Soft materials, strong statements
Wednesday, Oct. 21 — Two exhibitions – one on view now in the West End and one opening in Downtown Atlanta Friday – challenge viewers to expand their understanding of what sculpture is and can be. And they come at it from different directions.
👑 At Hammonds House Museum, “NU AFRICANS” showcases sculptor Grace Kisa’s work on its own and how it adorns the body. The exhibition includes Kisa’s costume pieces on mannequins and a wall of headpieces that read as hairstyles at first glance and as shields and crowns up close. Portraits, shot by Kisa’s collaborator, Maurice Evans, show how the pieces are worn.
🪢 At Gallery 100, Eileen Braun’s solo show “Pumped UP” gathers roughly 20 works made from materials including dressmaker’s pattern tissue, baling twine, construction-grade rubber and gold gilding foil. Her hands do much of the work; she cuts the tissue into strips, knots them end to end, and knits them with her fingers. Much of Braun’s material is salvage, down to twine picked up off a feed-store floor.
Both bodies of work carry more than what they’re made of: in Kisa’s, a memory of home; in Braun’s, the unseen hands those materials passed through.
What in your life could you shape into something more?
—Sherri Daye Scott
🕯️ As the sun sets over Atlanta, the past comes alive. Now in its 20th year, history, theatre, and Halloween thrills converge at Oakland Cemetery for Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours tomorrow, Oct. 22 to Oct. 25, from 5-11 p.m. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Dressed for power
👸🏾 Before sculpting a single costume, Grace Kisa studied women warriors alongside her “NU AFRICANS” collaborator, Maurice Evans, then used what she learned to work beads, yarn and wire into adornment.
➡️ See how Kisa costumed “NU AFRICANS.”
Movement, Language, and the Art of Beginning Again
SPONSORED BY EMORY SCHWARTZ CENTER
🎭 Choreographer Jeanine Durning brings her signature interplay of movement and speech to The Play at Emory’s Schwartz Centeron Oct. 23 & 24, transforming the stage into a constantly evolving landscape where three performers move, speak, build, dismantle, and begin again.
This fiercely physical work explores how we find connection and create meaning in an uncertain world. At once urgent, playful, and deeply human, The Play invites audiences to experience dance as an act of imagination and radical renewal.
→ Sketchbook readers save 15% on tickets with promo code SCPAFRIEND15.
Led by color
🧵 Every piece in “Pumped UP,” Eileen Braun’s show opening Friday at Gallery 100, starts with a sketch. After that, the work takes over, telling her where to go and what color comes next. Even the fragile paper sets its own rules.
➡️ See how Eileen Braun builds big.
🎃 Emily’s Trick or Treat to Cure Crohn’s & Colitis celebrates 10 years of Halloween fun with trick-or-treating, games, arts & crafts, face painting, music, a silent auction, and more. Sandy Springs, Sat., Oct. 24, 2-4 p.m. Use code RoughDraft for $5 off. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Art Happenings
🏺 Fall Ceramics Show Opening Reception | 6-9 p.m., tomorrow | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
🎨 Kim Ouellette “Emerald Tears” Opening | 6-9 p.m., Oct. 24 | Marcia Wood Gallery.
🗓️ Mason Fine Art Opening | 6-9 p.m., Oct. 24 | Mason Fine Art (pictured).
📖 Bookzine | 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Oct. 24 | Goat Farm.
🕯️ As the sun sets over Atlanta, the past comes alive. Now in its 20th year, history, theatre, and Halloween thrills converge at Oakland Cemetery for Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours tomorrow, Oct. 22 to Oct. 25, from 5-11 p.m. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Post of the Week
🖤 The work endures.
This week, many took to social media to honor the life and legacy of Corey Davis, the visionary Atlanta artist, filmmaker, and City of Ink co-owner whose influence runs deep. Corey didn’t just create – he built worlds.
@whoiscoreydavis forever.
🖋️ Today’s Sketchbook was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
