The ATL Arts Collective

Featured contributor Jordan Owen talks with Mastodon’s Troy Sanders about the Atlanta metal band’s new album and next chapter. Plus, we explore Where the Weird Things Are, preview Chamber Cartel’s boundary-pushing percussion performance, and get ArtsATL’s Best Bets for the week.

Prefer to watch while you listen? We’re @atlartscollective on YouTube.

Our featured contributor is Jordan Owen, music journalist, producer, composer, ArtsATL writer, and guitarist for Axis of Empires. Owen joins Kim to discuss his love for Atlanta’s heavy metal music community and how his education at Berklee College of Music influences his journalistic practice. For Beats, Bites, and Sites, Owen recommends 529 in Atlanta for music, The Righteous Room for drinks, and the TEW Galleries for visual art.

The surreal, upside-down parade, Where the Weird Things Are returns to Historic Fourth Ward Park on October 24. Kim talks with creative mastermind Chantelle Rytter about the event’s giant creatures, handmade gifts, live music from the Black Sheep Ensemble, and the opportunity to feed the Heebie-Jeebies your bad ideas.

Featured contributor Jordan Owen takes us inside the world of Atlanta metal legends Mastodon ahead of their October 22 show at the Eastern. Owen talks with bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders about navigating deep loss and lineup changes while shifting to a more immediate, streamlined sound on their new album, Marrow Deep.

ArtsATL’s Doug DeLoach previews Chamber Cartel’s performance of Pleiades, a landmark percussion work by Greek composer Iannis Xenakis. Featuring unusual instruments and experimental musical ideas, DeLoach details the demanding work that the Atlanta ensemble performs at the Goat Farm Arts Center on October 24.

ArtsATL Executive Editor Shane Harrison rounds up the week’s arts and cultural events, including The Ring in concert at the Fox Theatre and the Atlanta theatrical premiere of CYCLE hosted by Killer Mike. Harrison also highlights Shepard Fairey's first solo exhibition in Atlanta, featuring more than 150 works, opening at ABV Gallery, with a reception on October 24.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Special thanks to this week’s sponsors: 

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective. 

Thank you to the CP Group and Downtown Atlanta Inc. for providing the ATL Arts Collective with a home at CTR Culture Studios.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records. Jordan Owen composed all other original music in this episode. Set art by Gina Thompson.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support our work. ☕ 

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Featured contributor Summer Evans joins us to talk about her new Rough Draft Atlanta podcast, From the Paper to the Pod. Plus, we go inside the Atlanta BeltLine x Porto Artworks residency, chat with Robin Danger Vincent about DIY ethos, and ArtsATL’s Executive Editor Shane Harrison runs down the top spooky-season arts and cultural events.

Prefer to watch while you listen? We’re @atlartscollective on YouTube. 

Summer Evans, From the Paper to the Pod 

Our featured contributor is Summer Evans, a podcaster, journalist, and photographer who hosts the new Rough Draft Atlanta podcast From the Paper to the Pod. Summer joins Kim to discuss the vision behind pulling back the curtain on local reporting and building transparency with readers. For Beats, Bites & Sites, Summer recommends Horizon Theater for immersive theater, Ameer's for delicious Mediterranean, and the Chattahoochee Nature Preserve for the intersection of art and nature.

Atlanta BeltLine x Porto Artworks Residency

Arts ATL’s Jeff Dingler reports on an exciting international exchange program that brought Atlanta artists Joelle Ngalame and Tracey Murrell to Porto, Portugal, for a six-week sculpture and fabrication residency. Murrell gained life-changing experience watching large-scale designs come to life from schematic to shipping, while Ngalame left behind a permanent iron flower sculpture titled A Husband's Love at her apartment complex, bridging cultural and language gaps through shared storytelling.

Nocturnal Lattes at Terminus 72

Evans shares her in-depth reporting on Terminus 72, an experimental Marietta coffee shop opened by Ika Xiao that operates exclusively from 9 PM to 5 AM. Serving college students like KSU night owls, hospital workers, and anyone looking for a safe, alcohol-free community space after dark. Xiao shares why she opened the cafe and what she hopes for the business's future.

