FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September
12, 2022
MARTA, NEXT
& ATLANTA ARTISTS LAUNCH ART CAMPAIGN TO ADDRESS PANDEMIC, RACIAL RECKONING
ATLANTA - The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)
public art program Artbound, along with local arts collective NEXT Atlanta will
launch the NEXT Movement, a multi-platform arts and social action campaign. A
movement fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic and racial reckoning spurred by the
murder of George Floyd and others, the NEXT Movement brings together five of
Atlanta’s most influential artists of color and local leading art activists to
share their artistry and personal stories.
The
first season of the NEXT Movement features poet and author, Jon Goode, musician CC Sunchild, cellist Okorie
‘OkCello’ Johnson, poet and author Carlos Andres Gomez and visual artist Melissa
A. Mitchell. Each artist has been commissioned to
develop a piece of art or performance that gives voice to this current moment
and explores the question of “Where do we go NEXT?” – as a city and as a
community.
Starting Sept. 19 and running through the end of the year, the
artwork will be performed or exhibited in a range of spaces across the city and
amplified by NEXT partners, including the Integral Group, the High Museum of
Art and the National Black Arts (NBAF). The campaign will include:
A photo exhibit and poster series featuring powerful portraits and
messages from each artist culled from their commissioned work and exhibited
throughout the MARTA system, across the city and on social media. (Photography
by Steve West)
A series of filmed performances, similar to National Public
Radio’s Tiny Desk concerts, of each artist performing on a decommissioned MARTA
train. (Production company partner Las Palmas Studios)
And
an interactive artist salon at the High Museum scheduled for November, where
all five artists will come together for an evening of music, words, art and
community dialogue.
“MARTA is proud and excited to be part of such an incredible art
driven movement,” said MARTA Art in Transit Director Katherine Dirga. “Through
this partnership with NEXT, MARTA is able to amplify its role as a community
connector and an arts leader, engaging Atlantans around the critical issues
that affect us most.”
“The great Nina Simone once said it is the duty of the artist to
reflect the times we live in,” said NEXT Executive Director P. Faith Carmichael. “This campaign is a powerful
opportunity to elevate the voices of our communities most aspiring artists,
while channeling the power of their art to heal us, inspire us and move us
forward.”
In addition to the five featured artists, the NEXT Movement will
feature leading Atlanta creatives, speaking to this moment and to the role of
art as inspiration, including nationally-renowned visual artist Charly
Palmer, rising
star curator and visual artist Tracy Murrell, curator of African Art for
the High Museum of Art Lauren
Tate Baeza,
CEO of The Integral Group and leading art patron Egbert Perry and National Black Arts
Executive Director Stephanie Owens.
To learn more visit www.next-atlanta.com or @MARTA_Artbound on
Instagram.
The NEXT Movement
campaign: https://youtu.be/a7MN8DLfawk
###