merchants at the steps of the temple

this is my third attempt to compile these thoughts.

art not ads

even jesus christ chased them away. time we should gather our whips.

we see billboards, advertisements, flyers, and signs. they are hovering above us. they are taped to the glass.
they are littered underneath our feet. you can fix your eyeballs on any ad at any time in the a. the mighty glowy orb of coke-a-cola reminds atlanta who did what for when. they even have billboards that are televisions ! and perhaps i am from a dunky backtown of florida, but i aint nevaseen thems before.
it seems curious to captivate the drivers' attention like that. but yea, maybe they just get it, the highway is boring to look at.

i totally agree. when i do get the occasion to ride in a car, i am seeing the ads, but moreover staring blankly at the equally void wallspace that lines I-75/85. what are these big long slabs of grey concrete that shuffle atlantians in and out of town. and what are the visitors to atlanta thinking when they gaze upon the rippling waves of the metal sound wall? oh, i'm sure they are loving it. they are thinking how great it is to not to be inspired think about this space at all. in that way, they can go back to from wherest they came, and not have to spend their time and mouths telling friends about the spectacle that is atlanta. those people, in return, wont have to waste their dollars hanging out in atlanta, supporting the locals. its the win win whammy.


places round town i see murals commissioned by said pissbeer company slapped on the sides of local bars. art ads perhaps ? by local talent, too. but in the same deck, promoting the product not the producer. telling the community, art and product are one in the same.
where is the proud tax money of the people nabbed if it is not going to the artists in the community to beautify it for them ? we are letting them use our artists to get a sales boost from us, and are then devoid of thoughtful, sustainable pieces. the shit people fly around the world to see.

atlanta is littered with billboards. advertisements were and still can be thoughtful and artistic. they serve a very necessary purpose of employing artists and help in elevating a career. the right ads can propel cultural definitions and be historical references for the good ol days. but in this town, at this time, i am seeing more advertisement art then community based art. there is something way wrong with that. there is something cold and spineless about that.

if atlanta could pull out of a quick sale and give that space to an artist, the visual stimulation of residents and visitors alike would re-define what it's like to be in atlanta. there would be a dissension upon the city like a lusty wind whipping and gripping around with a dazzled look.
obviously, the design and road structure of this city got massively whacked through the years, but come atlanta you can atleast give an interesting marker at points where roads suddenly change names of the turn comes out of no where. could perhaps result in less road rage, i'm sure.


to instigate change, contact Camille Russell Love, DirectorCRLove@atlantaga.gov ,404.546.6999
or Dorian McDuffie, Project Supervisor
Public Art Division
DMcDuffie@atlantaga.gov
404.546.6980
tell them you want to see and do not just to be sold to.




photo cred to mike germon. beer ad done by local artist, MLK mural done by an imported artist through the living walls campaign.