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When looking at the old Arts Exchange campus in Grant Park, you couldn't help but notice a great presence on the grounds below the front of the building: What most recently resembled Indian mounds of the American plains was once a giant earthen amphitheater where performances were viewed. The Structure itself was a piece of art people could interact with: A sculpture made of 250 tons of earth, in the shape of a person with arms outstretched. Donna Pickens, an artist and educator who worked at the Arts Exchange for many years, put it there. Donna Pickens moved to Grant Park in 1983, a year before the Arts Exchange opened, and she got her own studio at the Arts Exchange in 1985, a year before she started her master in Fine Arts in sculpture at Georgia State University. She taught ceramics and sculpture classes for both children and adults during most of her tenure at the Arts Exchange, which was vital to supporting herself and her community as a she paid for her degree and developed as an artist and educator. STUDENT-TEACHER-ARTIST “I’ve really always been an educator as well as an artist…one of my loves is to teach…so [the Arts Exchange] allowed me to teach people in the neighborhood, to do some art camps, and get a lot of other people inspired by art, so that was great.” “I was teaching classes [at the Arts Exchange] pretty much from the time I moved in until the time I left – and that helped me a lot…It was very affordable—I don't even remember how much it was, but it was a great space for someone to work—like me, you know, starting out…I was having to pay for school, so I really couldn’t afford much, but living in the neighborhood, it was super. We were just a couple of streets over, so it really wasn’t hard for me to get over there.”Donna was one of several Georgia State students with studios at the Arts Exchange at the time. With a place to work, teach, and meet other artists, the ground was ripe for creation and collaboration. “[The Arts Exchange] was an affordable place for us, and as a result, it gave us a way to get together, and talk, and come up with these ideas, and collaborate…It was sort of a breeding ground for innovators…for people who just had these far-out ideas…you know, artists that were just very creative and wanted to make an impact on the community, and to help other artists…and it was a space where you could work with a number of different artists of different backgrounds, races, and create. So I think it was really an invaluable source of inspiration for the community…and I’m sure a lot of people would say that who had spaces there. It was great."“I think that one of the things I loved about the Arts Exchange is that it was racially integrated. It was a workspace where you had artist of different backgrounds and races working together, and that was really great … it was a great mix of people.” PRIMA MATER Among the many works she did at the Arts Exchange, one of her greatest—and by far her largest—was the 250-ton rammed earth sculpture Prima Mater (1990), a functional piece that served as an amphitheater for a symposium on religion, humanity, and identity entitled, “Rethinking the Sacred Image”. She served as a producer on the interdisciplinary project: the symposium included an open forum at the Robeson Theater with religious scholars from across the country, an exhibit in the Sinclair Gallery by colleague Thomasine Bradford, and two performance pieces played out on the stage of Prima Mater itself. At 5 feet high and 48 feet in diameter, Prima Mater remained on the grounds in front of the Arts Exchange and continued to be used as a performance space for years to come. Donna describes the sculpture: “It was an image of a new person coming out of the earth…it was called Prima Mater, which means first mother, so it was honoring a time when God was not just seen as male—God was female for thousands and thousands of years…and then it changed to male. So the idea was that it would be…a new person coming, rising from the earth, and it was in the form of a person, and the audience sat in the arms…like risers.” “The image for this came from a very vivid dream I had about a Native American healing ceremony during which this image was being made in the earth, and I first created a smaller version of this in an exhibition at the old Inman Park School, in the basement there. Prima Mater was also created to honor the earth, as in Native American cultures; hence the name meaning “first mother” or earth mother. In addition to the two performances in the space, there were a number of other ones over the