ArtsATL’s Jordan Owen chats with multi-instrumentalist Robin Danger Vincent, the creative force behind the band Robin Shakedown. They discuss the new album, I Don't Know, Lady, I Just Work Here, which takes a sharp, witty look at modern entitlement. In protest of AI-generated music, Vincent recorded every instrument herself using basic gear and GarageBand, emphasizing that art's true value lies in the human journey and grit of creation rather than immediate digital output.

Shane Harrison runs down ArtsATL’s top picks for Atlanta arts and culture events, including the Little Five Points Halloween Festival and Parade, the Stone Mountain Highland Games, stand-up comedian Ali Siddiq at State Farm Arena, and Kathy Griffin at the Buckhead Theatre. 

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Special thanks to this week’s sponsors: 

Vintage ATL

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective. 

Thank you to the CP Group and Downtown Atlanta Inc. for providing the ATL Arts Collective with a home at CTR Culture Studios.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records. Jordan Owen composed all other original music in this episode. Set art by Gina Thompson.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support our work. ☕ 

Featured contributor Jamaal Barber joins us to talk about printmaking, MTV/Smithsonian’s The Exhibit, and how he amplifies Black artists through his Studio Noize podcast. Plus, synth-pop duo CLAVVS discusses their new album Into the Cave of Crumbling Gold, and we learn about the Nu Africans exhibition at Hammond House Museum. We also prepare for the Atlanta premiere of Voiceless Mass, and explore ArtsATL’s Best Bets with Executive Editor Shane Harrison.

Prefer to watch while you listen? We’re @atlartscollective on YouTube.

Jamaal Barber and Studio Noize 

Our featured contributor is Jamaal Barber. The artist and printmaker is also a podcaster, and his Studio Noize podcast highlights and amplifies Black artists across all mediums. He joins Kim in the studio to talk about his experience competing on the art-based reality competition show The Exhibit, and discuss the origins of Studio Noize. For Beats, Bites & Sites, Jamaal recommends seeing intimate live performances at City Winery, dining at Southern-fusion spot Poor Calvin’s, and exploring the tranquil collection at the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum.

CLAVVS and Into the Cave of Crumbling Gold

Kim visits CLAVVS (Amber Renee and Graham Marsh) in their home studio to discuss their new album, Into the Cave of Crumbling Gold. The Atlanta-based duo talks about how technical limitations fuel their artistic process, providing them with a creative path for their music and videos. They also share the story behind their tarot card video for "Dark Age,” their rejection of AI in pop music, and their return to Atlanta's creative community post-pandemic.

Maurice Evans and Grace Kisa: Nu Africans 

Jamaal takes us to Hammonds House Museum for a conversation with mixed-media artists Maurice Evans and Grace Kisa. The pair discusses the return of their 2020 exhibition Nu Africans and the expanded work, which features 14 new gorgeous pieces, following its pandemic interruption. 

Raven Chacon’s Voiceless Mass 

Arts ATL reporter Doug DeLoach highlights the Atlanta premiere of Voiceless Mass by composer Raven Chacon. Performed at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Midtown on October 12 by Ensemble VIM and Bent Frequency, the Pulitzer Prize-winning piece reflects on church history and the silencing and amplification of voices. 

ArtsATL Best Bets 

Shane Harrison runs down ArtsATL’s picks for Atlanta arts and culture, including the Georgia Symphony Orchestra's American Tapestry, Oakhurst Porch Fest, Chalktoberfest at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Kelundra Smith's Other Paths to God at Horizon Theatre, and The Ghastly Dreadfuls at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Special thanks to this week’s sponsors: 

Vintage ATL

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective. 

Thank you to the CP Group and Downtown Atlanta Inc. for providing the ATL Arts Collective with a home at CTR Culture Studios.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records. Jordan Owen composed all other original music in this episode. Set art by Gina Thompson.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support our work. ☕  

Featured contributor Chad Radford joins us to talk about Atlanta music, record collecting, RAD/ATL, and his book Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History. Plus, Kenny Murray talks with Debbie Allen about the new A Different World reboot filmed in Atlanta, Atlanta artist Fabian Williams brings sci-fi and social commentary together in a new immersive installation, and Atlanta Center for Photography shares how it is building a sustainable year-round home for photography. Chad also takes us inside InnerSpace, an Atlanta DIY concert series connecting musicians, visual artists, and generations of the city’s underground music scene, and we explore ArtsATL’s Best Bets with Executive Editor Shane Harrison.

