contractor for the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. At the time, I was helping the theatre re-imagine its community engagement programs, and Pearl was hosting a series called "Page to Stage with Pearl Cleage." "Page to Stage" was a pre-show talk Pearl conducted with…
Here is the proof: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/arts/music/andre-3000-is-moving-on-in-film-music-and-life.html?smid=tw-nytimes&_r=1 "Part of art is knowing when not to put paint on. And when to change your medium." "I hate cages, and sometimes nostalgia is a cage." "What I get off on is doing things people said could not be done. And so if I’m at a place where I feel like I’m regurgitating or doing…