Today Maybe Forever

Metal Artist Corrina Sephora talks about putting together her latest exhibition, “Blood of the Earth”, a group show that focuses on the myriad of ways that people interact with guns in their daily lives. Sephora also shares some perspective on what led her to this work, as well as the artists whose work helps inform the exhibition. Additionally, Sephora shares some thoughts on an upcoming moment of transition—having to relocate her blacksmith studio to a yet-to-be-determined location from her current space at Atlanta’s Goat Farm Arts Center, which is due to undergo a major transformation. Blood of the Earth is on display June 1 - July 13 at ArtsXchange. Participating Artists: Corrina Sephora, Joe Bigley, Elyse Defoor, Paper Frank, Maxine Hess, Jason Scott Kofke and Joseph Peragine

The Directors of Komansé Dance Theater discuss “Skid”, their new production that tackles issues of gentrification and homelessness. Recorded live at Gallery 72, they delve into how much they’ve grown since their first production in 2017, the process of collaborating with 3D printed fashion designer Shami Oshun to create costumes for the production, and how writer James Baldwin influenced the language of the performance. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Visual artist Lewinale Havette discusses her work as a reflection of her cultural history as a Liberian artist living and working in America. Recorded live at Gallery 72, Havette delves into the process of placing herself in her work as a form of self-portraiture, her relationship with her mother and her sense of history, perception, and investigation of the Black identity within the African Diaspora. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Augmented Reality Artist Petie Parker discusses art, technology, and some of the decisions that have shaped his career. Recorded live at Gallery 72, Parker breaks down why he prefers Augmented Reality to Virtual Reality, his transition from being behind the scenes to a more visible artist, and helping advance Atlanta’s creative community. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Curator and Producer Antwanette McLaughlin of The Spice Group talks about developing the Trap Music Museum. Recorded live at Gallery 72, McLaughlin discusses trap culture, how the museum came together, and hip-hop artist T.I.’s involvement in the popular project. She also gives some background on her career as a producer and how she sees herself as a steward of Atlanta culture. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Visual artist and photographer Ken West joins Floyd Hall to talk about “The Beauty of Everyday Thangs,” the latest exhibition by West on display at Gallery 72. Recorded live at Gallery 72, West discusses his approach to photography, his process of still shooting on film, the impact of travel on his process, and which images best represent the title of the exhibition. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Photographic Artist Sheila Pree Bright joins cultural producer Floyd Hall in this discussion about photography, Atlanta, and using the camera to document social conditions, activism/protest, and human stories. Recorded live at Gallery 72, Pree Bright reflects on the gallery's current exhibition, “Rusty Miller: The Compassionate Eye in Forgotten Atlanta,” and shares some thoughts on how the images correspond to some of the subjects in her work, the notion of claiming/reclaiming identity, and the role of hip-hop artists as social catalysts. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Photographer Melissa Alexander joins cultural producer Floyd Hall in this discussion about photography, Atlanta and the emotional context of her work. Recorded live at Gallery 72, Alexander reflects on the gallery's current exhibition, “Rusty Miller: The Compassionate Eye in Forgotten Atlanta,” and shares some thoughts on how the images correspond to some of the energy in her work. Alexander also delves into her approach to connecting with the subjects in her images and her vision for creating recent public photography moments. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Photographer Kaya Faery joins cultural producer Floyd Hall in this discussion about photography, Atlanta and impact of emotion, compassion and artistic growth. Recorded live at Gallery 72, Faery shares her response to the work in the gallery's current exhibition, “Rusty Miller: The Compassionate Eye in Forgotten Atlanta,” plus how she communicates with the subjects and emotions in some of her own photography. Faery also shares some of her goals and what influences her work to change to include new elements, including collage. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Photographer Natrice Miller joins cultural producer Floyd Hall in this discussion about photography, Atlanta and impact of documenting local communities. Recorded live at Gallery 72, Miller shares her response to gallery's current exhibition, “Rusty Miller: The Compassionate Eye in Forgotten Atlanta,” in addition to what influences the context of her own projects, including "Black on White" and "The Black Debutante." This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Photographer John Stephens joins cultural producer Floyd Hall in this discussion about photography, Atlanta and impact of documenting local communities. Recorded live at Gallery 72, Stephens reflects on the gallery's current exhibition, “Rusty Miller: The Compassionate Eye in Forgotten Atlanta,” as a photographer who has captured images of residents in some of the same neighborhoods that Miller photographed approximately 50 years ago. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Artist, curator and archivist Pellom McDaniels, III joins cultural producer Floyd Hall in this discussion about photography, the archival process, and his areas of interest and research. Recorded live at Gallery 72, McDaniels gives some cultural context to the current exhibition, “Rusty Miller: The Compassionate Eye in Forgotten Atlanta,” and interprets the images on display in context of Black Atlanta at that time. McDaniels also shares some perspective about his his career path as an artist, athlete, scholar and his current role as archivist and curator at Emory University’s Rose Library. This conversation is presented in collaboration with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Michi Meko talks about how artists Nipsey Hussle, Alice Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix are of interest to him right now, developing artistic language around trauma and history, and how he creates space for home (Alabama) in his life and work. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

