the NBAF festival turns 21…

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Do you remember what you did for your 21st birthday? Did you see a movie?  Go to a concert? Go shopping? All of the above?

If you’ve been under the equivalent of a cultural rock for the last month or so, it might come as a surprise to you that the 21st anniversary of the National Black Arts Festival officially kicked off this week in Atlanta.

But if you’ve spied the signs around town and have caught the ‘smoke signals’ on Facebook, Twitter, or even today’s article in the AJC, well… you already know what’s in store.

This year’s festival is slightly different than that of previous years – namely, a shorter schedule, and a single venue for most of the events. Some of the changes are a sign of the times: a down economy equals fewer donations and sponsorships, and a tighter budget.  But other changes show that the NBAF is truly a ’now’ kind of girl.

By hosting most of her events in a centralized place that’s Marta-accessible and located directly across from headquarters, she’s decreased the carbon footprint for her staff and her attendees, and made it more economical than driving to several locations.  And Lord knows, Atlanta could use just a little less traffic on the road for a few days.

Being true to the times also means making greater use of social media. So for her 21st birthday, the NBAF sent out invitations to the ‘cool kids’ – local Atlanta bloggers that will provide online coverage of 2009 NBAF events.

I’ll give you one guess who’s included in the bunch.

For the next few days, I’ll post regular updates from the NBAF via Twitter and Facebook, beginning with the daily staff meeting. I’ll also post bite-sized reviews of the NBAF events I attend throughout the week here on the blog. If I’m not completely worn out, I may even do a longer recap of each day’s events at the end of each day.

But you know how 21st birthdays go. There’s no telling what might happen. Still, I have no doubt it’s gonna be a party to remember.

Here’s where you’ll find me:

Thursday, July 30

 

Meet Me at The Festival!

alice walker archive exhibit opens at emory

The legendary, Georgia-born author and human rights activist Alice Walker unveiled her literary archive at Emory University this week. Entitled, “A Keeping of Records: The Life and Art of Alice Walker”, The exhibit includes a collection of manuscripts – the most noteworthy being the manuscript for her Pulitzer prize winning novel, The Color Purple. Letters, photos, and other memorabilia will also be on display as part of the exhibit, which runs through September 27.

In an interview broadcast on WABE this morning, Walker explained that one of the reasons she chose to donate her collection to a Georgia instituion was that she wanted “her Georgia kin to be surrounded by their own culture”.

What a wonderful gift from a living legend.

The archive is on display at the Robert W. Woodruff Library on Emory University’s campus.

Alice Walker speaks tonight at 8pm at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts on Emory’s campus. The topic: Reflections on the Turning of the Wheel, Living a Life of Freedom and Choice. Admission is free – tickets are required.

visit Alice Walker’s blog

view a slideshow of the exhibit

 

cheers,

k

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

westside art walk – march 21

 I have a confession to make – I love art walks. Why? Well here are a few reasons:

1. I get to explore / visit a cool neighborhood or area of town
2. It’s one of the few times where walking about outside with a glass of wine is not only acceptable, but encouraged
3. I get to look all cultured and junk
4. I get to run into (sometimes literally, due to #2) all sorts of cool people who enjoy the same things I do
5. I get to check out some cool art and meet even cooler artists

Next weekend, the Westside Arts District is hosting the second of its monthly art walks, which are intended to encourage awareness of the emerging art district in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood.

The art walk – which runs from 11a to 5pm – will cover 1 mile and includes 9 member galleries in the area. Check out the lineup after the jump.

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cabbagetown arts festival next weekend

Dear Atlanta – spring is near. And if the time jumping forward and the fair weather weren’t enough of a signal for ya, how ’bout the start of outdoor festival season?

The quirky, Seuss-ian neighborhood known as Cabbagetown is kicking off the city’s outdoor ogling with the first-ever Cabbagetown Arts Festival on Saturday March 14 from noon – midnight. The festival will be as much a celebration of the arts as it will be a celebration of the community that was pretty beat up by that – quote – “punk-ass tornado” that ripped through Atlanta on March 14 of 2007.

 

Come out and witness some fine local art against the backdrop of impending Spring and revel in the spirit of resurgence.

cheers,

k

late night cabaret – groundhog day jugglers festival

Around 10 p.m. on a side street in Avondale Estates, a crowd gathers. Amber light flickers on the faces assembled in the night, and the faint aroma of smoke hangs in the air. In the center of the loose ring of people there is fire. It is leaping and diving, twirling and flipping back and forth. Seemingly wild, yet contained, controlled by the hands of several masters who are demonstrating their craft to the eager onlookers.

One of them skilfully handles poi – long lengths of chain with flames on the ends – whirling and windmiling them about, making him look like the most daring club kid ever. Another, a young woman clad in an all-black, Xena-inspired outfit, undulates slowly around the circle. Her hands are held high, clutching a pair of ironwork fans tipped with fire. At the end of her dance, she shakes her hands to extinguish the fan flames, and utters a single word of satisfaction, “Smoky!”

Indeed.

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new year’s house mix from Michael Alan

I’m grooving and working right now to a house mix from one of Atlanta’s premier house DJs – Michael Alan of Sweat.

The mix is entitled Jus’ SpeakN and is chock-full of spiritually uplifting tracks and hip-shaking beats, just what I needed to get me back into the post-holiday swing of things.

Oh, and I absolutely LOVE the track that comes in around 21:00. Niiice.

Check it out for yourself:

 

cheers,

k

my thanksgiving staycation – part 3

Dialog in the Dark
Later on that weekend, another group of friends and I decided to visit the experiential exhibit – Dialog in the Dark. I’d been hearing ads for the exhibit for weeks that billed Dialog in the Dark as a one-of-a-kind simulation of how it is to live as a visually impaired person in a very visual world. Curiosity finally got the best of me, and I had to check it out.

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my thanksgiving staycation – part 1

Yes, yes. I know I’ve been silent for a while. I’m just getting back into the groove of things from more than a week on vacation. Actually, staycation, since I didn’t really go anywhere. Originally, I thought I’d spend my time off catching up on writing and making updates to the site, but instead I took the opportunity to detox from my addiction to all things internet, and actually went out and enjoyed my fair city and spent quality time with friends and family.

But now all that’s past, and it’s back to business as usual. But before the daily Marta commute and office shenanigans completely tarnish the glow I gained from over a week spent on the art of doing nothing, I thought I’d relive the high points by sharing them with you.

Shall we?

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