manifesto of diy in atlanta and beyond (ode to couchcouch)

i do believe any space is possible. the creation of something only
requires the will to do it. and when we enter a 2 bedroom apartment,
we understand it holds any greatness
as much shakes loose of the eyesockets.
it is up to the creative community to be utilizing and developing
space. interpretation of the space determined by idea seeker.
we are a cultural representation of the currently existing fucks who
just keep trying. we shape it and break it.
we make ourselves in this way. not the smokey cave or electrobar.
people in life. acting as life. open to it as if each minute was not a
personal dollar sign.
so to continue the dream of human next to human, we should maintain
the collected thought. movement under an idea and goal is essential.
forward motion of intention.
it is a concept. a shared space. a new adventure. the spool of ideas
always twisting. there is a hero here! one who could and totally
would. probably should.
the more you think it the better.
the hero should never talk themselves out of it as pipes and haze. any
little is big and any big is baggin. the most buck for a hollar.
burning matches along the fabric of our directed eyes, setting it
aflame while fusing it together. strengthening what is destroyed.
language is useless and our understanding of it a mud carousel. there
is a common but interchangeable dictionary.
   --the space is you
   --the walls are made of concrete not your ability and/or perspective.
   --do not limit your late night consumption to your mouth.
   --host with pride & respect like it were the cloud castle
   --do not loose your head, celebration is for the deserving not
just for the living.

this is a vault of creation. protected and shared. a wealth growing
and spreading. the combination of access is person to person and
should be always done and undone.
pass the reigns of action and instigation to whomever might join in.
anyone can define a night. however, not just anyone can see it through
till morning. be on toes of intentions.
users and abusers will only stall growth.

the mindless mudhole of the "venue" is the dependence on dependence.
the venue can only support itself on vice. take the cultural roledex
away from the "venue". they are not
the only ones who can inspire a night. those who want to see should
also want to do.
there is no reason the creative community should be exploited for the
cost of a gin & tonic. the understanding and intention to be united in
a space not by boredom or consumption
but to be stimulated by a real vibration.
we do not wish to poison for the sake of art. vice not being the evil,
per say, but the distractor. the illusion of art and substance is a
murky haze. there is no need of one for the other.
both can be embarrassed and enjoyed in harmony. both the celebration
of life and youth. but it is the expectation of the "venue" that the
attendees are fueled by dull and repeat. that is their bottom line.

the space is not a business. it is not recognized on a legal paper
with defined and regulated abilities. there is no bottom line. its
success depends only on the ones who gather to it.
the creators and creations. lookers and watchers. it is more like a
bazaar. constant trading and maintaining of the creative community.
the need for profit raises the usual and dismisses the risk.
but when passion is better then profit, ideas are unfiltered.

a diy space is of extreme importance to the evolving spirit of a
community. a direct representation of the ideas and voices of the
people who have them. not for selling, but to magnify a collected
drive.
without a diy for the community, you are left with a valley of coke
dens & sports bars. there is a disconnect of "venue" and patron. a diy
space desires not to have customers but contributors.

an open letter to kwanza hall (city councilman for the old fourth ward)

kwanza, or jay, or whoever gets these emails. 

last night my roommate was mugged by my apartment at 380 edgewood ave outside the exxon near that grassy area on edgewood ave. by three young dope boys. this is concerning for a few reasons.

1) it is so clear and obvious that the people who live next to me in the building are selling drugs. they stand outside all hours of the night, cars continually pull up, honk, and have someone come to lean in their window, i have been offered drugs by some of the younger guys who live there...

2) "Brenda's Palace" is a grocery store downstairs in the retail part our building, yet i have never seen anyone buying more then a candy bar. i do, however, see dope boys and hustlers crawling in and out of there all day. they are open at totally random hours and claim to accept WIC, which means they receive government assistance. 

3) similarly, a car wash open a block away is not ever washing any cars, yet stays open with one or two people hanging around the building.  

4) this is suppose to be a historic neighborhood, embodying the cultural and spiritual significance of Dr. King and his teachings. yet, there are no social centers, youth organizations, community programs, or even ambassadors aiding to assist overall safety and encourage growth in the area. 

edgewood ave is a joke. it is either a clear lack of concern due to a low number of relevant campaign donors, or a backdoor facilitation of this addicted street. either way, it is a disgrace. i am wondering what dr. king would think about his legacy in that neighborhood.

 it does not make sense to me that your office would not be aware of this condensed block of bullshit. i want to know why nothing has been done to break up the activity and why your office allows fake businesses to set up all over. when will you bring a store front that is actually useful to the community around? one block away from where the body of Dr. king lies is a shameful food desert saturated with a string of bars and dope boys. 

