Georgia Museum of Art Celebrates Elephant 6

On October 4, the Georgia Museum of Art will be opening a new exhibition that, in tandem with other events and exhibitions at various Athens art locales, celebrates and unveils a group central to the heritage of the Athens arts scene. The Georgia Museum of Art's portion of this citywide commemoration, "The . . . of E6, Part of Athens Celebrates Elephant 6," will include art from album covers, works inspired by these individuals and their music, and other pieces influential to the artists honored and the culture they represented and galvanized.

The Elephant 6 Recording Company was formed in the early 1990's by Robert Schneider, Jeff Mangum, Will Hart, and Bill Doss, four friends from Ruston, La. who moved to Athens. The first EP from the recording company came from Schneider's band, the Apples in stereo, and began a new Athens aesthetic that has become ingrained in the town's artistic heritage. Other bands, such as Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel, were borne out of the movement, with band members often switching between groups. A sub-genre of music can still be traced back to these origins today, with bands such as of Montreal and Elf Power.

Lynn Boland, curator of the exhibition, said in a UGA news article, "For many of us, the scene surrounding the collective defined Athens of the 1990s; not just the music, but the entire creative endeavor and its collaborative spirit. I would say it largely defined my formative years and it has been a great honor and undeniable pleasure to work on this exhibition."

The exhibition will be shown from Oct. 4, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015. During this period the museum will host a number of events focusing on this topic. On Oct. 8 at 2 p.m., Boland will present a public tour; museum event 90 Carlton: Autumn will feature the exhibition (free for members, $5 for nonmembers) on Oct. 10; Oct. 11's Family Day will be music-themed and children will be able to create their own band posters; at Museum Mix on Oct. 16 DJs will use this collective as inspiration; on Nov. 6 a film screening of "The Past is a Grotesque Animal," a documentary about Kevin Barnes, of Montreal's frontman, will be shown; and the exhibition will also be the theme of Teen Studio on Nov. 6, where teenagers can workshop with a local artist.