ATTRACTION
Tellus stages own ‘Night at Museum’ sequel
There’s no “Night at the Museum” sequel at multiplexes this summer, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your appetite for Ben Stiller hijinks.
But there will be a “Night at the Museum 3” at Tellus Science Museum  Aug. 6. The Cartersville attraction drew 900 people for its first “Night at the Museum” event in 2009 and nearly 1,500 last year.
This year’s event will focus on science fiction vs. science fact, with more than 50 actors portraying “Star Wars” characters, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Ripley from “Alien.” On the fact side of the coin, there will be appearances by the likes of Albert Einstein, Mary Shelley and the Wright Brothers. Kids can fill up free autograph books, watch “mad scientists” doing demonstrations in the theater and view free, shortened planetarium shows.
Reserve tickets, $20, by calling 770-606-5700, ext. 431. 100 Tellus Drive (Exit 293 off I-75), Cartersville. …

Continue reading Culture notes: Tellus stages own ‘Night at Museum’ sequel; literary two-fer for kids; arts fest in Ponce parks this weekend »

By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

Continue reading ‘Cavalia’ gallops back to Atlanta starting Dec. 7 »

VISUAL ART
Underground expressions
Look for a panoply of public art in and around Underground Atlanta in late summer and fall. The city of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program has announced “Elevate/Art Above Underground,” a series of temporary art events ranging from large-scale murals to conceptual art along the Upper Alabama Street corridor and surrounding downtown areas, Aug. 26-Oct. 30. Participating artists include Fahamu Pecou, Martha Whittington and Théâtre du Rêve. Information: www.elevateatlanta.blogspot.com. HOWARD POUSNER

VISUAL ART
Talk focuses on photography collecting
Trying to help a younger audience get the picture on collecting photography, Jackson Fine Art and WonderRoot arts center will present a free talk, 10 a.m.-noon July 30, featuring the gallery’s Anna Walker Skillman and High Museum of Art photography curator Brett Abbott. They will provide perspective on how to develop a collector’s eye, differentiating printing processes, …

Continue reading Culture notes: Public art coming to Underground; free talk to focus on photography collecting »

By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

Music is a major inspiration of Atlanta artist Radcliffe Bailey, whose exhibit “Memory as Medicine” recently opened at the High Museum of Art. So the High has organized a series of four music-themed films, titled “Radcliffe Bailey: One World Under the Groove,” selected in consultation with the artist. They will be shown on four consecutive Saturday nights starting this weekend:

• 8 p.m. July 23: “Kinshasa Symphony,” following Central Africa’s only symphony orchestra as it prepares for a major open-air concert to mark the anniversary of the independence of the former Zaire (2010).

• 8 p.m. July 30: “Space is the Place,” performance documentary-turned-narrative about Sun Ra, one of Bailey’s favorite musicians, as the cosmic jazz composer returns from space to rescue the black race (1974).

• 8 p.m. Aug. 6: “Strange Fruit,” documentary exploring the back story of the protest song popularized by Billie Holiday (2002). Theophus “Thee” Smith, …

Continue reading Culture notes: High film series complements Radcliffe Bailey exhibit; new leaders for Gwinnett Ballet »

By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

• Robert J. Farley, artistic director of Roswell’s Georgia Ensemble Theatre, and Marietta’s Georgia Ballet will be honored with Flourish Awards from Kennesaw State University’s College of the Arts. Also to be honored at the Fourth Annual Flourish Luncheon on Sept. 13 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre will be Hillgrove High School art teacher Jennie Collier-Johnston and Hardin Construction president William “Bill” Pinto. The awards honor those who have helped the arts flourish in Georgia, and the luncheon benefits scholarship endowments and student-learning initiatives in the KSU College of the Arts. Information: www.kennesaw.edu/arts (click “Flourish Luncheon” link) or 770-499-3214.

