Knight Foundation funds skills-building program

MACON, Ga. – As a way to help creative professionals build a life by doing what they love, the Macon Arts Alliance is offering a new professional development program for artists and designers in Central Georgia. The program, called Amplify, will support entrepreneurs with resources, training and networking opportunities to advance their careers.

To begin, the alliance is taking a brief survey, now available at amplifyforcreatives.com, to assess the needs of the region’s creative professionals. The alliance wants to hear from people across a range of industries, whether they are visual artists, producers, performers or involved in other creative careers.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is supporting Amplify with a $50,000 grant.

“Before we develop a workshop program, we need to hear from the creative community,” said Stephanie Fritz, the alliance’s special project manager. “There are so many professional development resources that creative entrepreneurs could use but we have to hear from them to be able to know what they need in order to make a living and a life doing what they love most.”

Amplify hopes to build a network and support structure that connects creatives both to each other and to the resources available in the community. Depending on the results of the survey, the workshops could involve a range of topics including business planning, marketing and legal issues. The program seeks to support local entrepreneurs in the development and growth of their own business and ultimately create more jobs to foster economic growth.

“As the Macon arts community continues to grow, we hope Amplify will do just that – expand individual artists and professionals’ ability to have an impact, fuel the economy and engage and enrich the community through the arts,” said Beverly Blake, Macon program director for Knight Foundation.

For more information about Amplify please contact stephanie@maconarts.org.

About Macon Arts Alliance
The mission of the Macon Arts Alliance is to foster and support the advancement of arts and culture in Central Georgia. Macon Arts Alliance works to create an environment where arts and culture thrive and Central Georgia is recognized as an unparalleled cultural destination. Macon Arts Alliance is the designated local arts agency for Macon-Bibb County.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org.

Macon, Ga. – Macon Arts Alliance and GEICO are pleased to present the 9th Annual Fired Works Regional Ceramics Exhibition and Sale to be held in the Round Building in Central City Park April 26-May 4, 2014. This year’s exhibit will feature 70 artists from Georgia and the Southeast including Alabama artist Tammy Beane, a prehistoric and early historic pottery expert who creates reproductions of pottery for archeologists.

Fired Works 2014 will feature more than 6,000 pieces of pottery by local and regional artists. Special events, demonstrations and workshops are planned throughout the nine-day exhibit. The fun begins on April 25, with a special preview party featuring live music, food, and a chance to meet and mingle with the artists. Tickets are $40 each through April 18 and $50 beginning April 19.

“The preview party is your chance to get in early and purchase pottery before Fired Works opens to the public,” said Jan Beeland, executive director of MAA. “It’s also a lot of fun. My favorite part is meeting all the artists and learning why and how they make such beautiful work.”

Fired Works opens to the general public on Saturday, April 26 at 9 a.m. Workshops also begin Saturday.  One-hour clay workshops for children begin at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and a one-hour clay workshop for teens begins at 2 p.m. Featured artist Tammy Beane will lead select workshops and demonstrations on Saturday, and she will present an artist talk about the history of pottery in Middle Georgia on Sunday at 2 p.m.  Clay workshops for children and teens will also be offered on May 3 at the same times. All workshops for children and teens are free, but registration is required. Parents can register online at FiredWorksMacon.com.

During the week, adults get to play in the mud too. A Cocktails and Clay Workshop will be held April 30 with two sessions offered that night. An early session begins at 6 p.m. and a late session begins at 7:30 p.m. Wine and beer will provided with the cost of a $35 ticket that can be purchased at FiredWorksMacon.com.

Fired Works Schedule:

Preview Party – April 25 from 6-9 p.m. ($40 advance, $50 beginning April 19)

Exhibit and Sale – April 26-May 4 (Sat. 9-6; Sun. 11-4, Mon–Fri. 11-5 p.m.) ($5, unlimited returns)

Clay Workshops for Children – Sat. April 26 & May 3 – 10-11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to Noon (Free with registration)

Clay Workshops for Teens – Sat. April 26 & May 3 – 2-3 p.m. (Free with registration)

Artist Talk and Demonstration – Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. (Free and open to the public)

Cocktails and Clay Workshops – Wed., April 30 at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ($35, adults only)

Additional events will be announced soon.

