FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(Atlanta, Georgia- 27 September, 2012)

The Creatives Project Announces the
2012 CCHP Artist-in-Residency Recipients

press inquiries: info @thecreativesproject.org

The Creatives Project (TCP) is proud to not only announce its first "Artist in Residence" recipients but also that with the addition of a second home, four artists will be in residency by the beginning of 2013!

TCP's Creative Community Housing Project (CCHP) will be Atlanta's only residency opportunity to grant local artists with subsidized housing. In exchange, each of the selected artists will serve Atlanta's community as mentors and teachers through TCP’s Community Arts Program (CAP) to provide arts education and outreach for youth and adults throughout the community. The residents will complete much of their outreach service in partnership with TCP's nonprofit beneficiaries: SWAN and VSA Arts of Georgia.

The 2012 CCHP Artist-in-Residency recipients are:

Gyun Hur : mixed-media installation artist
Andre Keichian : animator/filmmaker
"MAO": mixed-media sculptor
Charlie Watts : photographer

Chosen from a talented pool of applicants by TCP’s Artistic Advisory Board, the finalists are a diverse group, stylistically and otherwise. What each of these artists has in common, however, is a desire to not only further their talents, but also to help others do so.

The program provides an opportunity to immerse oneself in the daily discipline of a committed artistic practice and engage the community through outreach initiatives that foster an appreciation of the arts, a critical component of any vibrant society. For me this is an essential aspect of a fulfilled creative existence; one that is motivated as much by a desire to engage and strengthen communities as it is driven by a need to explore the inner life. Society as a whole has a responsibility to support and encourage artistic excellence but the artist also has a responsibility to utilize the unique space he or she occupies to extend the sphere of connection and fellowship.- MAO

I strongly support the significance of informal education and community teaching. The people who I have learned the most from have been the most passionate, the most supportive and the most involved. I value the opportunity to give back and become that for others. I have long since had a interest in working with children and with the arts. Working within a continuous, structured environment has the advantage of implementing a means of positivity and productivity that can truly flourish. Thinking of how it would feel to work with a group of children, I am excited by all the information I would love to pass down and what we
could collectively create. The idea makes me anxious, but in the best of ways.- Andre Keichian

Friday October 19th during TCP's Annual Exhibition and Benefit: CONVERGENCE the community will welcome these new individuals to the TCP family as they support the organization's ongoing initiatives.

Please join us!

It is very exciting that such program is now in existence here. It will be a great launching ground for many young, mid-career artists, and such time, space, and support will encourage interesting collaborations and conversations. It also has a potential to encourage other artists (i.e. recent MFA graduates looking for cheap housing, interesting places to live) from other cities to consider Atlanta. This is really wonderful. -Gyun Hur.

READ TCP'S INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTISTS HERE

VIEW ARTIST'S PORTFOLIOS HERE

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNER:

Pohl Real Estate has been investing in West Atlanta for the past 30 years. In 2009, Pohl Real Estate was one of 12 Atlanta developers awarded funds from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Having partnered with the City of Atlanta/NSP, Pohl Real Estate has expanded into the Historic West End and the Adair Park neighborhoods. Pohl's recent NSP homes are all renovated to EarthCraft guidelines (using "Green Grant" funding assistance from Enterprise Community Partners/Home Depot). All NSP properties are rented within the Federal rental income guidelines provided by HUD and NSP - as a result, tenants realize amazing rental rates on energy efficient EarthCraft certified homes. READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH OUR AMAZING PARTNER HERE

The Creatives Project (TCP)’s mission is to enrich and strengthen the local community through quality arts-based education and outreach, while celebrating and elevating the city’s visual and performing artists.

ARTS + EDUCATION + COMMUNITY + COMMERCE =
A HAPPY ATLANTA