Photo of Caroline Caldwell | by Joshua Gwyn (via LW Tumblr)
This year, a new crop of talented artists—international and local—come together in our city to beautify forgotten neighborhoods and transform walls into colorful murals, thanks to Living Walls. For 10 days, starting today, the arts organization has fun events planned, along with many ways for you to get involved as the artists finish up their mjurals around the city. With Monica Campana at the helm and an army of volunteers, we’re excited to see what Living Walls has in store for their 5th conference.
Here are five reasons why you need to get out of your house and into the streetsfor #LW2014:
1. They’re throwing a big party. Celebrating five years of amazing public art and important conversations therein, Living Walls is going all-out at the Goat Farm on Saturday, August 16. Starting at 5 p.m., a gallery exhibit is followed by talks with major orgs in ATL like Art on the BeltLine, gloATL, Dashboard Co-op and Atlanta Streets Alive. Music, installations and even breakdancing will be happening at this shindig. Also, pick up the 3rd-edition of VOLUMES featuring MOMO. Don’t miss it!
2. You’ll get the 411 on art trends. Tonight at C4 Atlanta, LW Executive Director Monica Campana, along with Photography Director at Juxtapoz Magazine Austin McManus and City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program’s RJ Vandalog Rushmore, will discuss how globalization and internet culture have shaped street art and upcoming trends. Photo presentations and curated short films will be shown during the presentation.
3. You’ll learn about street art and urbanism. One of the first groups to be hosted at the new National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Living Walls will have four major speakers, including BeltLine mastermind Ryan Gravel, on Friday, August 15. The discussion will focus on American street art around the country and how it applies to city infrastructure.
4. You can get active. Grab your bike and join the Atlanta Cycling Festival team for curated tour of the walls on Sunday, August 17. Buy a ticket for $5 (It’s currently sold out, but follow the event page to see if more tickets are released) and get a limited-edition spoke for your bike. The #weloveatl team will be around too, hosting an Instameet and reminding you to take the best pictures and tag them with #weloveatl. It starts at 4 p.m., and all proceeds go back to the organization.
5. You’ll be supporting the local arts scene. Living Walls is a non-profit organization that, since 2010, has been improving our city landscape and putting us on the map. By encouraging conversation and making us excited about our city again, Atlanta has new life. Go out and support them—they’re doing big things.
For more information on upcoming events and where to find the walls, visit their Facebook page.