years by different dance groups.” The creation of Prima Mater and its corresponding performance pieces was a herculean feat, not accomplished without help. Donna worked with fellow Arts Exchange artist and Georgia State classmate Thomasine Bradford to raise money for the project; they acquired funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, the CITY OF ATLANTA Bureau of Cultural Affairs, the Georgia Council of the Arts, and several private foundations. To create Prima Mater, Donna brought in rammed earth expert Steve Midgett of North Carolina; and for the performances, she hired choreographer Ron Frazier and composer Sandy Corley to put together the dance and musical elements. A giant speaker system was mounted to the amphitheater to create the sensation that the piece was alive, and over 100 volunteers were enlisted to help bring the project to life. In order to get the 250 tons of dirt for the project—a special kind mixed with sand—Donna made a deal with the Motocross event that was happening downtown at the time: they were using this type of earth as track for the dirt bikes, and when they were done, she could take it for free—but she had to move it herself, and she had to do it that night. she hired several dump trucks to do the job, and accompanied the trucks on the journey. Due to unforeseen circumstances, however, she had to improvise what to do with the earth once she got it. As she remembers: “My most favorite memory of this is when I had to get this dirt…[the trucks] were supposed to come in to a side entrance to dump the dirt in the field [at the Arts Exchange]…but at the last minute, that was closed off because of some construction…So when we got there with the dump trucks, they had to dump it [directly] in front of the Arts Exchange: 250 tons, up by the building, not down in the lower field…And this happened at—I don’t know, maybe 10 o’clock at night…I’m riding in a dump truck with somebody, and decide that we’ve got to dump this, because there’s no other thing we can do (laughs)…I call Alice Lovelace [then-executive director of the Arts Exchange] and tell her…here’s this huge mound of dirt that’s dumped in front of the Arts Exchange, that I’ve got to somehow move down to the lower field right away…So you can imagine, Alice was a real trooper to believe that I would get that thing over in the right place soon, and not block the doors…(laughs) But anyway…I was able to get a backhoe to come in and…push it over into the lower field where it could be used for the sculpture.” In addition to the physical undertaking required, the financial one was great as well. “It’s kind of hard to believe we did all that now (laughs) because we were in school the whole time, too…I mean, it was a big budget…and unfortunately…we didn’t have enough money to finish it…” Unfortunately, due to a lack of funds, she and her team were unable to purchase a protective layer of stucco that could preserve Prima Mater for a longer time. After some decades, the piece has lost much of its original shape; but the memory of the project and what it signified still stands. In addition to Prima Mater, “Rethinking,” and her work at the Arts Exchange, Donna participated in and helped organize art shows across Atlanta, including the storied Mattress Factory shows of the 1980s and 1990s with fellow Arts Exchange resident Jack Sinclair. Donna maintained her studio at the Arts Exchange for nearly 10 years. TODAY Since the early 2000s, Donna has lived in Montgomery, Alabama, where she worked for 13 years as Assistant Curator of Education at the Montgomery Museum of Modern Art. She recently retired, and now works part-time with the Alabama Arts Alliance, providing teachers across the state with workshops and curricula to encourage and integrate art in the classroom. She also enjoys doing her own artwork, including ceramics and a newfound love for encaustics. She plans to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new ArtsXchange in East Point this June.

It’s a done deal!! We have completed the sale of the Kalb Street property. There is a lot of history in this building. Do you remember the first ROOTS festival? The summer of enrichment camp? The annual Kwanaa celebrations? Did you know there was a recording studio in the building run by Joe Jennings? Or that Terri Axam housed Total Dance at the ARTS EXCHANGE for years? And who could forget Sheria Enahora and Tabala Martial Arts. Eddie Billups followed me as Executive Director and brought in Freddie Hendricks and the Robeson Theatre they founded youth ensemble of Atlanta. We have lots of memories and many reasons to celebrate.