Prefer to watch while you listen? We’re @atlartscollective on YouTube.  

Chad Radford & Atlanta Music

Our featured contributor is Chad Radford, former Creative Loafing music editor, founder of RAD/ATL, and author of Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History. He joins Kim to talk about music journalism, his encyclopedic record collection, Rocktober and the challenge of making room for music that might be too strange, abstract or offbeat for the mainstream. For Beats, Bites & Sights, Chad recommends the Garden Club at Wild Heaven in the Lee + White district, Near Wild Heaven, Wild Heaven’s non-alcoholic beer with an R.E.M. connection, and the Pittsburgh Yards area of the Southwest BeltLine Trail where layers of Atlanta street art, graffiti and murals include work connected to So So Def and artists including VANE, Hense, Born and Dr. Dax.

Fabian Williams’ Mothership

ArtsATL’s Brittany Mackins visits Atlanta artist Fabian Williams, also known as Occasional Superstar, for Mothership: Sirius B. What It Is, What It Was, and What It’s Gon’ Be, an immersive three-level exhibition in Atlanta’s Edgewood Arts District. Moving through the past, present, and future, Williams uses science fiction and American history to ask who gets to decide what’s possible. The exhibition also brings young people into the conversation, asking students to imagine the future they want and what they want Atlanta and the world to look like.

Debbie Allen & A Different World

The beloved ’90s sitcom A Different World is back, and this time Atlanta is part of the story. ATL Arts Collective contributor Kenny Murry talks with director and executive producer Debbie Allen about the new reboot, filmed in Atlanta and featuring Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College. Allen talks about bringing the original cast’s sense of family into a new generation, working with showrunner Felicia Pride, why Netflix pushed the reboot toward a single-camera approach, and what Atlanta added to the world of Hillman. Kenny also gets Allen talking about some of the original series’ unsung heroes, including Mary Alice and Ron Mosley.

InnerSpace: Atlanta’s Underground Music Scene

Chad Radford takes us inside InnerSpace, the DIY concert series created by artist and curator Carl Janes. What began as a studio and underground performance space in Underground Atlanta evolved into a pop-up series at Halfway Crooks Beer Garden in Summerhill, connecting musicians, visual artists, and different generations of Atlanta’s underground music community. Janes creates custom video projections for each band, bringing his visual-art practice directly into the performances. And he introduces us to some of the musicians and artists shaping the series, including Token Hearts and Gunga. The InnerSpace Fall Concert Series runs through November 13, with all-ages shows, $10 admission, and free entry for ages 15 and under.

Making It Work: Atlanta Center for Photography

For our monthly Making It Work series, Jasmine Henschel of Gulch Magazine talks with Lindsay O’Connor, executive director of Atlanta Center for Photography, about the organization’s evolution from Atlanta Celebrates Photography into a year-round photography center on Edgewood Avenue. O’Connor discusses ACP’s exhibitions, workshops, digital media lab, teaching studios, and fundraising. She also details how the organization is building a sustainable model while creating more opportunities for Atlanta photographers and the broader creative community.

ArtsATL Best Bets

Shane Harrison runs down ArtsATL’s picks for Atlanta arts and culture, including the final weekend of Out on Film, the 20th anniversary Atlanta Horror Film Festival, the Atlanta Indian Film Festival, TLC with Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue, Take 6, SITE 2026 at the Goat Farm, the Atlanta Art Fair and The Other Art Fair Atlanta. 

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Special thanks to this week’s sponsors: 

SITE 2026

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective. 

