Initial Pieces for “Art on the BeltlLine” Selected

Temporary Art in the Atlanta BeltLine Corridor on exhibit from May through October 2010

Atlanta, GA, April 21, 2010 – The “Art on the BeltLine” working group today announced 30 visual and performance art installations for the first-ever temporary art exhibit in the Atlanta BeltLine corridor, which will run from May through October of 2010. The Atlanta BeltLine is an emerging system of parks, trails, transit and development that reclaims a 22-mile loop of historic and mostly unused rail around the center of Atlanta.

This spring, nearly eight miles of the BeltLine corridor will be open to pedestrians and off-road bicyclists via an unpaved trail. “Art on the BeltLine: Atlanta’s New Public Place” will place visual and performance art installations, as well as historic site interpretation, at different points along the corridor to draw the public onto the BeltLine as Atlanta’s new public realm.

“’Art on the BeltLine’ provides the color and dimension to what many have viewed as a purely engineering assignment,” said Brian Leary, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “We are engaging Atlanta’s neighborhoods and dynamic arts community through a public art initiative that is giving the community a sense of pride and ownership of the BeltLine which will have a positive impact on the city for years to come.”

“The City of Atlanta is excited about all of the artists and performers who were selected for this first temporary art exhibit on the BeltLine,” said Camille Russell Love, director of City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. “Our partnership with the Atlanta BeltLine will continue to bring new and innovative art to our citizens.”

“We are extremely fortunate to have such a broad variety of performing artists – wonderful musicians, dancers, actors, storytellers – engage in the re-creation of Atlanta that is the BeltLine,” said Priscilla Smith, Executive Director of Eyedrum. “The promise of living in a place where neighborhoods and communities are really connected, not only geographically, but culturally as well, is truly inspirational.”

“While this project is clearly a testament to the Atlanta BeltLine’s commitment to public art in Atlanta, I am most excited about the opportunity for some of Atlanta’s emerging and lesser-known artists to participate in ‘Art on the BeltLine,’” said Chris Appleton, Executive Director of WonderRoot. “The involvement of these artists and others is evidence of the inclusivity and forward thinking that the Atlanta BeltLine represents.”

In early February, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) and the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs distributed a call for artists for this unique new art experience with the help of several organizations and institutions in Atlanta’s arts community. A selection committee reviewed over 170 artist submissions during the month of March. The current list of “Art on the BeltLine” selections is below. More pieces will be added over the coming weeks as funds are raised to support them.

The “Art on the BeltLine” working group includes volunteers from BeltLine neighborhoods, historic preservationists and organizations such as WonderRoot, Eyedrum, SCAD, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Atlanta City Council and the Fulton County Arts Council.

For more information about “Art on the BeltLine,” including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit art.BeltLine.org.

About the BeltLine:

The Atlanta BeltLine is a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly to each other. The BeltLine is the most comprehensive economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment projects currently underway in the United States. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI), formed by the Atlanta Development Authority, is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the BeltLine in partnership with other public and private organizations, including City of Atlanta departments. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, visit www.BeltLine.org.

About the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA)
The OCA, a division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, was established in 1974 to encourage and support Atlanta’s cultural resources. The initial mission was to solidify the role that arts and other cultural resources play in defining and enhancing the social fabric and quality of life of Atlanta citizens and visitors. Today the OCA is working to enhance Atlanta’s reputation as a cultural destination. The OCA supports programs that educate and expose the public to a rich and diverse range of cultural expressions through a variety of initiatives. For more information on the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, visit www.ocaatlanta.com.


CONTACTS:

Ethan Davidson, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
(404) 614-8325; edavidson@atlbeltline.org

David Mitchell, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs
(404) 546-7957, dnmitchell@atlantaga.gov

Chris Appleton, WonderRoot
(404) 376-3280, chris@wonderroot.org

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