"You, Me and the Bus"

If you live in the Athens area, you may have noticed that some of the bus shelters stand out a little more than others. These unique bus stops are part of “You, Me and the Bus.” The campaign is a collaborative effort between the Athens Area Arts Council (AAAC), The Athens Transit System and the Athens-Clarke Unified Government.

Recently, the bus shelters have received national attention. R.E.M. has donated their music and time urging public support to complete the bus shelters, which are intended to transform ordinary bus stops into creative, functional, public art that will inspire the people who use public transportation.

R.E.M. and AAAC have released a video highlighting the successful installation of the first nine artist-designed shelters in Athens. The video will be featured on the R.E.M. website for the month of June.

For more information, contact Valerie Aldridge, Valerie676@charter.net.

AthFest 2010

Mark your calendars for the 14th annual AthFest, June 23–27 in downtown Athens. The festival showcases Athens-based music and art.

AthFest always has one main stage for performances and is adding a second this year. The main-stage headliners have just been announced and include Bubba Sparxxx, Perpetual Groove, Modern Skirts and others. Click here to see the full performer list.

GMOA will have a lot going on at AthFest, so make plans to come and see us! We will have a table at KidsFest on Saturday, June 26, where you can design your own 2-D guitars. We’re also organizing a performance by Amelia Winger-Bearskin, an assistant professor of studio art at Vanderbilt University in the areas of video and performance art. Visit her website and click here to read an essay about her written by GMOA’s own Lynn Boland, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art.

In addition to GMOA’s presence, there will also be a lot of other cool things happening, such as an art market that is free and open to the public and includes ceramics, drawings, folk art, furniture, glasswork, jewelry and more. KidsFest features everything from interactive projects to a petting zoo and bungee jumping, and best of all, it’s also free!

Another exciting event at AthFest is the Flagpole Music Awards. This is the 12th year of the event, which incorporates awards chosen by Flagpole’s readers and musical performances. Film is also recognized at AthFest. TeenScreen shows films created by teenagers in Athens area schools. The cover charges for both the Flagpole Music Awards and TeenScreen have not yet been announced, but all cover charges are discounted with an AthFest wristband.

The actual festival takes place once a year, but AthFest has a constant presence in the community. AthFest, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with the mission to “educate citizens and visitors about music and arts in general, and about Athens music and arts in particular.” For example, AthFest InSchool and AthFest AfterSchool are two series that began last year and take local performers to middle schools and after-school centers. All proceeds from AthFest and other events support educational efforts in the Athens community.

For more information about scheduling, locations and prices, visit the AthFest website.

AUX is Back

              (graphic taken from auxfestival.com)

Remember when Faust came to Athens last year? Don’t know Faust? Oh, I don’t know, just the European experimental music group who helped launch the Krautrock genre and performed at the ICE supported Athens-based AUX, according to their website, “an event and publication series devoted to experimental art in all forms.” Besides the hullaballo the Faust workshop and concert at the 40 Watt generated, AUX has been hosting annual festivals “featuring performances, visual art and sound installations, video screenings, and artists’ market. The daylong event takes place in two venues in downtown Athens and attracts nearly five hundred spectators.” AUX will be hosting this year’s event at Ciné and Little Kings on April 10^th from 3pm to 2am. Tickets are $5 at the door. Musical artists like Geisterkatzen, Dream Scene, and Steven Trimmer—all Athens mainstays—will be playing. Video artists John Crowe, Seth Nicholas Stephens, and Ashley Ohman will be presenting screenings throughout the day as well.

 

Check out the AUX information website to see a calender of events