Thank you to the CP Group and Downtown Atlanta Inc. for providing the ATL Arts Collective with a home at CTR Culture Studios.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records. Jordan Owen composed all other original music in this episode. Set art by Gina Thompson.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support our work. ☕  

Chapters:

00:00:00 Promo: SITE at The Goat Farm

00:00:33 Show Opening & Guest Intro — Kim Drobes welcomes Chad Radford

00:01:58 Feature: Fabian Williams — ”Mothership” (Brittany Mackins report)

00:11:25 Beats, Bites, and Sites — Chad’s picks

00:18:13 Interview: Debbie Allen on the A Different World reboot (Kenny Murry)

00:30:19 Feature: InnerSpace Concert Series — Chad Radford

00:38:42 Making It Work: Atlanta Center for Photography (Jasmine Hentschel & Lindsay O’Connor)

00:50:38 Arts ATL Best Bets (Shane Harrison)

00:55:28 Closing Remarks & Credits

We're off this week - please enjoy this encore episode with featured contributor Jewel Wicker.

✦  Jewel Wicker  ✦ The Jimmy Awards ✦ GULCH’s Making it Work ✦ Eyedrum on Monday Nights ✦ Pen Names ✦ Best Bets ✦  

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support the work we do. ☕  

Featured contributor Jewel Wicker joins us as we meet a Milton student fresh off a national Jimmy Award win, discover one of Atlanta's most adventurous live music series, examine why more writers are choosing pen names, and share ArtsATL’s Best Bets.

Meet This Week's Featured Contributor

Our featured contributor, Jewel Wicker, has built a career telling stories about music, culture, and the people shaping them. An Atlanta native whose work has appeared in Billboard, GQ, Teen Vogue, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jewel joins us to discuss her reporting, her upcoming nonfiction book Take It to Trial, and what continues to inspire her as a storyteller. She also shares her favorite local discoveries for our series, Beats, Bites and Sites.

Beats

Catching live music at the Tabernacle

Bites 

Celebratory dining at Kimball House

Sites 

Unique exhibitions at Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

A Jimmy Award Winner from Milton

ArtsATL reporter Benji Carr talks with Jake James, the Milton High School performer who recently captured a Jimmy Award, the nation's highest honor for high school musical theater performers. He shares what the experience was like, what comes next, and how Atlanta's theater community helped shape his journey.

Making It Work as a Creative

For this month's Making It Work segment, Jasmine Hentschel of GULCH Magazine talks with Atlanta designer and furniture maker Robby Simon about building a creative career, learning which opportunities to embrace, and finding the freedom to focus on work that truly matters.

Inside Atlanta's Monday Night Creative Music Series

ArtsATL reporter Doug DeLoach visits Eyedrum’s Monday Night Creative Music Series, where improvisation, experimentation, and collaboration have created one of Atlanta's most unique gathering places for adventurous musicians and curious audiences alike.

Why Writers Choose Pen Names 

Jewel Wicker brings us a fascinating look at the growing use of pen names, inspired by bestselling romance author Kennedy Ryan and a broader conversation about privacy, identity, and authorship in the age of social media. From novelists to playwrights, she explores what writers gain, and what they give up, when they publish under another name.

ArtsATL Best Bets 

Executive Editor Shane Harrison rounds out the episode with his weekly recommendations for arts and culture across metro Atlanta, including the world premiere of When Faith Calls, a new exhibition at White Space, Bob Dylan with Lucinda Williams at Chastain Park, and Hacking Hip-Hop at the Atlanta History Center.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta's creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city's culture every Wednesday.

Support for this episode comes from:

The Sun ATL

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois' "Hit the Deck from her album "Astral Heart," courtesy of Wicked Superb Records.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support the work we do. ☕  

Featured contributor Katina Pappas DeLuca joins us to talk Atlanta storytelling, while Out on Film director Jim Farmer previews their festival’s biggest edition yet. Plus, Les Misérables, a new live storytelling-and-music experience, and ArtsATL’s Best Bets for the week. 

Prefer to watch while you listen? We’re @atlartscollective on YouTube. 

