Athens Celebrates Elephant Six

The city of Athens, Ga., is accustomed to keeping a strong connection with its musical heritage, defined by artists like R.E.M., Lady Antebellum and the B-52s. This year, Athenians can experience a special tributary celebration of a prominent group in the formation of the local music scene with "Athens Celebrates Elephant Six," a series of exhibitions that spotlight the famous collective. Six cultural venues around town, including the Georgia Museum of Art, will be working together in a citywide effort to document different pieces of the Elephant 6 (E6) collective's influence locally and around the art world.

"Carnival Part I" was shown at the University of North Georgia, Oconee Campus until Sept. 24. The exhibition culled a number of paintings from individuals associated with the founders of E6, from classmates to fellow performers. "Carnival Part II" opened at the same location on Sept. 30 and runs for a month through Oct. 30. This exhibition will show a second group of these paintings.

Jill Carnes. Interstellar Rooster.  University of North Georgia, Oconee Campus.

"Reverberations" is on show at the Lyndon House Arts Center until Oct. 11. Visitors can see posters, album covers and their inspirations, photography, stop motion animation, props, costumes, paintings and other works by the musicians involved in E6.

William Cullen Hart, Painted Transistor Radio. On display at Lyndon House Arts Center.

At the Athens Institute of Contemporary Art (ATHICA), "Advice from the Oceans" highlights the alternative nature of Elephant 6. The exhibition incorporates interactive elements, such as "Ocean Telephones" by one of E6's founders Rob Schneider, that allow observers to become participants.

Sculpture by Robert Schneider. ATHICA.

"n[]cturne" is Hotel Indigo's contribution to the E6 theme. On view until Dec. 31 in Indigo's outdoor art area, the installation features a texture-centric collection of various items displayed in a segmented cube. Dana Jo Cooley, the artist behind the installation, has worked on stage and prop designs for bands.

Here at the Georgia Museum of Art, "The ... of E6" will be shown from Oct. 4, 2014 until Jan. 4, 2015. The exhibition includes artwork for album covers and others examples of visual art important to Elephant Six. Information about the museum's related events and more about the exhibition itself can be found on the Georgia Museum of Art's exhibition webpage.

William Cullen Hart,  Black Foliage. 1971. Georgia Museum of Art.

On Oct. 13, Ciné will have a screening of a portion of A Place We Have Been To, a documentary tracing the history of E6. The film, by Chad Stockfleth and Dan Efram, includes behind-the-scenes footage, performances, and interviews. Ciné will also screen a short film entitled Major Organ and the Adding Machine by Joey Foreman and have live performances by Circulatory System and Robert Schneider.

Movie poster for A Place We Have Been To

For more information on Athens Celebrates E6 and the specific events occurring, visit Flagpole's article Athens Celebrates E6 by Jessica Smith and the Athens Celebrates E6 website.