The Arts
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Music To My Ears (Finally): How Athens Venues, Businesses Adapt To ‘New Normal’
Four to five nights a week, a line of people wrap around the Georgia Theatre waiting for entry, a sight that has become uncommon for the past year and a half. With masks on and vaccination cards in hand, patrons file into the theatre to enjoy a variety of…
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Singing the Blues: How Athens Musicians Survived the Pandemic
Listen closely — Camilla Sims, known as Convict Julie, tells an intimate story through each verse, chorus and bridge. From the honest and haunting “Dark Matter” to the punk-trap think piece “Drive Bys on Tractors,” Sims channels her innermost vulnerable feelings into every song she writes. For the 22-year-old musician,…
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Without Words: How the Arts Connect Us
Alexia Benavent-Rivera left a part of herself in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico when her family, unable to survive in the declining tourist economy, sold its three-building shopping center, packed up and moved to the United States in the summer of 2006. Benavent-Rivera remembers bawling at the airport as she said goodbye…
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An Online Show: Athens Creative Theatre Explores New Methods
Jeremy Miller has been acting in Athens since 2009. Even though now he has multiple duties in different areas and also self-published two children’s books, when he talked about acting and performing, his voice was still full of enthusiasm and caring. “If I think of myself as an individual…
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Athens Art Scene: The Return of Live Performance
Live performance makes its way back to the Athens community. After a year in the dark, performers like Convict Julie, are able to take the stage again. Business owners make a profit and people in the community are doing what it takes to be in social spaces again. Rachael Simpson…
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Schools’ Safe Havens: How Fine Arts Programs Inspire, Protect
For students who hate math, struggle with English and find football to be a bore, band class might be the only reason why they come to school — or it might be chorus, drama or ceramics. Fine arts programs in middle and high schools are often a safe haven for…
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Front Porch Bookstore Captures History, Conquers Obstacles
The Front Porch Bookstore in Winterville, Georgia, has both a rich history and a unique strategy for surviving the pandemic. This walk-through interactive allows the audience to place themselves within the setting for a much richer storytelling and impactful experience. Click the arrow on the front door to begin.…
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Local Artists Use Pop-Up Sales to Fill Pandemic Void
When local artist Jessie Lamay lost her job in March 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic, she didn’t know this would only be the start of her difficult year. Two months later, her mom died after a 10-year battle with cancer. Shortly after, Lamay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Mourning and…
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Athens Music Walk of Fame Markets Music Tourism
The Tourism Product Development group was a group of 12 tourism professionals who studied how the city of Athens’ music assets can increase tourism and visitor spending. The Athens Music Walk of Fame was chosen for its capability to incubate talent, prioritizing diversity, market music tourism industry, and ensure economic…
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Athens Drag: A Story of Pandemic Resilience
After a smoke break and 3 p.m. breakfast of waffles, bacon, syrup and berries, 24-year-old Tia Blake Jackson lounges in her bed. Her pink tank top hangs off her shoulder as she lays on her stomach. Donning a sweet gap-toothed smile, she wears no makeup, and a cream-colored bonnet covers…