About Tammy Beane

Tammy Beane is the featured artist of Fired Works 2014. She is an Alabama-based artist who creates reproductions of prehistoric and early historic pottery for archeologists.  Her work is in the collection of the Ocmulgee National Monument, which owns her reproductions of Lamar and Swiftcreek pottery, two traditions that are native to Middle Georgia. Her work can be found at museums and archeological sites in Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia and throughout the country.

About Fired Works

Fired Works is a program of the Macon Arts Alliance, whose mission is to create an environment where arts and culture thrives and central Georgia is recognized as an unparalleled cultural destination. This exhibit supports the artists and artisans that make Georgia and central Georgia a fun and creative place to live and visit. Fired Works also supports MAA’s education mission with workshops for children, teen and adults, artist talks and demonstrations.

About Macon Arts Alliance

Macon Arts Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit organization and the designated local arts agency of Macon-Bibb County. Its mission is to foster and support the advancement of arts and culture in Central Georgia. Macon Arts Alliance works to create an environment where arts and culture thrive and Central Georgia is recognized as an unparalleled cultural destination.

Fired Works 2014 is presented by GEICO.

Macon, Ga. – Macon Arts Alliance, the local arts agency for Macon-Bibb County, and Dr. Creighton Rosental’s service-learning class at Mercer University are pleased to announce the first online database of public art in Macon-Bibb County. The database is online and available to the public now and can be found under the “Directories” menu on the Ovations365.com homepage.

This semester, students enrolled in PHI 260 “Philosophy of the Arts” are focused on the study of public art in Macon-Bibb County. The first service project of the class involved digitizing information about existing public art in the area from Macon Arts Alliance’s archives. In order to provide an up-to-date account, students took new photographs, made 360-degree videos, and assessed the conditions of each work of public art. All the information gathered was posted to the online database that also functions as a comprehensive snapshot of the state of public art in Macon-Bibb County.

“When Dr. Rosental approached Macon Arts Alliance about working with the class, we brainstormed about our involvement. We decided the best place to start was to gather information about the public art that already existed,” said Jonathan Dye, director of communications at Macon Arts Alliance. “So students were charged with digitizing the information and Macon Arts Alliance is making it available online through our existing website.”

“The consolidation of the government into Macon-Bibb started me thinking about the community in new ways,” said Dr. Creighton Rosental, associate professor and chair of the Philosophy Department at Mercer University. “I realized that the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, which funded proposals to advance the College Hill Corridor Master Plan, was starting to emphasize public art proposals. Public art is very interesting in that it can both reflect and create a community. Taking a cue from my colleague Peter Brown, whose class originated the idea for the College Hill Corridor, I thought it would be valuable for my students to work with the community to develop a public art program for Macon-Bibb.”

“The database is particularly exciting for us as students,” said Ryan Walters, a student in the Philosophy of Public Arts course. “With a lot of service-learning work, the results can be ambiguous or immeasurable, but what we have right here is so tangible, the impact is very real. On top of this, the project has embedded us in the midst of Macon’s rapid cultural growth, and it’s with this common value of public art, which is very inspiring. I am thrilled to be presenting the first phase of our work to the Macon community, and I look forward to seeing where this project takes us alongside its cultural vitalization.”

Monica Hoyle, who is enrolled in the public art class at Mercer, said, “I’m excited to work on this. I can’t wait to see the end result and I hope that this helps other people learn more about the different kinds of art around the city.”

“It’s so inspiring to be a part of a class that is actively working to make a difference in our community. Public art is such a vital, yet often overlooked, aspect of our society, and I hope that our collective efforts will serve to not only benefit Middle Georgians, but also generate conversation about important issues in the arts arena,” said Anna Mae Kersey, another student working on the public art database.

“Macon is a historic city within this state,” said Sean Zaragoza, who is enrolled in Dr. Rosental’s class. “In recent years, our exuberant and colorful history has been overshadowed by the declining state of this city. Public art is a way that we as a city can unite under and live in the continued memory of the strong history that the people of Macon were once proud of and celebrated.”

Mercer student Joshua Soave said, “I’m glad to see this project take off so well. Macon should take time to reevaluate its public art program because this is the kind of thing that can unite or divide a community. “

With the database now online, students will continue to study the goals and trends of public art nationally, how public art programs are administered and how public art is maintained in other communities. Through continued partnership with Macon Arts Alliance, the College Hill Corridor Commission’s Public Art Committee and other stakeholders, the class intends to develop a proposal for a new public art ordinance for Macon-Bibb County.  This proposal will be created through consultation with the mayor and county commission and presented to the consolidated government when it is complete.

