The Creatives Project’s 11th Annual “#ARTOFCOMMUNITY” Exhibition, CHRYSALIS, will showcase the aesthetic exploration of our 2020-22 ART-FORCE resident artists : Chloe Alexander, Rose M. Barron, EuGene Byrd, Artemus Jenkins, Walker Keith Jernigan, Crystal Jin Kim, Carley Rickles, Sachi Rome, and Mason Webb with works and selections from their tenure with us. Come celebrate our most committed and focused cohort yet! Even through the toughest times they ascend and we are so proud!
We are thrilled to present ASCENSION alongside and the grand opening of TCP’s new event and exhibition space at the Academy Lofts Adair Park, home of our “ARTFORCE” housing residency! In our 10th year, this event serves as a celebration of a new season for TCP. Come safely connect with our artists and staff as we invite a new decade of creativity, impact, and evolution.
*All visits will be timed. Opening weekend slots will allow guests one hour to view the exhibition. Visits for remaining dates are amply timed and allow for flexibility on exact arrival time. If time slots are taken, we will try to safely accommodate walk-ins
GENERAL EXHIBITION:
DEC. 10TH - JAN. 21ST | Westside Paper 950 West Marietta St. NW Atlanta, GA 30318
“Double Dutch”
My work is a form of storytelling. Inspired by the rich, high contrast illustrations found in illuminated texts, graphic novels, and children’s fairy tales, the often-whimsical imagery, and characters that I create and meant to provoke a sense of nostalgia and familiarity within the viewer. I work primarily in printmaking and print-based mixed media, which I am drawn to due to its physical and problem-solving demands upon the artist, who at times must give in to the will of materials.
These works in particular are an introspective look on a life that moves at a slower pace, which is one that we have all recently experienced. In a world that rarely allows time for thoughtful contemplation, each of these works reimagines a life that embraces the quiet, personal connection, and an escape from “normalcy” that perhaps, was never normal.
Chloe Alexander is a printmaker who lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. Her most recent work focuses on creating visual narratives by layering various printmaking techniques to create one-of-a-kind, mixed media drawings. Chloe obtained her BFA in Printmaking in 2010 and an M.Ed in 2014, both from Georgia State University. In addition to her personal art practice, she works as a high school Drawing and Fashion Illustration & Design instructor. Chloe has exhibited work locally and internationally, including the Kai Lin Art Gallery in Atlanta, The International Print Center New York, and The Athens Printmaking & Art Center in Athens, Greece.
Water is the mother of being, we come from water and it preserves us all. Water brings the energy of life, water keeps all of nature alive. Water gives growth, time, clarity, and nourishment. There is a lot to be learned in watching water, as it is forever changing yet forever the same. In creating my narrative themes, I find solitude in being with nature and water. Nature helps you understand yourself, as it highlights qualities that coincide with your own existence. My narratives, take inspiration from the landscape and architecture in the Southern United States and draw from life and culture; it focuses on my womanhood and my own place in society. In the images I’ve created of the female in the water; themes of dreams, emotions, fears, and memory are all explored. The work stems from the way I respond to the spaces, settings, and environment — how I perceive the energy in the spaces and their surroundings. Through the imagery generated, I examine my personal identity and my relationship to the places near and far.
“Rusaka”
Rose M Barron is an interdisciplinarity artist who currently works and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia, an MA in Photo Concentration from Georgia State University, and an MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Photography. Her photography/video and mixed media artwork has been exhibited in several solo exhibitions across the southeast including Atlanta and Huntsville, as well as internationally at the Coloriad Galeria de Arte in Lisbon, Portugal, the Art Center in Xi’an, China, and Espacio Común in Panama City, Panama.
Rose has shown in many group exhibitions across the nation including the Athens Center for Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Poem 88, Whitespace Gallery, Art on The Beltline, Fe Gallery in Pittsburgh, Coloriad Galeria de Arte in Lisbon, Portugal, the Art Center in Xi’an, China, and Umbrella Gallery in New York City. Her films have been in numerous film festivals throughout the United States. Collections of her work include the Four Seasons in Morocco, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Fulton County Arts and Culture fine arts acquisitions Program, , the Marriott Courtyard in Nashville, the March of Dimes Corporate Office Collection, and the APG Collectors Portfolio.