***included is a photgraph of the very same grassy area my roommate was mugged where not only do all the dope boys converge, they also use as a trash can***

bike vs car : let's play nice

in atlanta, the battle rages on. who's road is it anyhow? big enough
for all these cars, but used first by bicycles. The desire to simplify and save a few dollars by opting to ride a bike rather then drive through town is encouraging the rise of the riders. this is met with much frustration to the typical atlanta driver, who pains in the realization they should slow down and go around. there is hope,
however.  we could all just get along if we could find a little harmony. the actual infrastructure of atlanta roads make it difficult for sharing. Flow is interrupted, road rage flairs, people become upset and reckless. i have traveled highs and lows and only really in american cities do you see such malicious aggression between bike and cars. there is a cause for concern.
in addressing the issue as one between 'bikes' and 'cars' recognizes
the fight is actually just machine against machine. our neighbors have
become detached from each other and caution fades into impatience. i would like to believe that a person would not just walk up to someone one their bike and push them off of it. it is the personal buffer of the car that makes it easy for drivers to get aggressive and careless. as a bike rider, it is terrifying to have a car flying by inches from your side. if the idea is to prove a point, it's getting through more as a threat then determent. when the cars pull up behind a rider and creep behind them, it feels like a hungry crocodile is sneaking up to you licking it's chops. cars, after all, are considered a weapon when used in a violent act. when a driver gets too close, tries to scare off, or even run off the road someone who is just trying to get through this big 'ol city, i would assume it to be recognized as a very violent act. we are the people you know. friends, lovers, brothers, sisters, parents, and people who are apart of your community.empathy is a powerful educator and should be in the back of every
driver's mind.
when asked their opinions of bike riders, most drivers have a negative
tone. claims of riders being 'in the way' and that they ride
carelessly- running lights, weaving in traffic, etc. in the defense of
riders on both of these issues, drivers can get down right dangerous,
and if you have driven at all in atl, you have seen it too. the most
problematic, however, is this concept of bikers being 'in the way' of
the driver. so often you can hear drivers shouting to get out of their way or to get off the road. the idea that drivers are entitled to the entire road and should not be slowed or stopped for any reason is a clear cause of so
much aggression. the law in atlanta states bicycles are not allowed on
the sidewalk, but must ride on the road along with other vehicles, and
cars are required to give 3 feet of space. the level of pure driver rage seems to vary depending on the gender of the rider and most of the time the driver as well. according to my male bike rider friends, their encounters with pissed off drivers is more intense and happens more frequently. i have only been yelled at and physically endangered a handful of times, but i am afraid for the guys. 
 whether by car or bike, we all have a right to get where we need to go, in the transportation we chose, and trust the people in our community are not going to run us off the road.

More foot traffic, less car traffic

With the sudden announcement of Criminal Records’ demise, the residents of Atlanta have to ask themselves, how can it be? Some will point to the rise of digital media and the low cash flow these days. However, I believe a huge contributing factor to the slowing of business for Criminal, as well as other shops in Little Five Points, is the traffic.  Car traffic, that is, and not enough foot traffic.  

The landscape of Little Five Points is becoming more and more pedestrian desolate. In business, accessibility is everything.  Shoppers are confronted with crossing very busy, very congested, very unforgiving strips of road. Rather than wait or risk the crosswalk, people will continue on the same side, dissuading them from what is on the other sidewalk.

What can be seen and felt by the flow of traffic on Moreland and Euclid can be seen in the people walking through Little Five. A pedestrian highway. The passing through of the cars within the walking space seems to create the same thing in people. They walk, stop, walk, stop, and walk through. The only real sitting and gather spots are directly in front of a business and are only for customers. Findley Plaza is an entirely different type of problematic space. If there were more places to sit, gather, congregate, as a neighborhood or community there would be a definite increase in business. The longer people feel comfortable in a space, the more they will linger and enjoy themselves and spend money. Take Las Rambla in Barcelona, for example. One long street of open markets, endless table and chairs and benches, and shops and stores surrounding.

Why it is that only during special events and parades is the area given over to the community. A sporadic handful of days when people can walk and gather in the street, in front of shops, absorbing their neighborhood. The rest of the time, the space is given back to traffic, full of cars who are just passing through, clogging and congesting the area without any distributed contribution.

Beginning this evolution small would be ideal. On Saturdays and Sundays to close of Euclid Ave at Moreland down to El Myr.  Instigate a possibility for pedestrians in the neighborhood to walk and shop freely, without fear of getting run over. Out of all the points made about this issue, I feel that is the most relevant. The heavy saturation of vehicles makes it dangerous and chaotic.