About Macon Arts Alliance

Macon Arts Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit organization and the designated local arts agency of Macon-Bibb County. Its mission is to foster and support the advancement of arts and culture in Central Georgia. Macon Arts Alliance works to create an environment where arts and culture thrive and Central Georgia is recognized as an unparalleled cultural destination.

About Mercer University

Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,300 students in 12 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing, health professions, and continuing and professional studies – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and four regional academic centers across the state. The Mercer Health Sciences Center, launched July 1, 2012, includes the University’s medical, nursing, health sciences and pharmacy schools. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals – Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. www.mercer.edu

MACON, Ga. – Stephanie Fritz has joined the staff of Macon Arts Alliance, the local arts agency for Macon-Bibb County, as the non-profit organization’s special projects manager. She began work on January 6 and is heading up a new, grant-funded program to promote economic development in the creative industries. The program is funded by a two-year grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Fritz is a graduate of the New Media and Communications program of Middle Georgia State College and was a communications intern for Macon Arts Alliance in summer 2013. During Fall 2013, she worked as an embedded arts journalist with Art Matters: Engaging the Community through Embedded Arts Journalism, a partnership of Macon Arts Alliance and Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism.

“During my internship at Macon Arts Alliance, I really came to understand the role of the arts in community and economic development,” said Fritz. “I’m excited to take what I’ve learned and apply it to new programming that will provide resources to local artists who want to start or grow their businesses.”

The first phase of the new project will be a community-wide assessment to identify the artists and creative professionals living in Central Georgia. Through focus groups, surveys, and convenings, Macon Arts Alliance will develop new programming that provides resources to assist with the development and growth of creative businesses. Within a year, this information will be used to introduce professional development toolkits and workshops for creative entrepreneurs in Central Georgia.

“There are hundreds of artists, writers, designers and musicians that want to make a living and a life in Central Georgia,” said Jan Beeland, MAA’s executive director. “Now is the time to lay the groundwork for local artists to become the creative entrepreneurs who will create jobs and drive economic growth in the future.”

About Macon Arts Alliance

The mission of Macon Arts Alliance is to foster and support the advancement of arts and culture in Central Georgia. MAA is working to create an environment where arts and culture thrive and where Central Georgia is recognized as an unparalleled cultural destination. Macon Arts Alliance is the designated local arts agency of Macon-Bibb County.

MACON, Ga. – The Macon-Bibb County Commission unanimously approved Macon Arts Alliance (MAA) to be the designated local arts agency for Macon-Bibb County. The resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Al Tillman and Commissioner Elaine Lucas, was approved at the first regular meeting of the commission on Tuesday, January 7.

The resolution states that as Macon-Bibb County’s local arts agency, Macon Arts Alliance may “operate on its behalf in providing planning, financial support services, and development for arts organizations and artists in our community.”

“We’re honored to be the local arts agency for Macon-Bibb County,” said Jan Beeland, executive director of MAA. “Macon Arts Alliance has served in this capacity for almost a quarter of a century, and we’ll continue to work hard to fulfill our mission to foster and support the arts for all the citizens of what is now Georgia’s fourth largest city.”

Since 1988, Macon Arts Alliance has been the designated local arts agency for the City of Macon and Bibb County. Those designations enabled Macon Arts Alliance to leverage federal, state, and private grant monies, provide cultural planning services to the community, and offer professional development services to local arts organizations and artists.

“The arts and cultural sector must have a seat at the table when we talk about improving our community, and we realized early in 2013 the importance of requesting the designation from the new, consolidated Macon-Bibb County,” continued Beeland.

Beeland, MAA staff, and board members met with members of the Consolidation Transition Task Force several times during the year to determine the best way to approach carrying over the designation.

“We did the necessary research, and everyone was helpful, making suggestions about the best way to approach it,” said Beeland. “We want to thank Commissioner Tillman for initially sponsoring the resolution and Commissioner Lucas who joined him in the effort.  We couldn’t have done this so quickly and efficiently without their leadership and the support of the Mayor and the Commissioners.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2013
Media Contact: Jonathan Dye, jonathan@maconarts.org, (478) 308-1660

Art Matters announces ‘Writing about Writing’
Second symposium focuses on literary criticism

MACON, Ga. — Art Matters: Engaging the Community through Embedded Arts Journalists is pleased to announce the second in its series of six public symposia on the role of criticism and arts journalism in fostering an informed and engaged community. “Writing about Writing” will be held at the Sidney Lanier Cottage at 935 High Street in Macon, Georgia on November 18 at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. “Writing about Writing” is co-sponsored by the Historic Macon Foundation and Crossroads Writers Conference.