• Teresa Bramlette Reeves is the new director of Kennesaw State University’s Art Museum and Galleries. She will serve as chief curator, selecting and organizing exhibitions and educational and public outreach programs. “I want to get more visibility to …

Continue reading A slew of honors in metro Atlanta’s arts community, from Kennesaw State to NBAF »

THEATER
That ‘Fela’ looks familiar
Former Atlantan Sahr Ngaujah, who has played the title role of “Fela!” on Broadway and in London and Africa, will be the star when the nationally touring musical comes to the Atlanta Civic Center for a run Oct. 11-16. Ngaujah, who grew up in College Park, attended Tri-Cities High School and acted for local troupes including Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, was nominated for a best actor Tony last year as the dynamic Nigerian singer-activist Fela Kuti. Tickets for the eight performances go on sale Friday via Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000. HOWARD POUSNER

MUSEUMS
Cartersville science center expecting 50,000th visitor
Open since January 2009, Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville expects to celebrate its 500,000th visitor on Friday. The museum boasts comprehensive fossil and mineral galleries, a “Science in Motion” exhibit taking visitors through a century of changes in transportation technology, an active planetarium …

Continue reading Culture notes: “Fela!” star Ngaujah coming home to Atlanta with hit show; Tellus Museum approaches milestone »

By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

On Wednesday, the Georgia Council for the Arts announced grant awards of nearly $1 million for fiscal year 2012 to more than 100 arts organizations across the state. Here’s who got what:

FY2012 Operating Support Grant Awards: Community Arts

ART Station $6,609

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College $2,700

(The) Arts Council $2,700

Athens Clarke County Unified Government $8,510

A.W.O.L. All Walks of Life $2,934

City of Savananah, Department of Cultural Affairs $5,951

Colquitt County Arts Council $3,919

Colquitt/Miller Arts Council $9,274

Creative Arts Guild $3,972

Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville Douglas County $2,700

(The) Fox Theatre $4,325

Fulton County Arts Council $18,851

Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association* $11,029

Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences $4,013

Lowndes-Valdosta Arts Commission $3,337

Macon Arts Alliance $2,700

Madison-Morgan Cultural …

Continue reading Here’s who got what in Georgia Council for the Arts ‘12 grants »

“Fela!” the musical about the late Nigerian Afrobeat singer-activist Fela Kuti that scored 11 Tony nominations last year, is coming to the Atlanta Civic Center for a run Oct. 11-16. Tickets for the eight performances go on sale July 15 at Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. The Broadway smash made a star of former Atlantan Sahr Ngaujah, but no advance word on tour casting. HOWARD POUSNER

Continue reading ‘Fela!’ coming to Atlanta Civic Center in October »

By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

Theatre in the Square has announced its 2011-12 season lineup. The Marietta troupe will celebrate its 30th anniversary with…

• Aug. 10-Sept. 11: “On Golden Pond,” a restaging of the theater’s first production, in September 1982.

• Sept. 28-Oct. 20: “Ghost-Writer,” Michael Hollinger’s romantic mystery.

• Jan. 18-Feb. 26: “The Ladies Man,” based a Georges Feydeau farce about the complications that ensue after an amorous doctor’s lie.

• March 7-April 8: “Flyin’ West,” Pearl Cleage’s tale about former slaves settling in a new region after the Civil War. It was first staged in Atlanta by the Alliance Theatre in 1992 and remounted by True Colors Theatre Company in 2005 for the National Black Arts Festival.

• April 25 -May 27: To be announced.

In addition to the five Main Stage productions, Theater in the Square will bring back two holiday staples, “Sanders Family Christmas” (Nov. 22-Jan. 1) and “The 1940’s Radio Hour” (Dec. 17-Jan. 1, to be …

Continue reading Marietta’s Theatre in the Square announces 30th anniversary season »

VISUAL ART
Bearden,  Bourgeois added to MoMA show at High
The centennial of Romare Bearden’s birth will be celebrated at a National Black Arts Festival program, “Interpretations: Black Visual Art — Past, Present and Future,” at 8 Wednesday night  in Symphony Hall.

And, it turns out, Atlantans will be seeing more of Bearden’s work this fall, as the High Museum of Art recently added the great collage artist and painter and French-American sculptor and installation artist Louise Bourgeois to the 12 artists originally announced for “Picasso to Warhol.”

“One of the principal goals of the exhibition is to draw new audiences,” High curator of modern and contemporary art Michael Rooks said in an e-mail of the show assembled from the Museum of Modern Art’s collection that opens Oct. 15, “and we felt that the inclusion of these artists would bring an added dimension.”

Subject to change, “Picasso to Warhol’s” checklist now stands at 114 pieces. In addition to the dynamic duo in the …

Continue reading Culture notes: Bearden, Bourgeois added to High’s MoMA show; memorial set for curator Dubler »