Photos of Little Five Points, Atlanta on various days

Photos of Las Rambla, Barcelona on various days

there are 8 bars on edgewood ave and 0 trash cans

this is a reality. it is more to the benefit of the old fourth ward community to have a long stream of bars then to put out visible and accessible trash cans. Or even just one. no, it is more likely the people coming to this part of town will just pop in for a drink or chow and not have to even worry about throwing something away OUTSIDE. who the fuck would go OUTSIDE? and well the people who are outside, either walking to somewhere, enjoying the area, or are just fucking poor, will have to carry such things or better yet- dump and throw their shit around the sidewalks like cavemen. like serious neanderthals. who forgot to tell you that when we became thinking beings we strive to separate from animals in minor but so painfully obvious ways as to not live in our own filth.
this is the problem of the whole community.
the businesses along edgewood ave do not understand how it is bad news for them. they assume that as long as inside is nice and pretty, people should not have a problem. but when you are walking down a street that has garbage lining the sidewalk and bags of trash piled up on the street comers, you are lead to believe this neighborhood is a wasteland and no one gives a shit, so why should you. why should you care to walk around or engage in the area, visit and support the local businesses, if the people who are here trash it themselves.
waiting on the city of atlanta to give a shit enough will cost you a lifetime. i have been told that standard sidewalk trash cans can cost around $8,000 each. so obviously, it will take a while to get a handful of cans to line edgewood, where they are most needed.
yet we have all these bars. all these bars who bring people to the area, who desire to see the neighborhood as well as their business grow and succeed. and i know times is tough and everyone is struggling but i see the busy weekend nights and i know these bars are bringing in the dollars. for these places to set up shop in an area and expect to be supported and frequented by the community, there should be an even exchange of support. yes it would be nice if the city could foot the bill to keep the streets cleaned up, but its not happening, so it falls onto the entrepreneurs of the block. this is their street now too. this is their community now. as if their children were going out to play in the filth, they should feel the commitment and desire to keep the garbage contained.
not only as an act of support and good-neighborism for the community, but for the financial benefit of their business. to make it appealing and enjoyable for the patrons who are coming to this part of town. the streets dont have to be re-paved in gold, but no one wants to wade through a trash river just to grab a drink with friends.
be a part of a conscious investment and contribution part to the neighborhood, dont just sell booze to it.

**the homeless old man who sleeps outside the Jamaican restaurant and throws his garbage everywhere.

f(ph)at

what diseases were ever afflicting the poor? as of now it is obesity. keeping the poor feasting off of the fat cheap scraps failitates the spread of it. so is it just the fault of the fast food chain? or could it also be the responsibility of the health food freak to take on the system in their environment. they should respond to the obvious desperation of a community saturated in fat. why are the things that are the best for you the most expensive? is natural, whole food a luxury or a right? should our health have such a high price?

the people behind the movement should be the leaders of a wholeness and healing evolution. there should be an understanding of goals and teaching while continuing the idea not motivated by money. are only certain income levels allowed to live disease free? i cannot believe in the ideals of a place who is making a growth profit off of them. what is it to make a business from beliefs? a food and health system should be accessible to the people for a very standard rate. to support the system itself. why should a shop owner expect the people to support an extravagant lifestyle off of goods that are a right to all? or if not the shop owner, the food companies and suppliers. making a modest profit for the sake of the well being of a community should be understood.
foodies and health nuts see their cause like a religion. and like the mega churches are transparent in their greed, so are the whole foods and high priced exclusive natural markets.

and more so for the poor community. the people most in need. how is it that the militant concept of nutrition can be so exclusive. i do not believe that general health is so sacred it must be left only to who can afford it. it can be done right in moderate formats and also can encourage a heavier saturation of similar establishments. basic supply and demand. but the private entrepreneurship of a food market seems counterproductive to the sustainable nourishment of its community. it has to be over the people for the people. with a balanced input from all sides.

i challenge the counterfood culture to take on a real need in the poorer communities and commit fully to the cause.

the clean sidewalk concept

in the daylight of this amazing ice capade, atlantians are shuffling and sliding to get back to normal life. and who is to be blamed that there are not enough plows or salt trucks in town? we do not get weather like this ofter enough to invest so much of the already strapped city funds into buying them.
so the ice stays and we all wait for the melting to commence.

what would be easier and more effective ? if everyone could just do it their damn selves...
when i did venture out to dr. bombays over in candler park, i saw a couple plow trucks pushing the ice away. but on entering dr. bombays, i see that only a small patch of sidewalk, right in front of her shop, is cleared of the ice. the rest of the sidewalk is slick and frozen.

why only clean right in front of your store ? do you hate your business neighbors ? or is it the 'it's not my job' mentality taking over? the lack of community helping community is perpetuating this slow clean up process. shovel the WHOLE sidewalk. help clean off your ENTIRE street. to keep waiting for the city to deal with it conditions people to submit power of their own environment and expect the powers about to handle every situation. sometimes, most of the time, they cannot. and in this situation, the people of atlanta could have taken those beautiful steps of good samaritanism and helped the city get back to the everyday.

but no, the perpetual, 'it's not my problem' continues to run people's moral and ethical compass and keep them sitting around like lumps until someone else has fixed the situation.

the clean sidewalk concept works for days without ice as well. for picking up the trash on your street, or helping to fix something broken on your block. taking social responsibility for the environment in which you live gives you back the power to improve your world.

or you can wait for the city to come around.
eventually.....

smalls steps of a long stroll

I read an article recently about the rise in businesses along the Ponce de Leon corridor on the Beltline who are losing customers due to their parking lots being taken for the Beltline project. Some are even having to relocate.

