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A Message from NewTown Macon: Fifth Edition of Bright City Initiative: "Fanning the Flames" Illuminates Macon's Unique Identity
The following is a press release from NewTown Macon regarding the most recent addition of the Bright City Initiative which will be available for viewing from October 6, 2023 through September 26, 2024:
Macon, GA – Dashboard, NewTown Macon, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, proudly present Bright City: Fanning the Flames, the fifth rendition of the Bright Cityinitiative. This outdoor exhibition is set to dazzle the city of Macon with a captivating display of illuminated photographs that celebrate Macon's vibrant culture, community, and rich history.
Building on last year’s exhibition, Rekindling The Fires, which provided artists from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation a platform to express their experiences of returning to the ancestral lands of Macon, Georgia, Fanning the Flames continues the dialogue by uniting the Macon and Muscogee Creek communities in conversations on the past, present, & making way for the future. This edition features a collaborative effort between Muscogee artists Victoria Tiger and Harmony Apel, and local Macon photographers, Mike Young, Diana Davenport, Sarah Lemon, and Matthew Odom to produce a collection of storied image pairings that reflect on shared values and culture around food, healing, individual expression, education, fashion, family, and passion, curated by Tracie Revis, a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen and Director of Advocacy for the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative.
“This project was an experiment in social change and public art,” says curator Tracie Revis. “The participating photographers were asked to visit with their Muscogee mentor to capture an image that portrays what this past year of the indigenous history has meant to Macon. Upon completion, the photographers stated that they were forced to think “outside of the box” and think more about “celebration” of modern indigenous life rather than the stereotypical image of a posed portrait in front of the Ocmulgee Mounds. Some realized that they did not know enough about the Indigenous people to know how to capture what was significant or how they could relate. However, seeing them beyond the landscape produced a more intimate experience. The final product was that we are more alike than different.”
Fanning the Flames is free and open to the public and will remain on view day and night from October 6, 2023 through September 26, 2024.
Event Details:
Title: Bright City: Fanning the FlamesLocation: Second Street Lane (alley between Poplar Street and Cherry Street)Address: 555 Poplar StreetDates: Friday, October 6, 2023, through September 26, 2024Admission: Free and open to the public.
About DashboardDashboard is a creative non-profit that produces transformative arts experiences in public spaces. For more information about Dashboard, visit dashboard.us
About NewTown Macon
NewTown Macon is an independent nonprofit that focuses on economic development and revitalizing Downtown Macon. We make it safe and beautiful and fun and affordable. And we keep it local. For more information about NewTown Macon, visit newtownmacon.com.