I’m an artist that draws inspiration from life experiences and the people around me. Influenced by the realism art movement, combined with bold colors, patterns, typography, printmaking, graphite, paint, collage, among other mediums. I enjoy exploring and pushing the boundaries to maintain fluidity within my style. I aim to create something new, yet familiar, that generates curiosity for viewers of all demographics.
“Our Hopes Are Rising”
A few years ago, I stepped back and really looked at my body of work and I realized that I wasn’t telling my own story as a Black man just trying to make it. I was addressing the civil rights issue and things that were very important tome, but it wasn’t MY story. I realized that I was being guarded within my art. I wasn’t letting anyone in. For the last couple of years, my work has organically become more personal. Some paintings are like diary entries, while others I’m directly speaking to someone or the viewer.
I want my art to provoke emotion. I want the viewer to sit within my art; I want it to stick with you. I want you to walk away changed somehow. Art has power, I tend to use it.
EuGene Vidal Byrd III was born in Wichita, KS the last of three children of Ella Mae and Eugene from dirt county roads of Tulsa, OK. EuGene was early influenced by 70’s album covers; comic books and he could always be found drawing. His mother being an interior decorator /artist herself always encouraged EuGene to pursue his art. Growing up in the 80’s during the gangbang crack era, from a low-income environment it took awhile for EuGene to fully embrace his artistic calling. EuGene received his BFA from SCAD in 2002. Worked as a graphic designer and creative director for 15 years for fortune 500 companies such as Timberland, Meineke Car Care, Sonny Pictures, Walt Disney, Worldpay, Miami and Dubai International Airport. After the loss of his sister and mother a successful design career just wasn’t fulfilling enough. In 2016 he left his job and stepped out on faith to fully pursue his art career. EuGene founded Future Dead Artists, and operated FUTURE GALLERY from 2018-2020 in which he mentored artists/curators, curated 20 exhibitions and over 200 artists
To tell an accurate story about black life is to tell a layered, multi-dimensional tale dripping in vitality and authenticity. I use
the documentary format to capture the raw and beautiful aspects of lives that know no struggle too difficult to overcome. My stories focus on how artists from marginalized communities use creativity to create a better reality for themselves and everyone they touch. Learning about my community through the diverse canon of Hip Hop imagery let me know I can choose to tell our own stories of triumph and victory in contrast to the well-documented pain of the diaspora that is presented to the world daily. As a fully self-taught artist, I believe the medium of documentary is important as a vocation and can be used to create educational opportunities that foster the creation of new and
progressive styles.
Artemus Jenkins is an award-winning filmmaker who has used the documentary format to innovatively capture the raw and beautiful aspects of black culture. Artemus Jenkins has lived in Atlanta for over 13 years as a participant-observer, documenting how artists from marginalized communities use creativity to craft a better reality for everyone. He has blazed a trail in the digital filmmaking space by creating the first docuseries on strip club culture; the viral hit “Power of Pussy” (P.O.P.) and created the first and only documentary detailing the lives and history of black tattoo artists titled “Color Outside the Lines”. Recently Artemus’ documentary work helped win an American and European MTV Video Music Award with recording artist H.E.R. in a historic new category created during the 2020 global pandemic. Artemus is currently preparing for a group exhibition at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Museum which will open in February of 2021. As a fellow of The Creatives Project Residency, Artemus is developing a curriculum that teaches and contextualizes Visual Ethnographic techniques for the contemporary study of global culture. Artemus also thinks children are the future and need more Wu-Tang albums
“Offerings 1” (prototype)
Born, raised, and works in Atlanta, GA. Received his MFA from Studio College International (Florence, Italy).
Walker’s versatility and ability to constantly evolve shapes his practice as a multifaceted artist. His research revolves around the examination of the art object and the role of the contemporary artist. His projects vary in structure and modes of display in which the temporal dimension of the work is expressed in a processual approach. The art production process is the subject and means of his analysis. His current research focuses on what it means to be human in 2021 with a special interest in how the advancement of technology (smart devices in particular) shapes development.