I have been saucy towards the Beltline idea for a while, mainly because their unfortunate out-of-touch relations with involved neighborhoods made them seem G'Tech-ed out and a little pretentious. And when shit goes wrong for them, I'm always curious.

As I'm reading this article, however, I am realizing the little movement that is starting and how right side of the road people can be.
So here it is, big and bright for everyone to notice. Atlanta walking space is creeping in. The less parking lots, the less people will be inclined to drive places. Like in most major cities, cheap parking is impossible to find. But, unlike most major cities, our transit system and walking space is in total shambles.

One business, Urban Body Fitness, is moving because of the lack of parking. Instead of embracing the shift of a sustainable lifestyle, they are using time and energy to maintain the status quo. 'People drive cars in Atlanta.' 'They won't come to your business if there is no parking.'
  So it could be possible, by way of Beltline, to really start the shift into a healthier, more engaging Atlanta. Businesses like Urban Body should know that. The more you move and get out in your world, the better you feel. It would be mindfully progressive for the Studio to get more involved with it. Get clients to take public transit by mapping out routes and having bus maps on hand. Do neighborhood focused advertising and encourage them using the walk-way.

After seeing the sad car-obbessed realitly that is Atlanta when Artichoke Bliss, a community garden on Edgewood Ave, was viciously graveled for a parking lot for a facility across the street who were the owners of the lot. At most one truck per week takes up the lot.
Eventually we are going to have to get in position to ween off car addiction. The small steps of the Beltline people shows that long stroll that will get us to a walking, biking, active, vibrant city.

Viva la Feet !

Loitering in Atlanta : enforcing feet as decoration only.

when being out in the city is against the law.

one day i was sitting in a public space in downtown atlanta, near marta outside of the popeyes and cvs, writing in my notebook when a downtown ambassador told me i had to move. no reason was given, he just kept calling the atlanta police when i was questioning him. talking to the ambassador at their headquarters, they tell me 'some places are not for hanging out in. places like woodruff park have been designated to be in.'

but the other spot was public. why are they able to establish one public spot for existing in from the other. didn't the people of atlanta pay for both?

loitering : loi·tered, loi·ter·ing, loi·ters 
    wikipeidia- is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time.
    dictionary.com- 1. To stand idly about; linger aimlessly.
                             2. To proceed slowly or with many stops: loitered all the way home.
                             3. To delay or dawdle: loiter over a task.
     urban dictionary- What punks, creeps, Ace Boon Coons, and Pachuco boys can be found doing outside pool halls, liquor stores, and 7-Eleven stores. Loitering involves standing somewhat still, posing like a tough guy, spitting on the sidewalk, and (if you're an Ace Boon Coon) occasionally shouting "Sheee-IT!" or "MO FO!" Proprietors of businesses post signs that say "NO LOITERING." These signs can be found at better pool halls, liquor stores, and 7-Elevens in all major cities. They do this because if anything is bad for business, it's a slime ball punk or nose-picking creep or a greasy haired Pachuco or a shit-ass Blood or fat slob Crip standing outside your establishment
 
all which means nothing, really.

 but makes it easy for a shuffle of authority to tell you what you ain't should be doin.

in the world that is atlanta we have created a capsule for ourselves. get inside the thing, go get inside a different thing, take one thing to the other.
in this way it is easy to spot the people who have no capsule of escape. no car, job, home, hobby. so yea its easy to see these people out on the streets. walking around like duds.
and yea they are annoying and gross sometimes and are trying to sell you something no good or ask for 35 cent to get across town or whatever.

so then along come loitering laws. enforced really in a class by class basis. this guy on his cell phone in a business suit can stand on the corner however long he wants to. the guy in the dirty clothes has to move along.
people standing outside noni's and soundtable on the weekend nights never get bothered with a move along.

what the city does not understand is that the enforcement of loitering laws is actually making the streets of atlanta more sketchy. if no one is allowed to be out on the streets, crimes are easier to commit.
having more people around is more eyes. it makes the non-criminals feel better about walking down the street.

 we should be allowed and encouraged to be out on the streets of atlanta. with the shortage and extreme corruption of the atlanta police department, it makes more sense the the citizens to be the eyes in their neighborhoods.

public space is for public use. this is about the bigotry and the prejudice of some downtown merchants and police who don't want to see homeless people near their stores much as southern bigots in the jim crow south didn't want black people near their stores because they scare away the white customers.

in multiple cases, the supreme court has struck down loitering law cases as unconstitutional in chicago(http://libertarianrock.com/1999/06/supreme-court-strikes-down-loitering-law/) and new york city (http://gothamist.com/2010/04/27/nyc_held_in_contempt_for_enforcing.php)

atlanta, here's your chance to get a clue.