The discussion at this symposium will focus on the role of literature and literary criticism in society, current trends in the fields, and how the changing media landscape is affecting critics and writers. Featured panelists will be Valerie Boyd, Charles McNair and Teresa K. Weaver. Art Matters Critic-in-Residence Steve Murray will moderate the discussion.

Valerie Boyd is the author of the award-winning biography, Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. She is currently curating and editing the journals of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Walker. To be published by 37 Ink/Simon & Schuster, Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker will be released in 2017. Formerly the arts editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Boyd has written about the intersection of race, arts and culture for several national and regional publications. Her articles, essays and reviews have appeared in such publications as The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Paste, Ms., Essence and Atlanta Magazine. She is an associate professor at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she serves as the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence and teaches arts journalism and narrative nonfiction.

Charles McNair, a native of the Yellowhammer State of Alabama, released his first novel, Land O’ Goshen, to critical acclaim. Land O’ Goshen was a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1994. His long-awaited second novel, Pickett’s Charge, was published in September 2013 from the University of West Alabama’s Livingston Press. McNair currently lives in Atlanta where he writes full-time, combining freelance literary duties with assignments for corporations and businesses, including “Power of Storytelling” workshops. Since 2005, he has served as books editor for Paste magazine and has shared his reviews on Atlanta radio station WMLB 1690 AM. Charles is currently at work on his third novel, The Epicureans.

Teresa K. Weaver writes a monthly book column for Atlanta magazine and serves as editorial director at Habitat for Humanity International. Formerly the book editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1998-2007), Weaver was elected to the board of the National Book Critics Circle for six years and was a longtime member of the Southern Book Critics Circle. She now serves as a member of the advisory council for the Georgia Center for the Book.

Steve Murray is the critic-in-residence at Macon Arts Alliance as part of the Art Matters project. He is an award-winning writer, reporter, critic and playwright with years of experience as both a theater and film critic. He began his career at the weekly newspaper Southline in Atlanta as a staff writer and theater critic. He went on to be a staff writer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Over his years at the paper, he was an arts writer, a film and television critic, and an adjunct editor for its weekly film section, Movies & More. Since 2009, Murray has worked as a columnist and film critic for ArtsATL.com, one of Atlanta’s leading arts blogs, covering all forms of art in the Atlanta metro area.

Art Matters: Engaging the Community through Embedded Arts Journalists is a one-year initiative designed to engage the community through high-quality arts journalism. A $40,000 National Endowment for the Arts Art Works grant and a matching $40,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation support the $80,000 project. The project received one of only four national arts journalism grants funded by the NEA in 2013 and is the first time in seven years that Macon Arts Alliance has been awarded an NEA grant.

The Macon Arts Alliance (MAA), in collaboration with Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism, will embed paid journalism interns in various arts organizations served by Macon Arts Alliance. These journalists will create news articles, blogs, video reports and more for local news outlets, the CCJ’s newsroom, and Macon Arts Alliance’s Ovations365.com and other publications. The program provides for a critic-in-residence at the CCJ and a series of public symposia that will pair different artists and critics to discuss the state of various art forms and criticism.

About Art Matters
Art Matters is an arts journalism partnership of Macon Arts Alliance and Mercer’s Center for Collaborative Journalism that seeks to engage the community through embedded arts journalists. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works. Matching funding provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

About Macon Arts Alliance
The mission of the Macon Arts Alliance is to foster and support the advancement of arts and culture in Central Georgia. Macon Arts Alliance works to create an environment where arts and culture thrive and Central Georgia is recognized as an unparalleled cultural destination.

About the Center for Collaborative Journalism
The Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ) is a unique partnership between Mercer University, The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting, with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Peyton Anderson Foundation. The Center’s groundbreaking collaboration has students, faculty and veteran journalists working together in a joint newsroom. Learning in a “teaching hospital” model, students engage the community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2013
Media Contact: Jonathan Dye, jonathan@maconarts.org, (478) 308-1660

Art Matters announces symposium series
First symposium to be held at Museum of Arts and Sciences

MACON, Ga. — Art Matters: Engaging the Community through Embedded Arts Journalists is pleased to announce the first in a series of six public symposia on the role of arts criticism and arts journalism in fostering an engaged and informed community. The first symposium will be held at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon, Ga. on October 22. A light lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. and the symposium will begin in the auditorium at Noon. Admission is free and open to the public.

