Blog posts by Barbette Houser
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Avid Bookshop Plays Cupid with Singles Soiree
Blog: Culture Briefs
Photo Credit: Barbette Houser
Rachel Kaplan, Jessica Hennenfent and Samantha Meyer at Avid's Singles Soiree
“You should definitely message me if” was the one part of my J Date profile I managed to actually complete in the week that I spent on the dating website last year. “You should definitely message me if—you like to read…or, if you’re a rich Jewish doctor!” was the enticing text I offered to potential partners.
Before I got around to adding that my preference would be an allergist, given a choice of specialist M.D.s, I had met someone at a local art opening and pulled my profile from the site. Thankfully, he's a reader.
Naturally, I was intrigued when I heard that Avid Bookshop would be hosting a Singles Soiree on Valentine’s Day. The event, which took place on Saturday, offered local readers an opportunity to mingle in the shop. Avid suggested that attendees “take dating off a web page and surround it with book pages instead!”
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Cheryl Washburn Exhibits Works of Quiet Beauty at Farmington Depot
Blog: Culture Briefs
A stillness pervades the works of Cheryl Washburn. The worlds she creates out of oil depict quiet rural settings that are often inhabited by a solitary horse. The clamor of man and development is left behind in these paintings. The soft-spoken artist says, “I’ve always gotten along far better with animals than people, and I have at least a passing acquaintance with all the horses I paint.”
Washburn braved a crowd of people for her opening at Farmington Depot Gallery on Sunday.
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Lamar Dodd and Georgia Review Party Together to Welcome New Exhibitions
Blog: Culture Briefs
Photo Credit: Barbette Houser
Dodd Galleries Director Katie Geha with artist Mequitta Ahuja in front of works from"Automythography"
The Lamar Dodd School of Art threw down another party last Friday night to welcome in four new exhibitions. Apparently, this is how we do it at UGA’s art school: with readings by Georgia Review writers, food by Wildwood Catering, music by experimental dream-pop duo Historic Sunsets, wine and, of course, thought-provoking work by students and professionals—all free and open to the public.
Dodd Galleries artist-in-residence Mequitta Ahuja was on hand to chat with visitors about her exhibit "Automythography." These self-portraits explore her dual African American and Indian heritage through motifs and patterns, some of which are created using traditional Indian woodblocks made for printing on cotton. The textural works consist of many layers of collaged paper that often resemble fabric. “[My mother] got me quilting when I was in high school…and you can see the influence of textiles,” she says. Ahuja is the featured artist in the current issue of The Georgia Review.
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Work By Latino Artists Shines at the Meyers Gallery
Blog: Culture Briefs
Photo Credit: Barbette Houser
Stanley Bermúdez, center, in front of two of his paintings in "Contrapunto"
The members of Contrapunto create work that is very different from each other while sharing a common goal: to show and promote the talent of Latino artists living and working in Georgia. Their latest project is a group exhibit that opened at the Meyers Gallery at Athens Academy on Sunday. Their diverse talents boldly shine in this extraordinary yet lesser-known gallery space designed by Peter Norris.
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Hope Hilton’s “In Bloom” at Ciné
Blog: Culture Briefs
A chance conversation with artist Claire Clements inspired Hope Hilton to put together "In Bloom," a group exhibition currently on display at Ciné through Sunday, Mar. 15. “She told me about her latest work. Just the idea of how she was working set my wheels turning,” the curator, artist and educator said. “[She] inspired me to visit the studios of several other artists I admire in hopes that they might have something different to exhibit than what we’re used to seeing.”
Inspired by nature, growth and the idea of brightening “the January grays,” the works on display are fresh or new in some way. The artists, creatives and Athens tastemakers involved are working out of their comfort level, or at least showing us something we haven’t seen from them before.
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The Great Folk Parade Arrives at OCAF
Blog: Culture Briefs
“It was like my wedding,” beamed artist and curator Peter Loose as he recalled last Friday night’s opening for "The Great Folk Parade: From Finster Forward." "It was so huge, it was crazy." Hundreds had flocked to the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF) to see the large selection of Southern folk and self-taught art on display. Artists like Cap Man and Kip Ramey were there working the crowd and dressed to the nines, adding to the fun and colorful evening.