building in a building - a quite possible experiment

i am dirty smelly banged up and tired. i just crawled from out of the shelled belly of a lulled giant that is city hall east. most visits to city hall east are a two-three hour expedition that has you walking, climbing, and winding for miles. a trek through a couple floors is a good mile or two not including the extra efforts getting in and out. she is a beast. a sedated monster now, the life of it had been slowly moved out one forsaken office at a time.

but i was lucky. i got to be in it during the final stages of death. i started working at the building in the early spring of 2010. two offices remained in the whole place. parks and recreations and the office of cultural affairs, where i was interning. i went to city hall east not knowing anything about the space, but leaving that first day completely obsessed with it. i would walk around different floors for hours after getting off work. i would bring people back in with me after hours. we would grab anything.

stacks of rolled up city plans for atlanta. huge beautiful images of the design of the city just dumped in offices.
leather-bound notebooks of urban designers' sidewalk plans.
room after room with stacks of old technology.
bags of un-used department patches and name tags.
endless arts and office supplies.
photo and ledger documentation for every department of the city.
huge maps of atlanta's inner workings.
weird personal office stuff people left behind.
bookcases, floor to ceiling with ledgers.
a full body silver flame resistant fireman's suit.
official letter-head everywhere.

and thats just the stuff i wanted.

so i would bring people with me who i knew could utilize and re-purpose the shit that was left like trash. it was not trash, however. it was all amazing beautiful historical record of how a system use to function.
an entire floor filled with chutes, conveyors, and drops once used for the sorting and routing of mail for the building is a serious mindfuck. people use to get mail ! tons of mail !
typed memos, handwritten notes, and pencil sketched cityscapes is a lost happening.

this building is now totally empty. every room on every floor is eletricfied and lit up so the guards can see when they are patrolling.  taxpayer's money being poured into a space the people of atlanta bought, but are forbidden access to. the city has decided what was 'vauable', deemed it worth, taged it, and sold it off. mostly old office furniture and weird bulky work stations. the documents, the extinct technology, the drawings, the handcrafted outline of constructing and maintain an exploding city-has been buried in a landfill. like it didnt matter.

the plan is to now get as many dollars dumped in there so it can start to bring about more dollars. what is a tradegy for the city, is that when no dollars are there, none can be dumped.

it has two options from there:
1) sit on the property trying to desperately squeeze a dollar for a filing cabinet and hope it sweetness up the deal for a potential slumlord savior. but as it goes, the monster is proven itself to be more then any real estater could tango. the possibility of a good long years of abandonment are more in store.
2) set up an open and diverse regulating system of allowing individuals or groups use the space for free for up to five years. agree and term it as fit to the benefit of the renter and space as allowing repairs and restores, cultural and artists events, areas for open media and education, local business, personal work spaces. it is overwhelmingly endless what a space like that could bring together.

allow it to be rejuvenated with life and excitement to build something new. if the structure of the city itself will be thrown away, an establishment of a enlivened environment should be honored and embraced.

after the deemed free lease is up, the building residents could work with the city or owners for a place of content. at this point it will have hopefully flourished into a self sustaining entity.

this could sound like bullshit but i dont think it is.
i believe it is possible for people to want to see this happen. i believe it could help inspire and shape the progression of self establishment by relieving pressures of money. i believe it could open up the doors for places like detroit and baltimore to exploit the run down ruins the greedy absent investors left them to watch decay at but never make use of.
i believe for sure that beyond spiking the value of the building itself, it will do double for atlanta.

this is beyond wanting to. we need to. city halls east needs us.

.

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.

Adderall : for those who can't at all

we are the ADD generation.
growing up with sugar cereal and hyper spastic cartoons before school, it is no wonder why children are diagnosed with attention deficit. they are being jacked up like electroshock therapy.
and in that process we allowed schools and councilors to medicate them, especially boys. young kids are suppose to be excited and energetic, but our current culture disapproves of that. desiring, instead, to medicate and zombify children so they will sit in a mindless and creatively devoid school structure.

boys seemed to be the heavily attacked and i knew lots of them in school who got put on ritalin. according to this article on overmedicating of american children ( http://www.chaada.org/OvermedicatingofAmerica.html ), "Antidepressants spending grew by 21% over a three-year period and ADHD by 369% (no typo) compared to 4.3% in the use of antibiotics"

what the fuck !?

so where are we now. we are in a culture of young adults who have no idea what it is like to feel sober and normal. and who are told still that they are not suppose to feel anything but productive. in the desire to rid themselves of depression, anxiety, mood swings they have dulled themselves to even the good stuff. the highs and lows are a never ending see-saw.

in the post-industrial age, we are taught to be machines. collages expect this, workplaces expect this, the trickle down to the family unit expects this.  to keep up with the demands of a constant punch-out while balancing the mental debilitation spawned by growing up medicated, the savior that is known as adderall has come to us humans.

people are able to focus and work more then ever. it is the equivalent of mental steroids. and causes similar side effects. the idea that we are to be mindless workhorses seems to be the paved road of american sense of production. we live to work not work to live.