The discussion at this first symposium will focus on the role of visual art and art criticism in society, current trends, and how the changing media landscape is affecting the fields of art criticism and arts journalism.  Featured guest speakers will be Susannah Darrow, Shara Hughes, and Rachel Reese. Art Matters Critic-in-Residence Steve Murray will moderate the discussion.

Susannah Darrow is the executive director and co-founder of BURNAWAY, an
Atlanta-based nonprofit arts organization dedicated to providing critical coverage and dialogue about arts in Atlanta and the Southeast through an online publication, public programs, and annual print edition. She serves on the Board of Directors of ART PAPERS magazine. Darrow received a BA in Art History from the University of Georgia (2007) and a MA in Art History from Georgia State University (2013).

Shara Hughes is an Atlanta-based artist represented by American Contemporary in New York City, Michael Andersen Gallery in Copenhagen and Berlin, and Metroquadro in Turin.  She had her first solo show in Atlanta at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center in April of 2013 and was reviewed in the July/August edition of Modern Painters. Hughes is one of the 2011-2012 recipients of the Working Artist Project at the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia and will have a solo show at the end of her award grant in April 2014. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Rachel Reese is currently the communications manager of the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center. She is an independent curator and arts writer, and former editor of BURNAWAY. She is a native Atlantan recently relocated back to her hometown after several years in Philadelphia and New York. She produces Possible Press, a free, curated publication of artists’ writings. Reese writes for Bomb Magazine online, BOMBlog, and her writing has also appeared in Temporary Art Review, ArtSlant, ART PAPERS, and TWELV Magazine. She currently teaches a critical writing course at Georgia State University.

Steve Murray is the critic-in-residence at Macon Arts Alliance as part of the Art Matters project. He is an award-winning writer, reporter, critic and playwright with years of experience as both a theater and film critic. He began his career at the weekly newspaper Southline in Atlanta as a staff writer and theater critic. He went on to be a staff writer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Over his years at the paper, he was an arts writer, a film and television critic, and an adjunct editor for its weekly film section, Movies & More. Since 2009, Murray has worked as a columnist and film critic for ArtsATL.com, one of Atlanta’s leading arts blogs, covering all forms of art in the Atlanta metro area.

“The Art Matters Symposium Series is an important part of the Art Matters project because it allows us to engage the community in discussions about arts journalism and criticism,” said Murray. “We have three guest speakers for our first symposium focused on visual art and art criticism, and we invite everyone to attend.  The conversation will be of interest to everyone, especially the large community of artists in the area.”

Art Matters: Engaging the Community through Embedded Arts Journalists is a one-year initiative designed to engage the community through high-quality arts journalism.  The $80,000 project is funded by a $40,000 National Endowment for the Arts Art Works grant and a matching $40,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  This award was among only four national arts journalism grants funded by the NEA in 2013 and is the first time in seven years that Macon Arts Alliance has been awarded an NEA grant.

The Macon Arts Alliance (MAA), in collaboration with Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism, will embed paid journalism interns in various arts organizations served by Macon Arts Alliance. These journalists will create news articles, blogs, video reports and more for local news outlets, the CCJ’s newsroom, and Macon Arts Alliance’s Ovations365.com and other publications. The program provides for a critic-in-residence at the CCJ and a series of public symposia that will pair different artists and critics to discuss the state of various art forms and criticism.

About Art Matters
Art Matters is an arts journalism partnership of Macon Arts Alliance and Mercer’s Center for Collaborative Journalism that seeks to engage the community through embedded arts journalists. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works. Matching funding provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

About Macon Arts Alliance
The mission of the Macon Arts Alliance is to foster and support the advancement of arts and culture in Central Georgia. Macon Arts Alliance works to create an environment where arts and culture thrive and Central Georgia is recognized as an unparalleled cultural destination.

About the Center for Collaborative Journalism
The Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ) is a unique partnership between Mercer University, The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting, with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Peyton Anderson Foundation. The Center’s groundbreaking collaboration has students, faculty and veteran journalists working together in a joint newsroom. Learning in a “teaching hospital” model, students engage the community.

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