“Chamber”
These mother-of-pearl works are my meditations on devotion, labor, amalgamation, aggregation, mental health, wholeness, ritual, relationship, nostalgia, nature, ownership, resplendence, and preciousness.
My identity as a fully Korean and fully American individual as well as my mental health journey since childhood are large sources for this series. I base these works on a Korean traditional and historic craft usually meant for personal use in fine items such as tables, cabinets, jewelry boxes. From thousands of years ago, the craft of Najeonchilgi fused functional products with handmade artistry. I reinterpret this material’s identity and history into my contemporary sensibility and form.
I cut and place each shard with a small blade, considering the many possible iterations of different pieces along with relationships between forms and the spaces they inhabit. I follow my intuition and the natural material to map the overall piece and work with precision on every minute shard and strand of mother-of-pearl to aggregate into the whole.
Crystal is a Korean-American artist and award-winning filmmaker from Atlanta, Georgia. She is a 2020-2022 Artist-in-Studio Fellow with The Creatives Project. Crystal graduated from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) in June 2014 with two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in Radio/Television/Film and the other in Art Theory and Practice. Her short films, "Jinju" (2015), "죽어도 (Jookuhdo)" (2017), "Young Won Han Bok" (2019), and "Dated" (2019) have screened at numerous film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. These include the Atlanta Film Festival, Seoul International Youth Film Festival, CAAMFest, and National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
“Rope Swing” (prototype)
My work is focused in its effort to better understand relationships between everyday life and the public space. In particular, I consider the sociological, ecological, and non-physical (the felt) features of public space and how they respond to changes in the built environment. I apply a multi-pronged approach to urban studies with the slow gaze of an artist. My interdisciplinary art practice asks critical questions at the forefront of urban studies with the visual and interactive accessibility
of the arts.
Carley Rickles is an artist and designer. Her works have been accepted as art, [landscape and urban] architecture, scholarship, and social practice. Rickles' projects focus on relationships between everyday life and the built environment. Carley’s work translates her methodical research process which includes field observation, documentation, analysis, attempted conclusions, and ongoing questioning. Rickles holds a Bachelor in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia and a Master of Science in Urban Design from Georgia Tech. Carley was a recipient of the 2019 Dream Warriors Foundation Spark Grant for the Arts and the 2020 Idea Capital Travel Grant. She is a founding member of the ceramics collective Side Clay Studio. Rickles co-founded Martin Rickles Studio, an art, and design studio, alongside Jennifer Martin in 2020.
“Deep Sight”
Sachi Rome is a painter and mixed media artist who is from Atlanta Ga. She briefly studied under the critically acclaimed African American artist Louis Delsarte. His influence is reflected in her focus on color and impressionistic texture. Sachi’s works seek to change the social history behind who is captured and immortalized through portraiture. The current direction of her work looks at the connection between history, time, memory, and past lives. The imagery presents dignity and grace while seeking to give voice to the unheard. Voices of the silent black woman, disconnected sister, lost brother, or friend. She is regifting them with life and audience. Her current work is an abstract series is called “Anything but Brushes” and rely on expressive energetic mark-making and a very experimental use of tools. Kitchen spatulas of various sizes, combs, and torn cardboard are used by the artist to channel the imagery of what she believes to be lost.
“I Still Miss You Carefree”
Mason Webb was born in Atlanta, Georgia until moving to Carefree, Arizona during his adolescence. He was Head Pattern Designer with Spectrum USA in 2015 and later was hired by Arena Music Distribution to look over Artist Relations, in 2016. He moved to Atlanta in 2017 officially to design luggage for PURSEN. He is currently focused on Contemporary Textile Installations and Performances.
SPECIAL THANKS:
TCP's Artist-in-Studio residency is been made possible by The Goat Farm Arts Center and Tribridge Residential. In partnership with Stryant Construction, ART-FORCE at the Academy Lofts, is made possible by Invest Atlanta, National Trust Community Investment Corporation and Great Southern Bank.
Major support for The Creatives Project is also provided by Mailchimp and is supported in part by Colorchrome, PC & E, the Mayor's office of Cultural Affairs, the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency - the National Endowment for the Arts.