competition in school and the workplace is putting an emphasis on mental enhancements. the options of proper diet, exercise, and healthy mental activity is a lifestyle shift most are not willing to embrace. taking a pill, is easier instead.

privileged class speed, it is creating drones and addicts in high places. getting reliant on it in college rolls over to work and now we are in brave new world.

more to come......

blue balls, ga

you know those ads on craigslist that offer a job with the democrats. turn georgia blue!
its so vague while being so intriguing. i could do something! i could get involved! i can be the grassroots obamaite who door to doors her way to having her a big bronze statue of community inspired vanity.

so we tried it out, my friend melanie and i.

interview. you go to the democratic party of georgia office in midtown atlanta. sit in a room with walls full of go-pro-demo signs. older ones too. carter to obama they are like mounted kills of a successful campaign year.  so here we sit in the trophy room in front of this guy who is rolling out the run down. he is animated, bright, good looking, and young. he is telling you that you too can be apart of this party. you too can have a hand in turning georgia from red to blue! goddamnit it you could even do-good your way to the toppist top, get a nice slick sign with your name on it, and inspire a new round a kids to get excited in politics.
the guy really does not stop talking the entire time. what he is saying is relevant, however. important words to hear for getting ready to charge fourth into hostile republican territories.
they are trying not to change people's minds, necessarily. they are just wanting to get the people who are on their side more involved and more active in the party. their mountain of success is flourishing with active, happy member of the community.
it is really quite a beautiful concept.
we were way into it.

they take you one on one and ask simple 'why do you wanna' questions. they told me to come back tomorrow. 
wear something casual and comfortable. "you know, nothing too fancy for the office."

the next day melanie and i show up ready for it.
we gather in a meeting room with about ten young democratic go-getters to max. we get paired with someone to train us and split up. for the next teo hours i am in front of a girl who hands me a script sheet and tells me what i am about to read has been tested and tweeked for years to verbal perfection in order to successfully get contributions from people.
    "Hi, my name is ______ and i'm with the Democratic Party of Georgia. As you may know, with this year's election we finally have a chance to take back the governor's mansion. But with 9 state seats open and an entire legislature up for grabs, .................................. So basically, what we are asking people to do, is ...."

and you are suppose to say it like you mean it.
we rehearse it over and over. role playing like you are in therapy. she gives possible scenarios and dialogues that could go down. people avoiding a contribution, being rude, trying to trick or confuse you about politics.
it seemed easy enough. ridiculous enough, as well.

back into the meeting room and we get re-paired with someone to canvas with. four to five people ride to various northern neighborhoods and get ready to hustle. the girl i am assigned to shadow, hilary, is the driver and delivers people to their respected 'turfs' with maps of the neighborhood in hand. the streets are colored according to how many houses per block have given money or could possibly, if you get the right person to answer the door. it feels like a game of shutes and latters. hilary and i get to our turf and get to getting.

walking up each driveway is nerve-racking. is this person going to freak out? are they really going to give us $200? how do you become the person on the other side of this door who is about to get hit up for their obvious aabundance of dollars.

and as it goes she does her thing. we get rejected over and over. people tell us that we were just there last week. we are surprisingly met with a lot of gratitude. people are happy that we are going door to door, trying to reach voters face on face. but no money. they are not willing to give us money.

in my head it starts to become so clear. people do not really have money these days. resources are not limited to cash, but that is all the democrats are asking for. and for the small amount they are making each day it is basically just going to pay themselves. not really to support and entire campaign. they do it, however to reach people. to get them involved and understanding the government structure. i am thinking, however, that money is the wrong way to go about it.

to get the community involved in a campaign is very important. there is a need for people to understand the issues, trust candidates, and be informed on what is or is not going to change when their candidate is elected. trying to use money as a motivator for that is choking and confusing the grassroots movement of the democratic party. people who they are trying to reach, the people who have the money to fund them, are not as concerned by the issues. they are also not as willing to give in a potential hope for improvement. there is no instant return.
the communities they should be heavily focusing on are the poorer. although they might not have the cash to fund big events or the bright blue tour bus they candidate will surely cruise on, they are hungry to get involved. they desire a real voice, and they have other, more genuine things to offer other then cash.

suffice it to say melanie and i quit. i told the fast talking guy back at the office that if they want to use me for what i am good at, then challenge me to do more then just begging for change.
the next night we went out selling food on the street to hungry people outside of bars at night. people were a hundred times more responsive and supportive of what we were doing. we even got tips! and it stimulated conversation about what we were doing and why they should care. engaging the community one falafel at a time.