Katina Pappas DeLuca & Atlanta Storytelling

Our featured contributor is Atlanta storyteller Katina Pappas DeLuca. She is the Producer of The Moth Atlanta, the Producer and Host of Atlanta Bushwick Bookclub (a literature-inspired performance series), and the co-host of Kodac Harrison’s Last Thursdays of Words and Song (at Wild Heaven in Avondale). She and Kim talk about finding the courage to tell personal stories onstage, and the creative community that grows around live storytelling.

For Beats, Bites & Sites, Katina sends us to Eddie’s Attic in Decatur for performances, Talat Market in Summerhill for Thai-inspired cuisine and Georgia ingredients, and Akazi Gallery in the Edgewood Arts District for contemporary African art.

Shuler Hensley directs ‘Les Misérables’ at City Springs

ArtsATL theater correspondent Sally Fuller dives into City Springs Theatre Company's landmark production of Les Misérables, directed by Tony and Olivier Award winner Shuler Hensley. They discuss Shuler’s collaborative, actor-first directorial approach, and what it takes to bring Atlanta's first local production of this legendary musical in a decade to life.

Out on Film: The World We’re Making

Out on Film director Jim Farmer previews the 39th annual Out on Film Festival, one of the country’s oldest and most prominent LGBTQ+ film festivals and an Oscar-qualifying festival. This year’s theme, The World We’re Making, reflects a moment when artists respond to the world around them and push for change. The festival runs September 24 through October 4 at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, with its largest lineup yet: 155 films, including 10 world premieres.

The Songs That Shape Us

Katina introduces us to Atlanta Storytellers founder Josh Cuthbertson and his live storytelling-and-music experience, The Songs That Shape Us. At each show, storytellers share true personal stories connected to songs that have carried particular meaning in their lives. When the story ends, the Tabernacle Collective performs the song live, thus creating a new connection between the story, the music, and everyone in the room. The Songs That Shape Us is a quarterly residency at Eddie’s Attic, and the next show is October 6.

ArtsATL Best Bets

ArtsATL Executive Editor Shane Harrison rounds out the episode with a packed weekend of Atlanta arts and entertainment. Music fans have The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and Fontaines D.C. headlining the Shaky Knees Music Festival at Piedmont Park, while the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade returns to the Southwest Trail. Plus, Shane highlights the Atlanta Ballet’s season opener, August Wilson’s Fences at Theatrical Outfit, and Béla Fleck at Georgia State University’s Rialto Center for the Arts.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective. 

Thank you to the CP Group and Downtown Atlanta Inc. for providing the ATL Arts Collective with a home at CTR Culture Studios.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records. Jordan Owen composed all other original music in this episode. Set art by Gina Thompson.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support our work. ☕  

Lois Reitzes joins us as we tour the new Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, hear about Miya Bailey’s new exhibition, and meet the local actor having a Hamilton homecoming at the Fox Theatre. Plus, Shane Harrison and ArtsATL’s Best Bets for the week.

Prefer to watch while you listen? We’re @atlartscollective on YouTube. 

Lois Reitzes: now in miniature! 

Longtime Atlanta broadcaster Lois Reitzes reunites with Kim for a special conversation that includes not one, but two miniature versions of Lois. We get to meet “P-Lo,” aka Puppet Lois, and learn about the beautiful new tiny Lois sculpture on view at MOCA GA by artist Susan Seydel Cofer. Then, Lois shares a few of her favorite things in Atlanta for our Beats, Bites & Sites segment. Discover what she begrudgingly chose for Beats and Sites and hear her hilarious displeasure at having to choose only one answer. Plus, learn why Bites was an easy choice and learn about her longtime love for the Highland Tap. 

Atlanta Artist Miya Bailey: Today and Tomorrow

ArtsATL reporter Robert Stalker profiles Atlanta artist, illustrator, and tattoo artist Miya Bailey, ahead of his new solo exhibition Today and Tomorrow. The artist and City of Ink founder’s show opens at Old Rabbit Gallery on September 11. The exhibition features 40 mixed-media abstract paintings that blend fragmented imagery, African masks, cartoon characters, luxury goods, and printed text. Bailey talks about nostalgia, ancestry, experimentation, and finding beauty on the other side of difficult experiences, including the long fight to reopen City of Ink after a zoning dispute with the city.

