Art on the BeltLine Exhibition Schedule Announced

5/27/2010

Kickoff Performances on June 5 in West End

More than 40 Art Installations on Display Along the Corridor from June through October 2010

"Art on the BeltLine: Atlanta’s New Public Place," the first‐ever art exhibition along the Atlanta BeltLine corridor has released its preliminary schedule and added 12 additional performance and visual art installations to the 30 exhibits announced in April. Art on the BeltLine, presented by U.S. Micro Corporation, is a temporary public art project that will highlight the Atlanta BeltLine, an emerging system of parks, trails, transit and development. It reclaims a 22‐mile loop of historic rail around the city and is exhibiting more than 40 visual and performance art pieces throughout the corridor.

"Art on the BeltLine" kicks off its opening on June 5 at 4 p.m. in Gordon White Park with a variety of performances created within Atlanta’s eclectic art communities. From June through October, nearly eight miles of the Atlanta BeltLine corridor will be open to pedestrians and off‐road bicyclists via an interim trail. Art installations and historic site interpretations that began development in May will be placed along the corridor, bringing Atlanta residents onto the Atlanta BeltLine itself.

“Art on the BeltLine’s dynamic installations and performances highlight the diverse and vibrant neighborhoods that surround the Atlanta BeltLine,” said Brian Leary, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “The scale and quality of this project is a testament to the hard work and creativity of dozens of partners, volunteers and the amazing artists that have put their hearts and souls into this.”

“I am very proud of the accomplishments of the Art on the BeltLine team. This collaborative effort between the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. establishes Atlanta’s commitment to creating places for public art throughout the city,” said Camille Russell Love, Director of the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs.

“The Atlanta BeltLine Corridor will be a fun place to be for the whole month of June and then some,” said Priscilla Smith, Executive Director of Eyedrum. “We've got events of all shapes and sizes every weekend by the city's best musicians, dancers, and performers. It's going to be a great time to be in Atlanta."
“Seeing the corridor populated with all of this amazing artwork truly demonstrates the transformative power of the Atlanta BeltLine,” said Chris Appleton, Executive Director of WonderRoot.

The full schedule and a comprehensive list of exhibition and performance pieces is available online at www.art.beltline.org.

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 more than 170 artist submissions during the month of March. Thirty initial pieces were selected in April; in May, 12 additional art exhibits were chosen for display along the corridor.

The Art on the BeltLine working group includes volunteers from BeltLine neighborhoods, historic preservationists and organizations such as WonderRoot, Eyedrum, Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Spelman College, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the BeltLine Partnership, BeltLine Network, the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Atlanta City Council and the Fulton County Arts Council.

About the Atlanta 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 Atlanta 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 Atlanta 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.