deep fried reality is better with powdered sugar

the historic old fourth ward has a small subsection near downtown just past the I-75/85 monster called Sweet Auburn District. According to the National Park Service of Atlanta,
                   " the Sweet Auburn Historic District reflects the history, heritage and achievements of Atlanta's African Americans. The name Sweet Auburn was coined by John Wesley Dobbs, referring to the "richest Negro street in the world." Like other black communities throughout the country, Sweet Auburn's success was intricately tied to the residential patterns forced on African Americans during the early 20th century--the result of restrictive laws in southern states which enforced segregation of the races, known as Jim Crow laws. It was here that many African Americans established businesses, congregations, and social organizations."

now it is drugged and apathetic. the residuals from the post civil rights and black empowerment movements and the former young boy gangsters-now gross dude junkies are drudging along like plankton or zombies or zombie plankton all over the Sweet Auburn area.
the space has been claimed by them in massive numbers....that is until the Sweet Auburn Festival comes to town.
then shit is nice and pretty.

one man block party grandmaster, charles johnson, is the organizer, and in effect profiter, from the festival which takes place in the spring. it's mostly vendors selling their standard display of crap. this year i saw a few small organizations had booths for the cause.
walking through it, esp under the highway monster, you feel consumed in the smell of terrible carnival food and desperate money hounds with shiny wrapped plastic earrings.

the next day its gone and the junkies are back and people wait until next year to celebrate a former atlanta cultural garden while mr. charles johnson is happy to plan the whole thing for them again.

the original art on the beltline : unfunded and lowbrow

prior to the atlanta wide artist call for work to be commissioned and placed along the beltline, there was already amazing and interesting works sitting around under the guise of trash. there were markers and traces that people living and wandering around the abandoned line were also some crafty creative motherfuckers.
no need for funding

"You ain't gangsta you don't even know one"-tag seen by eastbound MARTAtrain near King Station

So street art. Atlanta is all about it. Atlanta needs it. Atlantians talk sooooo much for it.


Who the fuck is doing street art in Atlanta??


Well ok you have the city funded stuff. The office of Cultural Affairs is a big overseer in the Atlanta public arts world. They pop out a few big projects every four years (Art in Freedom Park, The BeltLine), as well as rounding up the Jazz Festival every year. There is a Public Arts Advisory Committee that is made up of 9 non-city workers who oversee and decide on new public art initiatives. Their meetings are open to the public for observation only, take place quarterly, and change in locations. Not a very community inclusive group, it seems.

Hidden, also, in the layers of the public arts division is an 82 page 'Atlanta Public Arts Master Plan' ( http://ocaatlanta.com/sites/ocaatlanta.com/files/ATLPublic_Art_Master_Plan.pdf) that is suppose to outline the overall agenda for the Office of Cultural Affairs.

Seems like a lot of groups grouping and not a lot of action.


The idea of street art has become so limited. Spray paint is dead and terrible for the enviornment. Wheatpasting is flat. Street art is anything. There are so many artists who have rooms full of their old work. Walk a couple blocks with a staple gun or hammer and nails and let the city see what you got. You think you're going to sell out that solo show?? Bright shiny news flash baby, Atlanta is one of the hardest places to make a living off of your art. The more you put your stuff out there, the more recognition will come. Galleries are dinosaurse and can be squared to yourself and your audience. Why not use the side of a fence for your show? Hang something from a sign. Who cares if someone takes your work? Then you know its out in the world, not piled into your closet or art stack. The sharing and exchanging of art will help this community of frustrated people more then they know.

Think about this idea. Free and constant publicity.

The more you or other artists put their work on the streets, the more people will go seek it out. There will be an abundance of other's work. Then, when you get that big show, people will come support you. There will be a recognition of someone who is legit.

Street art should also not be confined in traditional art forms, either. It is not just something to hang or glue and tie. It's walking down the street and picking up broken bottles. It's getting the holes and broken sidewalks fixed for your community. Use your spray paint to bring attention of a big open hole in the street that is waiting to be the death of a bike rider. It's talking and engaging with the people you live around. If the idea of art is to improve and make beautiful, then making more conscience engagements like that qualifies a street artist for sure.


Recognize the space around you. Decide what is needed. Don't wait for the organizations or institutions to designate where and when it will happen. Be an individual who is longing to see some fucking art on the street. This is what happens when the will of the people is stronger then the action of the government. We are the soldiers, the warriors, defenders of our groovy way of life in this city. You want Atlanta to be a more artistic city? Wake us, take a walk down the street, and do it yourself.
public art. accidentally.

help me help you, MARTA

She’s like a cold, hard bitch.



WHY Atlanta public transit is failing:



-people are afraid to MARTA. disconnect of community due to large spread out lay out of the city. influx of vehicles in the city has created a high 'convenience' factor and void in social community interaction.



-people do not trust MARTA. buses and trains are inconsistent. unsure of destination points (esp. for someone unfamiliar with the city). cut off times are confusing and unnecessary.



-people have no need for MARTA. citizens are aware of system shortcomings and chosen to bypass it all together. city itself is more accommodating to vehicle use.



**problem solvers**—promote easier access to destinations. maps and schedules at every bus and train stop. offer special fares for events/ weekend rates. run trains 24 hours. focus on the economic value of public transit over vehicle. get more press.