Hamilton Comes to the Fox Theatre

Atlanta-based actor Christian Magby has leaped from local stages to one of musical theater’s biggest productions. In this story, ArtsATL theater correspondent Sally Fuller details Magby’s starring roles as Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette in the touring production of Hamilton. He talks about growing up in Atlanta, performing at the Fox Theatre, composing three original musicals, and the importance of in-person collaboration in creating new work.

MOCA GA’s New Home

Reitzes introduces us to Annette Cone-Skelton, president, CEO, and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, which is opening a new, purpose-built museum at the Goat Farm in West Midtown. Cone-Skelton talks about the museum’s 26-year history, its collection of more than 1,600 works by Georgia artists, and the mission behind creating a permanent home for contemporary art made in the state.  

ArtsATL Best Bets

ArtsATL Executive Editor Shane Harrison rounds out the episode with a packed events calendar, including the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park, the Sandy Springs Fall Arts and Crafts Festival, new exhibitions at the Atlanta Center for Photography and Mason Fine Art, and a world premiere cello performance at Kennesaw State University.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records. All other original music in this episode was composed by Jordan Owen 

Thank you to the CP Group and Downtown Atlanta Inc. for providing the ATL Arts Collective with a home at CTR Culture Studios.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support the work we do. ☕  

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective.

00:00:00 Sponsor: Vintage ATL Custom Framing

00:00:25 Show Intro — ATL Arts Collective & Featured Contributor Lois Reitzes

00:01:12 Story: Miya Bailey — ”Today and Tomorrow” (Old Rabbit Gallery)

00:04:59 Back to Studio / Lois Reitzes Arrives (P. Lo puppet)

00:14:40 Beats, Bites, and Sights — Lois’s Picks

00:19:57 Theater Feature: Hamilton at the Fox — Christian Magdy

00:27:11 Featured Story Intro: MOCA GA (Lois Reitzes)

00:50:16 Arts ATL Best Bets — Shane Harrison

Atlanta’s Dragon Con turns 40 this year, and we’re celebrating with a look at the people, fandoms, and creative communities that helped make the convention one of the city’s most enduring cultural institutions. Plus ArtsATL’s Executive Editor Shane Harrison shares his Best Bets for Labor Day weekend.

Happy 40th Dragon Con

Kim talks to Dragon Con co-founder Pat Henry and this year’s media spokesperson, Jo Garland. They look back at the convention’s origins in 1987 and the idea of creating a big tent where science fiction, comics, gaming, fantasy and other fandoms could all come together. Henry shares stories about the early days and why Dragon Con’s guiding philosophy has always been “for the fans, by the fans.”

Dragon Con has become a multigenerational Atlanta tradition, and Garland shares her own journey from attending her first convention with her mother in 2012 to bringing her daughter this year. 

Beyond the costumes and celebrity guests, Henry and Garland discuss the science, technology, education, and professional development that happen throughout Dragon Con, including programming from NASA, digital media, voice acting, and creative workshops. They also explain why the convention has become a place where people can be unapologetically themselves.

Atlanta Radio Theatre Company

David Benedict, vice president and executive producer of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, takes us inside the art of audio theater. He explains how live Foley, voice acting, and sound design can create an entire world inside the listener’s imagination.

The Atlanta Radio Theatre Company has been performing at Dragon Con since the beginning, and this year’s lineup includes The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft’s classic cosmic horror story that was also the company’s first Dragon Con production.

For listeners who want to experience more of the art form beyond Dragon Con, Benedict details the company’s upcoming Halloween performance at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center and its long-running podcast Mercury: A Broadcast of Hope.

Best Bets

ArtsATL Executive Editor Shane Harrison rounds out the episode with his picks for Labor Day weekend. His recommendations include Atlanta Black Pride Weekend, Marietta’s Art in the Park, the Atlanta Black Theater Festival at Spelman College, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s free performance at Piedmont Park.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective

Thank you to the CP Group, Downtown Atlanta Inc., and CTR Culture Studios.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support the work we do. ☕  

00:00:00 Music

00:00:06 Opening & Welcome

00:00:48 Dragon Con Origins — Pat Henry & Jo Garland Interview Begins

00:04:54 Family Involvement in Dragon Con

00:06:42 Jo Garland on Media, Atlanta, and Fandom

00:17:02 Atlanta Radio Theater Company — Interview with David Benedict

00:28:23 Shane Harrison — Best Bets for the Week

Discover the Atlanta metal artist often called the Johnny Appleseed of Burning Man.