Photographer Jim Alexander is nationally recognized for his award-winning documentary photography. Alexander has documented important moments and events from KKK rallies in Forsyth County to an up-close and personal photo of Dizzy Gillespie at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Since the 1960s, he has had over 60 solo exhibits featuring his photographs highlighting black culture and human rights. Jim Alexander’s work has been featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Georgia, Emory University, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and more. His photo of artist Romare Bearden on the steps of Atlanta’s Neighborhood Arts Center (NAC) in 1978, Romare at the NAC, was featured in the exhibit "Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey" at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in 2013, and with your help, we can make the ArtsXchange the permanent home of Romare at the NAC. In 1977, Jim was photographer-in-residence at the Neighborhood Arts Center. When the building closed, he joined other artists from the NAC who transplanted their studios to the ArtsXchange in 1984. When the property was sold in July 2017, Jim had to pack up three decades of work and memories. Moving out took two weeks of packing and hauling. The last thing to leave was this photograph—Romare at the NAC—six feet tall, four feet wide, and miles deep in history. According to Jim, “Romare at the NAC is one of my most popular photographs”: “I captured this shot as artist Romare Bearden, along with his wife Nanette Bearden, writer Jim Lee, Kerry Price, and artist/NAC Director John Riddle were descending the stairs, leaving the Neighborhood Arts Center after the Beardens paid a visit to the studio artists and staff in 1978. The little girl on the steps is the daughter of one of the childcare workers at the daycare center on the lower level of the facility. The visit was facilitated by Dr. Michael Lomax." A painter, collagist, writer, and more, Romare Bearden (1911-1988) was a patron of the Neighborhood Arts Center and a legend in the history of black art in the 20th century. Bearden’s work has had a tremendous impact on black art and identity, influencing the work of artists of all stripes, from playwright August Wilson to hip hop band The Roots, and more. As a Friend of the ArtsXchange, Priscilla Smith talked about why this purchase was important to her. She sees the Neighborhood Arts Center (NAC) as the ArtsXchange’s grandmother: “The NAC was a converted school building that made space for and gave support to a whole community of established and emerging artists, their audiences, and neighbors. Artists taught classes; children spent afternoons and summers learning and creating in the same place their adult mentors were making work; folks shared ideas, discussed theories, made plans, and carried out actions.” The ArtsXchange campus at Kalb Street continued that lineage from the 1980s into the 21st century, and now, the new ArtsXchange in East Point “promises to extend that rich tradition.” “Displaying this photograph will inspire,” she adds. “It will keep the history of the Neighborhood Arts Center alive and throw in a little art history to boot. We are asking people to donate to the fund to acquire and mount the photo in the entrance to our East Point home. It will be the first acquisition,” explains Smith. 2018 will mark the 40th anniversary of Romare at the NAC. To honor this, the photo is being purchased by a group of Friends of the ArtsXchange. The goal is $1,300. Thanks to members of Atlanta-based Alternate ROOTS and others on the Sankofa Bus Tour, $300 has been raised. Only $1,000 to go! Donations will pay for the purchase of the famous photo, framing, and installation in a place of honor for public view in the East Point location when it opens in mid-2018. DONATE HERE 100% of your donation is tax-deductible. For assistance or for alternative ways to donate, email info@artsxchange.org

I was born to do this​. ​By​ ​this, I mean curating my art life into a place of passion, peace and  purpose.I turned 36 years old this year. Ironically, so did the ArtsXchange - a cultural community  center known for serving artists of many disciplines. Since 1983, The ArtsXchange has been a  proud grassroots organization that provides a place for creatives whether emerging or  experimental, to explore, develop and connect ideas. After closing their original location in 2017 ,  they purchased and renovated an old elementary school in East Point. The doors for the new  location opened this year, in January of 2019. I knew it was my time. Confidently, I moved forward  with proposing the opportunity to curate three unique exhibitions for their new Jack Sinclair  Gallery. As a woman of color curator, I leveled up. On January 10, 2019​ the doors open to the gallery with the first  installation, ​The Art of Values​ , a group exhibition of 19 amazing local  artists who trusted me to share their work. The brand new space  with pearly white walls and tile floors was filled with colorful  paintings, print works and photography. Each piece explored values  that represented virtue, activism, love, understanding, expression  and solidarity in their own unique way. Some focused on self care,  internal reflections, growth and happy feelings. While others brought  up social justice issues, dealing with racism, poverty and women empowerment. Guests filled the room to support the establishment , the artists and myself. It was  truly a magical moment. Collectors gained new works for their homes, beneficial relationships  were formed and my confidence grew even more when I read that over 70 visitors signed the  guestbook opening night. As a woman of color curator, I leveled up. I knew I was headed in the  right direction to serve as a bridge in the arts community. Realizing that the hard work I had  dedicated much of my younger years had positioned me up for this level of success. This was the  first stage of how the Sinclair Gallery and I, together, would continue to grow. Her vision will be seen with closed eyes and her words are spoken with sealed lip My My February exhibit proposed was a double dedication to Black History, transitioning into  Women’s History Month. Currently on display until March 30, 2019,​ ​ experience​ S h e r o: A Sistagrapghy  and Friends Exhibition ​pays homage to Black women photographers. As a visual artist, I am most  inspired by photography because I use photos as references to help create my art. It has been an  honor to work with ​Sistagraphy, a collective of African American women photographers​ ​in Atlanta.  For over 25 years after Shelia Turner founded the organization, they continue to widely share their  works and their photographic skills. For me, being able to display works from various generations is  a humbling experience. I have learned more during this showing than any exhibit I have curated  before. HERstory​ ​ literally hangs on the gallery’s wall. Images of Black girl magic lights up the room  with photos of novelist and poet Alice Walker, and civil rights activists Coretta Scott King, Betty  Shabazz and Myrlie Evers Williams. From flowers blooming in afros, to a black and white 1988  photo of jazz singer Sara Vaughn, each work demands respect upon first glance. Visitors gaze at  images representing motherhood, spirituality and the beauty of elders as a reflection of wisdom.  These women are graced with strength, vulnerability, courage and freedom . The motto for the  show, ​“Her vision will be seen wit h closed eyes and her words are spoken with sealed lips. ​ ” is referring to the aura of a Black woman, for our presence is undeniable. I hold Shero as the essence  of that. Doing it for the culture and influencing the arts community… The April exhibit, ​CATCH ME IN THE A ​is another group exhibition that will be soulful, thoughtful  and inspirational. ​The lineup of artists are true Atlantans, ATLiens, Georgia peaches and  transplants who have made enlightening pathways from old Atlanta to New Atlanta. Doing it for the  culture and influencing the arts community, I am super excited to curate ​Catch Me In The A.  Opening up April 6th, 2019 and on display through May 11th, you can “catch me in the A!“ over at the  ArtsXchange. As a Black girl from from Denver, I have always been drawn to the South, especially to Atlanta. The  ATL, as it is so cleverly coined, was the first place I was able to connect with artists who looked like  me. Not only could I view their works in person but I was able to actually meet and learn from their  experiences as art professionals. I have lived here nearly fifteen years, so it was only right to create  the next show surrounding artistic visions of this great city. As spring approaches, I am ready for  sun kisses, witnessing the leaves turn green on trees and sharing more artworks from creatives  who are dedicated to making positive changes through motivating and mentoring the youth.  Atlanta is rich in history, the people, the vibe, whether it is the good, bad and ugly, it is our  responsibility to keep the legacy of Atlanta alive and create a better one at the same time. ​ Honoring the name, the person. Jack Sinclair came to the Arts Exchange in the early 1980's. Jack brought with him formidable skills  as a carpenter, contacts, and a vision. Jack created from scratch and no cash, the "Metropolitan  Gallery" at the Grant Park Arts Exchange. He ran the gallery while building out the theater, looked  after the massive boiler, and renovated the old cafeteria into an incredible loft apartment. The  Board and Staff are honored to dedicate our new East Point gallery the “Jack Sinclair Gallery” at  the ArtsXchange. - written by Alice Lovelace.