ART! on MARTA



-makes people comfortable in their space



-generates interest in using facility during site specific event



-stimulates excitment about and within community



-rise in economy from increase of tourists



i’m just saying tho..

This town needs an enema...and less cars.

In the hopes that Atlanta will very soon get a clue.

This is a truthing of the how this city is fucking up.


There is so much evidence that the city of Atlanta values its vehicles over it's actual residents. Historic buildings and neighborhood have been and continue to be torn down to make way for new, wider roads. The massive expansion of I-75 and I-85 has not succeeded in reliving the constant gnarling traffic mess all day everyday. Neighborhood streets are used, and often encouraged to be used, as speedways.
I have said it so many times in so many ways, the mentality of the people in Atlanta consists of getting from point A to point B in a little time as possible with little or no engagement in the community they live and/or pass through.
This is why Atlanta is terrible in so many ways. What is the point in living and thriving in a community if you spend a majority of the time enclosed in something instead of actually being out in it? How can you know what is going on block to block in a place you know as home when you don't even have time to look around it. It just whizzes by in a flash and then you are parked and inside point B destination.

 Atlanta is not sustainable. There is no way we can continue to live in a car based society. The hypocrisy of people who are angry and shake their fingers in disgust at BP oil is amazing. You have no place to call for blood when yours is warmed by the gas they provide. When your accusing fingers grip the steering wheel of your vehicle. Mistakes happen. People and companies are fucked up. But they wouldn't have been down there if we didn't beg and scream and demand their product like the selfish children we are.

 In the photos below represent the whole shebang.
 The city is doing construction work on a strip of road and sets up signs to let drivers know. They block the entire SIDEWALK to let CARS know about what is happening on the ROAD. I pull the sign off the sidewalk and onto the street where it belongs, not in traffic, very much on the curb where it is out of the way for both parties. The construction workers put it back on the sidewalk. When I ask them about it, they tell me it is city law that they cannot put signs on the road, they must be on the sidewalk. They are under the impression that if there is a huge orange sign on the side of the road, cars may be inclined to run into it. If someone driving a car cannot see and avoid a huge orange sign on the side of a street they should not be driving at all. They seem confused when I ask them how someone in a wheelchair is suppose to get around it. And for that matter why do I have to crawl through it or walk in traffic just to get some coffee?


This is troublesome for a few reasons.
 First, someone in a wheelchair or any other disability would not be able to pass by. And where should they go instead? The street? How can they do that when there is no easy slant in the curb to even get on the road? In the first photo, the woman on the right side is having to go into the street to walk by the sign. That is typical of Atlanta to put pedestrians in danger for the sake of saving a theoretical car-into-sign mishap.
Second, it shows the obvious favoritism of cars over people. The city of Atlanta is proving that it cares not for the people who use these sidewalks, but only for vehicles that may or may not be able to move out of the way of a huge orange sign. In the other photo the white SUV that pulled up to the curb still hit the side of the sign so their theory is totally wrong. And people in Atlanta are terrible drivers.
Third, it continues to encourage the unsustainable car based lifestyle Atlantians are leading. Sidewalks are obstacle courses and the city bends and shakes for the unnecessary needs of vehicles. There was a place for that sign all over that block where it would have been out of the way for everyone.
Fourth, it proves over and over again the unawareness of the people of Atlanta to realize and understand how desperately important it is that we get off our vehicles. Like a bad drug, it is a crutch. It is hurting the city. The air sucks, city streets are boring and ugly because there is no cares, and people in Atlanta are severely cut off from each other in a way that is disheartening and alienating.It is such a joke to people here now, but it is actually a very sad reality we find ourselves in here.

In addition, the newly placed parking meters make is even more of a winding walk since the sidewalks are so small and they set them back so far.





I got rid of my car three years ago and tried to make it on a scooter. But in the reality of it I do not, I cannot live as a slave to fuel. There is nothing wrong with having a vehicle for the out of town adventures or moving things for which they are needed. But to drive all day to different spots that are in a 10 mile radius from each other is a waste. I feel shamed in the fact that I do take rides and need vehicles sometimes, but it is because of the city structure I have found myself in.
desperate plea for anyone listening who actually cares to help Atlanta before it is to late and the city is totally unsustainable. I believe that in five years, personal vehicles will have no place in this world. They will be used in need and not convenience, which is the main purpose of them now. It is bad news.We need to remember how to use our feet again and feel the city in which we want to be a part of all around us, not just seeing it as it flies by.

The people of Atlanta need to FLUSH OUT the people who are in power there now and start over in a more sustainable, aware, thoughtful, human, and caring state of mind. There is no more room for greed and gross denial in this time.

I am closing it out with a brilliant TED talk in which the idea of how to live longer is discussed and to no surprise has a strong emphasis on walking and existing in your chosen community. It's a good one. I hope we can all get into it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxZluIilLo