Blog Topic: In the Community

Culture Briefs: Rick LaFleur and Avid Bookshop Celebrate Release of Latin Where the Wild Things Are

By Barbette Houser | December 18, 2015 12:06pm

Photo Credit: Barbette Houser

Austin Hattori gets a book signed by LaFleur.

A large crowd squeezed into tiny Avid Bookshop on Wednesday night to celebrate the release of Rick LaFleur’s latest book, Ubi Fera Sunt. The retired head of the Classics Department at UGA has published numerous Latin textbooks, but his latest project is a little different. It is a translation of the Maurice Sendak children’s classic Where the Wild Things Are into Latin.

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Culture Briefs: Check out Saturday's Art Crawl Map and Schedule

By Madeline Bates | December 11, 2015 12:18pm

Photo Credit: Frances Berry

The Tree Room.

The fifth annual Art Crawl hosted by the Athens Area Arts Council—slated for this Saturday, Dec. 12 from 1–5 p.m.—will feature the work of more than 30 local artists displayed throughout the Chase St. Park Warehouse. Nineteen businesses in the complex will present special one-day-only group and solo art shows of paintings, sculpture, photography and more. Several artists working in painting, mixed media and metalwork will open their studios to the public for a behind-the-scenes look into their creative space.

See the event’s map and schedule below for a full list of participating venues, artists and performers.

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Culture Briefs: Video: Talking Public Art in Outdoor Living Rooms

By | December 8, 2015 12:47pm

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Visiting artist Matthew Mazzotta was brought in by consultant Todd Bressi to assist with the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission's public art master plan.

To facilitate discussion, Mazzotta set up outdoor living rooms last week at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, Bell's, the Athens Farmers Market at Bishop Park and College Square. Flagpole photographer Joshua L. Jones caught up with him downtown Friday for an interview.

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Culture Briefs: 'A Cloverhurst Christmas' Promotes Preservation

By Barbette Houser | December 8, 2015 2:51pm

Photo Credit: Barbette Houser

The Sewell Residence was on tour to benefit the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation.

Cloverhurst Avenue sparkled with holiday lights and beckoned with seductive swags of greenery on a recent Sunday evening. The Five Points street, known for its charming Craftsman style homes, was the site of the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation’s annual holiday gala. While only a few homes were on the tour, the whole neighborhood was dressed for the occasion.

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Culture Briefs: ACHF Walking Tour of Pulaski Heights Leads to New Mural by Art Rosenbaum

By Barbette Houser | November 23, 2015 4:07pm

Photo Credit: Barbette Houser

Detail from Pulaski Heights Triptych by Art Rosenbaum

The home of David and Tracy Stroud was once again full of friends, family and visitors on a recent evening, but this time the focus wasn’t the modern architecture of their newly built and much admired house. People were there for a special unveiling of a new work by Art Rosenbaum.

Two years ago their house was in the framing stages when the Strouds decided to take an Athens Clarke Heritage Foundation walking tour of their new neighborhood. Led by neighbor David Bryant, the tour deeply inspired the couple. According to David Stroud, “We were really taken with the whole story of how everything came to pass here.”

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In the Loop: The Food Bank Needs Thanksgiving Turkeys

By Blake Aued | November 9, 2015 12:52pm

Photo Credit: Tim Sackton/Flickr

Dozens of Athens families may have to go without a turkey this Thanksgiving unless some generous souls step up.

Bird flu decimated the turkey population this year, which has driven prices up and out of reach of the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank, according to the group’s president, Kim Ramos.

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Culture Briefs: Updated With Statement: Bombs Away Books Has Closed

By Gabe Vodicka | November 9, 2015 10:01am

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

As quickly as it arrived, it has gone away: Bombs Away Books, the local anarchist book store, DIY music venue and community space has closed, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

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In the Loop: Ort's Out of Jail; Here's How He Got There

By Blake Aued | September 22, 2015 4:41pm

Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

Beloved Athens man-about-town William Orten Carlton, aka Ort’s, troubles with Athens-Clarke County regarding the condition of his property stretch back at least 15 months.

After spending the night in the Clarke County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of probation violation, Ort was released on his own recognizance this afternoon, according to attorney Bill Overend. Ort commented on our previous story:

Dearfolk,

I'm back on the street (as of 2:30 this afternoon) and ready to start in working as soon as possible. Thanks for all the concern.

I await the next step: committal proceedings. It's been tried before. Yawn.

Wholeheartedly, Ort.

P. S. I AM crazy, and I'm PROUD of it. And my house is not quite a sty... now that the carport is cleaned out, it's looking more like a residence.

But he still has a ways to go in cleaning up his property to avoid more legal trouble. Overend set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the cleanup. It raised more than $4,000 in six hours, and Overend has now asked that people stop donating because it’s exceeded the $2,500 goal.

Here’s how Ort got into this pickle, according to ACC Community Protection Division and Municipal Court records:

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Culture Briefs: Athens Modern Homes Tour Was a Success for AIDS Athens

By Barbette Houser | September 14, 2015 3:13pm

Photo Credit: Barbette Houser

The many balconies at the Glenwood home of Airee and Russell Edwards made it a tour favorite.

Another must-mark-your-calendar event has been born in our little town: The Athens Modern Homes Tour. Attendees flocked to Hotel Indigo on Saturday afternoon to pick up their maps and head out on Athens’ latest voyeuristic opportunity to peek inside the lives of others while supporting a worthy local organization: AIDS Athens.

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In the Loop: Two UGA Retirees on the USG Health Care Changes

By Pete McCommons | August 19, 2015 10:23am

Below, the observations of two UGA retirees who attended Tuesday’s UGA-Aon Hewitt meeting at the Classic Center, held to explain the new retiree health benefits.

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