The Collective Spotlight Series from the ATL Arts Collective highlights an individual story from a recent episode. Today's spotlight is on Charlie Blackcat Smith and the Burning Book of Brian.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Join us on social at @atlartscollective

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support the work we do. ☕  

Alison Law joins us as we meet an Atlanta artist bringing an enormous memorial sculpture to Burning Man, examine the preservation of textile art as a traditional craft, learn how Andrew Aydin's use of graphic novels gives voice to the experiences of Hurricane Helene survivors, and share ArtsATL's "Best Bets" for the week.

Our featured contributor is Alison Law, an editor, writer, voiceover artist, and self-described “Book Evangelist.” She and Kim talk about creativity, trying new things, and how the arts community in Atlanta supports individuals who take risks. Alison also shares her thoughts on the entertainment industry in Atlanta, and why she recently enrolled in beginner improv classes. For our Beats, Bites & Sites segment, she details a favorite places for performance, food, and inspiration around the city. These include the intimate atmosphere of Dad's Garage and Mediterranean food at Ella in Virginia Highland. Plus, she explains why she has made an effort to return to movie theaters, particularly the Tara Theatre, to reconnect with the enchantment of viewing movies on a large screen.

Charlie BlackCat Smith Takes Atlanta to Burning Man

Atlanta-based artist Charlie BlackCat Smith has been attending Burning Man since 1998. This year, he's bringing something new to Nevada's Black Rock Desert: The Burning Book of Brian, an enormous steel sculpture in memory of his late friend, author Brian Doherty. Standing more than 13 feet tall, the kinetic sculpture features a giant open book with a suspended heart at its center. Unlike the traditional Burning Man effigies that are ultimately destroyed, Smith's steel sculpture is designed to remain intact and serve as a hearth where Burners can gather, prepare meals, share memories, and honor a friend's legacy. Kim visited Smith in his West End warehouse with ArtsATL editor Danielle Charbonneau before he heads 2,000 miles to the playa.

Gulch Magazine's Jasmine Hentschel visits with Atlanta native textile artist, craft preservationist, and arts educator Camisha Butler for our Making It Work series. Interviewing Butler at the Hapeville Depot Museum, Hentschel learned about the challenges of her work, including securing grant funding and establishing institutional collaborations. She also discusses why preserving craft matters and her vision for expanding textile education in Atlanta. 

Andrew Aydin’s Hurricane Helene Graphic Novel

Alison Law speaks with Atlanta-native Andrew Aydin, co-author of the groundbreaking March trilogy with the late Congressman John Lewis and illustrator Nate Powell. March became the first comics work to win the National Book Award. Now, Aydin is turning to a very different chapter of American history with Islands In The Sky A Peoples History Of Hurricane Helene, a graphic novel documenting accounts from the storm’s survivors. The project grew out of Aydin's experience living through Helene and his frustration with outsiders' control of the narrative about the region. 

ArtsATL Best Bets

ArtsATL Executive Editor Shane Harrison rounds out the episode with his weekly recommendations for Atlanta arts and culture, including Yacht Rock Revue at Synovus Bank Amphitheater, Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins' Pulitzer Prize-winning Purpose at Alliance Theatre, and comedian Jon Hefron at The Punchline.

Looking to stay connected to the people, performances, exhibitions, and ideas shaping Atlanta’s creative community? The ATL Arts Collective brings you the stories behind the city’s culture every Wednesday.

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective

Thank you to the CP Group and Downtown Atlanta Inc. for providing the ATL Arts Collective with a home at CTR Culture Studios.

Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois’ “Hit the Deck” from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records.

☕ Want to buy the podcast a cup of coffee? Here’s how to support the work we do. ☕