FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2022
MARTA, NEXT
ATLANTA ANNOUNCE PERFORMANCE CULMINATING SOCIAL ACTION ARTS CAMPAIGN “THE NEXT
MOVEMENT”
Influential
Artists of Color Explore the Pandemic, Racial Reckoning Through Music, Words
& Film; Consider Question of “Where Do We Go Next?”
ATLANTA - The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)
public art program Artbound, along with local arts collective NEXT Atlanta
announce an interactive, multi-genre art performance that is the culmination of
the social action arts campaign “The NEXT Movement”. Launched in September, the first season of the NEXT Movement brought
together five of Atlanta’s most influential artists of color and five local
leading art activists to share their artistry and personal stories through the
lens of the global pandemic and racial reckoning spurred by the murder of
George Floyd and others.
On
Thursday, Nov. 17 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the artists will come together at the
High Museum of Art for an evening of soul-baring performance and candid
conversations between artist and audience. The event will also feature the
premiere of the NEXT
Movement film series,
a virtual concert series showcasing each artist performing their
commissioned work on a stationary MARTA train, ala National Public Radio
(NPR)’s Tiny Desk series, set to air on WABE early next year.
The upcoming salon
and first season of the NEXT Movement showcases the talents and perspectives of
self-taught visual artist Melissa A. Mitchell, Atlanta’s own poet griot, Jon Goode, nationally-renowned
musician CC Sunchild, Atlanta’s premier
cellist Okorie ‘OkCello’ Johnson, award-winning HBO Def Jam
poet Carlos Andres
Gomez,
nationally-renowned visual artist Charly Palmer, 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.
In addition to the virtual concert series and performance at the
High, the NEXT Movement campaign included citywide digital poster exhibits in
and near MARTA rail stations featuring portraits of the artists alongside
messages of hope and inspiration. (Photography by Steve West Photo)
“MARTA is a
community connector, and the purpose of Artbound is to bring high-quality art
and culture to people where they live,” said Katherine Dirga, Director of Art
in Transit. “The virtual and in-person works of the NEXT Movement highlight the
ways in which MARTA supports access to the Arts through moving visual and
performance pieces and with an important social action message.”
“NEXT is about
leveraging and harnessing the power of art for social change in our community,”
said P. Faith Carmichael, Executive Director, NEXT-Atlanta. “All the artists we
work with are committed to their communities and able to enact change using the
power of words, music and their talents. And a powerful way of elevating our
artists is bringing their to work to MARTA spaces.”
Several
Atlanta organizations including National Black Arts, The Integral Group, WABE,
Central Atlanta Progress, the High Museum of Art, and Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport have also used their platforms to help amplify
the artists’ voices around these critical issues.
The performance on Nov. 17 is free but seating is limited, so reserve your space early. Attendees are encouraged to
take MARTA to Arts Center Station, adjacent to the High Museum of Art.
A media toolkit including campaign videos and images and artist
interviews is available here NEXT + MARTA at the High
Museum Media Toolkit - Google Docs.
To learn more visit www.next-atlanta.com or @MARTA_Artbound on Instagram.
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