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'Ornament' on Display at Hotel Indigo
Blog: Culture Briefs
Didi Dunphy, curator and director of the Gallery@Hotel Indigo, held yet another lively party at the space last Thursday to welcome its latest show, "Ornament," which will be on view at the gallery through Friday, Apr. 3. As is often the case, the show features work by a mix of artists from Atlanta and Athens, some of them students and some of them more established.
“For January, I try to design a show that is bright in nature—not just in color and style, but also in feeling and generosity,” says Dunphy.
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Terry Rowlett is WUGA's Latest 'Artist in Residence'
Blog: Culture Briefs
People don’t float anymore in Terry Rowlett’s paintings. He has lost the deep religious convictions of his youth. But Rowlett’s works, realistic depictions of everyday people in natural landscapes, are still hauntingly allegorical. They are still unsettling and fascinating to ponder. So, it was a treat to visit his home and studio last Saturday when WUGA held their latest installment of the ongoing “Artists in Residence” fundraising series.
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Homeplace Will Close Later This Year
Blog: Culture Briefs
Homeplace Gifts and Toys, the beloved purveyor of wooden train sets, English soaps, Christmas ornaments and linen dresses, will close its doors later this year. The Five Points shop has been open for over 45 years and has been a favorite source of gifts and homewares for many local families.
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Will Eskridge’s "Prairie and River" Paintings at Heirloom
Blog: Culture Briefs
Otters and wolves now grace the walls at Heirloom Café and Fresh Market in the Boulevard neighborhood. Will Eskridge’s "Prairie and River," a collection of new paintings featuring animal imagery, opened last Thursday night and will be on view through the end of February.
The artist, dressed in a grey vintage western wear shirt, was all smiles for those who braved the unusually frigid temperatures to come to the opening. Guests enjoyed appetizers made by Heirloom, including baba ghanoush, housemade pimento cheese and delicious ginger cookies piped with cream. The venue, a service station converted into a restaurant, was welcoming and homey with lots of candles, sweet floral table cloths and mason jars stuffed with herbs at the bar. Somehow, the prettiness of the space didn’t distract from the work on display.
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AthFest Educates Issues Winter 2015 Grants
Blog: Culture Briefs
athfesteducates.org
AthFest Educates, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing music and arts education for young people in Athens-Clarke County, has awarded its winter 2015 grants.
Among the winners of these awards is Didi Dunphy of the Lyndon House Arts Center. The $3,050 grant will be used to purchase equipment needed to create a stop-motion animation and video program for fourth and fifth graders. The students will create characters, scenes and stories, as well as experiment with lighting techniques and camera angles to produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional media products.
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Film Athens Presents Screenwriting Classes in January
Blog: Culture Briefs
Do you long to be the next Wes Anderson? Do you feel like the third Coen brother? Aspiring directors, writers and producers in the Athens area will want to check out filmathens.net and get the lowdown on a series of courses the nonprofit is offering in the coming weeks.
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Jittery Joe's Releases Kishi Bashi's 'Royal Daark' Blend
Blog: Culture Briefs
As I wandered lazily towards Hendershot’s last Saturday morning, I assumed I would be able to score a seat for the 10 a.m. performance by Kishi Bashi. As it turned out, I was lucky to be able to even squeeze through the door. Hundreds of young Athenians had turned out for the performance by the experimental musician. The show was a celebration of "Royal Daark," a new collaboration between Bashi and Jittery Joe’s. The free coffee samples added to the attraction of the event.
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Athens Arcana Arrives at ATHICA
Blog: Culture Briefs
Thankfully, the Knight of Cups landed on the table as Sarah Pattison did a tarot reading for me at the recent opening for "Athens Arcana: A Contemporary Tarot" at ATHICA. The knight and a glass of wine made it a little more palatable when death showed up a couple of cards later. “Oh, that can just mean the end of a life cycle or a relationship,” Pattison cooed reassuringly. She was one of three "mystics" at the event offering divine futures.
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Avid Bookshop Hosts The Local Stranger and Bloodkin
Blog: Culture Briefs
Avid Bookshop’s main entrance next to Fire Hall No. 2 on Prince Avenue was blocked off with amps, guitars and music stands last Friday night. The backdoor, however, was wide open and beckoned visitors in with a warm glow, a table of food, smiling employees who appear to genuinely like their jobs, and the tentative sound of guitars in the background. A cozy, truly local experience was offered as one of the last remaining independent bookstores hosted a reading by writer James Calemine.
