If you are an art buff or just looking for an inexpensive but great night out, First Thursdays is an opportunity to take yourself on a tour of Atlanta art scene, free of charge.
The first Thursday of every month Georgia State hosts a self-guided tour of new and exciting art exhibits around historic downtown Atlanta. Begin the tour in your own backyard. The Rialto Center for the arts transforms its lobby into a gallery echoing themes from past and future presentations as well as exhibits representing the growing artistic initiatives throughout the city.
The Rialto lobby will house photography from Eric Waters. The photographer will be in attendance to give a talk about his pre and post Katrina photographs entitled “Cultural New Orleans”. Just Loaf’n will cater the talk with Nawlin’s style po’ boys and Cajun cuisine so get there early!
This free event is open to the public as spaces like The Arts for All Gallery at VSA arts of Georgia, The African American Panoramic Experience Museum, Paige Harvey Art Studio, and The Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design Gallery will open their doors this Thursday to name a few.
Resident artist and associate professor of art at Carnegie Melon University, Ayanah Moor, will give a talk at four p.m. at Ernest G. Welch Gallery.
“Ayanah Moor appropriates and revises popular ideas to invert and expand meaning” gallery director Cynthia Farnell said. “Her upcoming solo exhibition at the Welch School Galleries examines notions of vernacular and identity in works on paper and video.”
For more information on this artist her work has been addressed in academic journals such as Critical Inquiry, Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism, Black Women, Gender and Families (University of Illinois Press). Her website is http://ayanah.com/home.html
Interior design grad student Cotter Christian will also display an installation exploring digital technology, fragmentation, and interior place.
For more information on other galleries and exhibits visit www.downtownfirstthursdays.com the website offers sample itineraries, but the fun is in creating your own list of stops, exploring a night of art and academia. For Free!
