Electronic Press Kit (Soundbites/interviews, videos and images)

(Atlanta, GA) On November 17, from 6 – 10 pm, five leading Atlanta artists will come together on one stage at the High Museum of Art to perform – for the first time – commissioned pieces created to speak directly to the global pandemic and the racial reckoning of the past two years. 

The interactive, multi-genre art salon is the culminating event of the first season of “The NEXT Movement”, a city-wide arts and social action campaign launched this past Fall to address this current moment and answer the question: where do we go NEXT?

The brainchild of local arts organization, NEXT-Atlanta and MARTA’s art program, MARTA Artbound, the first season showcases the talents and perspectives of five Atlanta rising stars, including self-taught visual artist Melissa A. Mitchell, Atlanta’s own poet griot, Jon Goode; nationally-renowned musician CC Sunchild, Atlanta’s premier cellist Okorie ‘OkCello’ Johnson, and award-winning HBO Def Jam poet Carlos Andres Gomez. The campaign is curated by NEXT Executive Director Faith Carmichael.

The campaign as well as the November 17th salon also feature some of Atlanta’s most prominent art activists, speaking to this moment and to the role of art as inspiration. That list includes nationally-renowned visual artist Charly Palmer, curator and visual artist Tracy Murrell, curator of African Art for the High Museum of Art Lauren Tate Baeza, CEO of The Integral Group and leading art patron Egbert Perry and National Black Arts Executive Director Stephanie Owens.

On November 17 from 6 pm – 10 pm, all ten artists will come together at the High Museum in an evening of soul-baring performance and candid conversations between artist and audience. The event will also feature the premier of the NEXT Movement film series – a virtual concert series showcasing each artist performing their commissioned work on a stationary MARTA train — ala NPR’s Tiny Desk.

Launched in September of this year, The NEXT Movement is a campaign in three parts. It includes: 

• City-wide Digital Poster Series – a city-wide digital poster exhibit featuring portraits (by Steve West) of the ten art activists alongside messages of hope and inspiration, posted on digital billboards in and near MARTA stations throughout Atlanta

• Virtual Concert “Tiny Train” Series – a virtual concert series showcasing each artist’s filmed commissioned performances on a stationary MARTA train, to be aired on WABE-TV in early 2023, and

• Live Performance – the High Museum event of live performances, the third leg of the effort, which marks the culmination of the first season of the multi-platform celebration of art and social action throughout the city.

Several Atlanta organizations including National Black Arts, The Integral Group, WABE, Central Atlanta Progress, the High Museum of Art and ATL Airport have signed on to the effort, lending their platforms to help amplify these artists’ voices around these critical issues.

“NEXT is about leveraging and harnessing the power of art for social change in our community,” said P. Faith Carmichael, Executive Director, NEXT-Atlanta. “All the artists we work with are committed to their communities and able to enact change using the power of words, music and their talents. And a powerful way of elevating our artists is bringing their work to MARTA spaces.”

“MARTA is a community connector, and the purpose of Artbound is to bring high-quality art and culture to people where they live,” said Katherine Dirga, MARTA’s Director of Art in Transit. “The virtual and in-person works of the NEXT Movement highlight the ways in which MARTA supports access to the Arts through moving visual and performance pieces and with an important social action message.

You can join this exclusive gathering on Thursday, November 17, from 6 pm-10 p.m. at the High Museum of Atlanta Atrium at 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta GA 30309. Wine and refreshments will be served. Attendance is free, but seating is limited, so reserve your space early. Attendees are strongly encouraged to take MARTA to the Arts Center Station, immediately adjacent to the High Museum of Art.

To learn more visit www.next-atlanta.com or @MARTA_Artbound on Instagram.