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Beauty Everyday and Condor Chocolates Visit BMA at Home
Blog: Culture Briefs
In what seems like an ongoing quest to bring a little creativity and local color into the sometimes staid Five Points neighborhood, BMA at Home hosted yet another party on Thursday, Nov. 20. This time the guests of honor were other small, local businesses: Beauty Everyday and soon to open Condor Chocolates.
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'BFA Exit 1' Entertains and Even Unsettles
Blog: Culture Briefs
While strolling through the halls of the Lamar Dodd School of Art on the evening of Friday, Nov. 14 during the well-attended opening reception for the "BFA Exit 1" show, it occurred to me that the perfect date for this type of event really would be my therapist.
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Landscape Painter Philip Juras Lends his Home for Fundraiser
Blog: Culture Briefs
When asked by a visitor whether he was working to preserve, document or save the locations depicted in his landscapes, painter Philip Juras said he was “more concerned with depicting the experience of the place.” On Sunday, attendees of WUGA’s latest installment in the “Artists in Residence” series got to experience lots of these places, as well as the actual home of the artist.
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Three Painters Discuss Life as an Athens Artist at Ciné
Blog: Culture Briefs
Photo Credit: Barbette Houser
StipeMass, Cherewick and Biskin discuss "Surviving Outside of the Box"
Big questions concerning life as an artist were tackled on Tuesday, Nov. 11 by a panel of local painters at Ciné. Visual artists Jim StipeMaas, Andy Cherewick and Jill Biskin shared their experiences and opinions during the discussion “Surviving Outside the Box,” the latest event in UGA’s continuing Spotlight on the Arts Festival.
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John Cleaveland’s “Farmington Skies” Open Up
Blog: Culture Briefs
An opening for “Farmington Skies,” a series of landscape paintings by John Cleaveland, took place at Farmington Depot Gallery this past Friday night and drew a large crowd. With their rural scenes and emphasis on natural textures and muted colors, the works seemed particularly well-suited for the unfinished board walls of the old train station turned gallery.
Page 1 of 3, showing 20 records out of 44 total, starting on record 1, ending on 20
latest stories
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Culture Briefs | February 17, 2015 11:45am
Avid Bookshop Plays Cupid with Singles Soiree
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Culture Briefs | February 9, 2015 4:30pm
Cheryl Washburn Exhibits Works of Quiet Beauty at Farmington Depot
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Culture Briefs | February 4, 2015 5:10pm
Lamar Dodd and Georgia Review Party Together to Welcome New Exhibitions
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Culture Briefs | February 3, 2015 12:10pm
Work By Latino Artists Shines at the Meyers Gallery
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Culture Briefs | January 27, 2015 4:30pm
Hope Hilton’s “In Bloom” at Ciné
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Culture Briefs | January 26, 2015 4:00pm
The Great Folk Parade Arrives at OCAF
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Culture Briefs | January 23, 2015 8:00pm
'Ornament' on Display at Hotel Indigo
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Culture Briefs | January 21, 2015 4:30pm
Terry Rowlett is WUGA's Latest 'Artist in Residence'
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Culture Briefs | January 15, 2015 10:20am
Homeplace Will Close Later This Year
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Culture Briefs | January 15, 2015 9:30am
Will Eskridge’s "Prairie and River" Paintings at Heirloom
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Culture Briefs | January 5, 2015 12:10pm
AthFest Educates Issues Winter 2015 Grants
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Culture Briefs | December 30, 2014 3:40pm
Film Athens Presents Screenwriting Classes in January
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Culture Briefs | December 17, 2014 11:30am
Jittery Joe's Releases Kishi Bashi's 'Royal Daark' Blend
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Culture Briefs | December 7, 2014 3:30pm
Athens Arcana Arrives at ATHICA
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Culture Briefs | November 24, 2014 2:50pm
Avid Bookshop Hosts The Local Stranger and Bloodkin
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Culture Briefs | November 21, 2014 6:00pm
Beauty Everyday and Condor Chocolates Visit BMA at Home
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Culture Briefs | November 18, 2014 4:15pm
'BFA Exit 1' Entertains and Even Unsettles
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Culture Briefs | November 17, 2014 5:27pm
Landscape Painter Philip Juras Lends his Home for Fundraiser
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Culture Briefs | November 13, 2014 10:20am
Three Painters Discuss Life as an Athens Artist at Ciné
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Culture Briefs | November 9, 2014 3:10pm
John Cleaveland’s “Farmington Skies” Open Up