Alex Acosta talked about his roots in Hip-Hop and the origin of Soul Food Cypher, Atlanta’s role in Hip-Hop, the state of freestyling as an art form and the responsibility of preserving culture. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

Shannon Evans discusses the convergence of art, food entrepreneurship and guiding Studio No. 7, inspiring new ventures on her horizon, plus how the creative community and policy makers might find ways to work better together. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

Tiffany Latrice talks about her early art career, creating capacity and opportunity for black women artists in Atlanta and what led her to start TILA Studios. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

T. Lang talked about what’s inspiring her, where she sees her leverage for capturing value for her work, interpreting dance in contemporary Hip-Hop and how she adjusts to changes in her body as movement artist. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

Teresa Bramlette Reeves talks about her connection to the early history of Atlanta Contemporary, the importance of Nexus Press, some of her favorite projects and how she transitions between roles as both artist and curator. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

Dubelyoo shares some thoughts his role of artist and curator with Art, Beats + Lyrics, and the importance of capturing culture and drawing inspiration through travel. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

Mark Leibert shares some perspective on his fascination with process, his dance background, Day & Night Projects and his approach to teaching. IN SPACE is a collection of conversations with Atlanta-based artists, curators, creators, makers, leaders and educators. Each of these conversations was produced in the open space confines of Atlanta Contemporary, providing an opportunity to allow the activity, energy and sounds of the art center to add to the context of the dialogue. Special thanks to the Atlanta Contemporary leadership and staff in supporting this project.

Multidisciplinary artist Theaster Gates gave a public talk at Emory University in 2016 entitled "Black Space", in which he talked about his approach to framing ideas and building altars to the everyday Black experience.

Shamim M. Momin, director and curator at public art organization Los Angeles Nomadic Division, gives a public talk at Atlanta Contemporary. Momin discusses some of her organization's philosophy on public art, some of the memorable projects, and her personal journey to this stage in her career after an initial stint at the Whitney Museum.

Printmaker Jamaal Barber talks about how he got his start as a printmaker, finding his point of view as an artist, and why Emory Douglas’ work inspires him. Barber also shares some thoughts on his book, “Color Theory”, and his exhibition “ BRIGHT BLACK.”

George and Esohe Galbreath discuss their art careers, their relationship, collecting art, and the many roles they play in the arts ecosystem. "Every time we buy a piece of artwork, we support a small black business entity." Music Composed by: Santiago Paramo (@santiago-paramo)

Being in transit. Grappling with the inside and outside versions ourselves. Dealing with the process of immigrating to America. Negotiating different cultures and notions around what it means to be a stranger. Being both present and absent. The invisible and permanent line. Bitterness and Rejection. In this conversation, visual artist Sara Santamaria discusses all of the above in the context of her most recent exhibition, “Who Comes Today and Who Stays Tomorrow”. MARTA trains // Room Temperature Water// Art Forms. Raising empathy toward immigrants. “At the end of the day, immigrants are very vulnerable. And they are being very courageous; they’re just trying to change their own destinies. People are immigrating for three main reasons—love, war, or work—and all of those three reasons imply a lot of hopes and expectations.”

Shanequa Gay joins Floyd to talk about motherhood, negotiating ownership of black bodies, coping with communal PTSD and more. “As an artist i’m always looking for spaces of safety…when i feel safe then i can create, and when I can create then I’m happy…”

Floyd chats with Danielle Gilmore about walking to find water in New Mexico, embracing fear as part of our journey, her next tattoo, and the meaning of “Today Maybe Forever”.

Recorded at the Hammonds House Museum, visual artist and printmaker Katrina Andry talks about her favorite things about New Orleans, how she began her career as a printmaker, and how she addresses race and culture in her work. Andry delves deeply into how society shapes stereotypes around people of color, the trigger words used by the media to frame those stereotypes, and how those stories get perpetuated over time. She also gives some context to the use of the term "Watermelon Face" and why she's very intentional with word choices in the titles of her work.

"It's never about trying to create beautiful images..." Visual Artist and Photographer Ayana V. Jackson talks about how she works with history and memory in her work, as well as when she feels most powerful. Jackson also discusses her work, "Wild as the Wind", and how she interprets moments of protest in black communities around the world, what the City of Atlanta means to her, and how she grapples with the transactional nature of selling work that represents the black body. This conversation is presented in conjunction with the National Black Arts Festival and Arnika Dawkins Photographic Fine Art Gallery.

We ride around Los Angeles to get some insight on the other side of chasing the Hollywood dream.

DJ Santiago Paramo talks about some of his favorite songs from his most recent DJ set, which artists he finds interesting right now, and what keeps him excited as a DJ.