Big enough to hold the feeling
Wednesday, Aug. 12 — Some ideas don’t fit within the traditional frames.
In his West End warehouse, sculptor Charlie “Blackcat” Smith has spent weeks working with more than 45 collaborators on a single structure: a 14- to 15-foot metal book in memory of Brian Doherty, the Reason magazine editor and author of “This Is Burning Man,” who died in March. Smith built it too large for any one person to carry alone on purpose – in keeping with the spirit of the community festival that birthed his friendship with Doherty.
A few miles to the northeast off Edgewood Avenue, hometown favorite Fabian Williams is opening the biggest show of his career. “Mothership Sirius B” spans three stories and more than 50 works, tracing decades of science fiction – from mid-century B-movies to “The Matrix” – through Williams’ invented frame of an alien anthropologist archiving Earth. It’s a new way of expression for an artist best known for murals, built specifically to hold an argument about the future that a single wall couldn’t.
This is not oversized art for spectacle’s sake. The work is a reflection of the expansiveness of the feelings behind them – grief, in one case; concern and care, in the other.
What would you like to express boldly and big?
—Sherri Daye Scott
🤝 Community starts with connection. Meet Rosemary Watts and Nikki Washington and discover how they’re helping shape Perimeter through connection, placemaking, and community in the Heart of Perimeter video series. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Memorialized with fire
🔥 Twenty-six years after building “Hearth,” a fire sculpture for Burning Man 2000, Atlanta sculptor Charlie Smith is racing to finish a new piece, a memorial for the friend he met in the desert, built in part from pieces of the original and featuring a burning heart.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
🎨 You’ve seen Amy Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama. Now, her largest exhibition to date comes to Atlanta, featuring rarely seen paintings and monumental portraits spanning nearly two decades.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime is in its final weeks, bringing one of the leading artists of her generation back to Georgia. Secure your tickets before it’s gone.
Can only make it in the evening? We’ve got you covered. The show stays open after hours every Friday. Grab a drink, snag an exclusive exhibition poster, and explore the galleries at your leisure.
A future you can walk through
🛸 Artist Fabian Williams has built his biggest show yet: three stories, more than 50 works, and decades of science fiction reimagined through posters that shift meaning depending on where you stand.
➡️ Beam into “Mothership Sirius B.”
Art Happenings
🖼️ Flat File Group Show Opening | 6-9 p.m., Aug. 14 | Tennessee Gallery.
🖊️ 2026 BAIA Fine Art Print Fair and Works on Paper Show | Aug. 14-16 | Black Art in America Gallery (pictured).
🗣️ REPOST: A Group Exhibition Opening | 6-10 p.m., Aug. 15 | ABV Gallery.
🆕 KAPTURE ATL 26 | 5-10 p.m., Aug. 15 | 2339 Brannen Rd SE.
🤝 Community starts with connection. Meet Rosemary Watts and Nikki Washington and discover how they’re helping shape Perimeter through connection, placemaking, and community in the Heart of Perimeter video series. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Post of the Week
⏳ Marking time
Emory’s @carlosmuseum
spotlights artist Sergio Suárez, who is prepping for “Anamnesis,” his solo show opening at the museum Sept. 19, featuring prints, sculptures and ceramics.
➡️ See the post.
🖋️ Today’s Sketchbook was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