"When the times are hard, the people are hard.” Ebon Dooley On September 22, 2018, the ArtsXchange will honor its founder, Ebon Dooley, by presenting the first annual Ebon Dooley Arts and Justice Awards in recognition of individuals and organizations that utilize creativity in service to the communities they work in, with, and through. Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, along with the family of Ebon Dooley, will serve as honorary hosts alongside longtime ArtsXchange friends, community activists, and arts leaders in planning this inaugural event. When the doors of The Arts Exchange (ArtsXchange) opened, Ebon Dooley became its first Executive Director. Now, 35 years later, the ArtsXchange, having successfully sold its original property in Grant Park, will open the doors of its newly renovated campus in East Point this summer, with a Community Day and birthday celebration, studio spaces for artists, and a full slate of programming in the same tradition of arts and activism it has held since the days of Mayor Maynard Jackson and the Neighborhood Arts Center (ArtsXchange’s predecessor, and Ebon Dooley’s original home as a teacher and activist in Atlanta). EBON DOOLEY was a lifelong advocate of the fair distribution of wealth, promoting tolerance, freedom, and equality for all. He led with the spirit of grassroots movement for collective action in pursuit of economic and social justice. It is in his spirit that the ArtsXchange is proud to celebrate the first annual Ebon Dooley Arts and Justice Awards. Nominations are now open in the following categories: Bridge Builder Change Maker Economic Justice Champion Social Justice Champion Emerging Leader (Must be under age 30) The Deadline for nominations is June 30, 2018. For more information, contact Award@artsxchange.org, call 404.624.4211 or visit www.artsxchange.org. The awards celebration will also showcase the new ArtsXchange East Point Campus at 2148 Newnan St SW, East Point, GA 30344. ABOUT EBON DOOLEY EBON DOOLEY is the name taken by Leo Hale, born 1942 in Milan, TN, a small farming community. He attended Fisk University in Nashville and entered Columbia Law School as a regional honors scholar, graduating at age 25. In Chicago, he served as a VISTA legal volunteer and was active on the literary scene. As a poet he is best known for his connection with Chicago’s OBAC Writers Workshop in the late 1960's and early 1970's. In 1968, two major events happened: Third World Press published his book Revolution; A Poem, which ensured his reputation as a poet and agent for justice; and Ebon moved to Atlanta to manage the Timbuktu Bookstore, located near the original site of Paschal’s Restaurant. Ebon Dooley was one of the early organizers of WRFG Radio, 89.3FM, which provides a voice for those who have been traditionally denied open access to broadcast media. He joined the staff at Atlanta’s historic Neighborhood Arts Center (NAC) in 1975 as Writer-in-Residence. For nearly a year, he served as the NAC’s acting director. Ebon edited the regional magazine Potlikker, and helped organize the Southern Collective of African American Writers with Toni Cade Bambara. He was involved in the establishment of the Dunbar Center, the Atlanta Center for Black Arts, and the Southeast Community Cultural Center d/b/a the ArtsXChange.

PHOTO CREDIT COURTESY OF THERESA DAVIS Mother’s Day is Sunday, and we thought it would be fun to invite in a mother and daughter who both work in the arts for a conversation. We fell immediately upon Alice Lovelace and Theresa Davis. Lovelace is a writer and activist who moved to Atlanta in the 1970s and helped found a number of organizations, including the Arts Exchange. Davis, her daughter, is a teacher, poet and organizer who can be found hosting poetry slams around the city. “Was it your intention to raise an artist?” producer Myke Johns asks Lovelace. “It was my intention to raise adults,” she replies. “Thinking adults. When I teach, I tell [my students] I don’t come to poetry to make children poets. It’s to allow them to access their emotions and thoughts and then to be able to express them in a way that gives them relief. We wanted kids who could speak for themselves. Artists are excellent at speaking for themselves.” “I learned a lot of things by trial and error as an adult,” Davis says. “But I always had those moments that I could look back on and see how, if I had approached it differently in this way that my parents had done things, that it may not have been as jacked-up as I was making it.” “And I think that is when I truly got to a place where we could sit down and have these long, crazy conversations,” Davis admits, “and I would get all of the meat out of the conversation.” “I think that as she’s gotten older, what she realizes is that she’s really a whole lot like me,” Lovelace says, “and we have a great deal in common.” LINK TO STORY: https://www.wabe.org/mother-and-daughter-atlanta-artists-share-life-lessons