Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Atlanta Georgia- Report from the Field, Part 2- The Goat Farm

During my stay in Atlanta I visited the real estate experiment called The Goat Farm. The Goat Farm is a for profit project which focuses on reinhabiting old run down factory buildings with an artist colony. Is it working? Well, according to the folks I met there it not only is working but is growing by leaps and bounds. There is a waiting list for occupancy and the developers are getting more and more spaces up to code for studio and living space.
Here is an abbreviated document of my stroll through the grounds on a weekday in the afternoon.
When I arrived the first building I came to was being cleared out and there was a sale of the contents ( mostly huge machines- drill presses , stamping machines etc.-) where I did purchase some items- some of which will figure into a future 13th Grape multiple.
The building range from functioning spaces to dangerously run down structures


 Machines abound, converted into tables or workspaces.
There is even a cafe that was open when I arrived. Besides the occasional photo shoot I happened upon this is the only place I found residents of the compound.

Inside the cafe they served coffee in an atmosphere of one part bar one part library.

Here at the cafe I wandered into a conversation between several guests who had also been at the clear out sale and some metal smiths. The smiths talked passionately about lost metal working techniques that they were trying to keep alive through classes they offer at the compound. I met a fellow from the UK named Mark J. Hopper and another resident metal worker named David Sturgis. Mr. Hopper later took me on a tour of his working studios and class rooms.

Hopper offers a therapeutic metal pounding night to relieve stress with this circle of anvils located in his space. He also gets some of his metal flattened out ( a head start to the process at least) for his own ends.
mjh@designerblacksmith.com

Custom knives created at the metal shop. Some of them for kitchen use with handles made of old recipe books and resin. A very beautiful and clever use of material.


The space of jewelry designer/manufacturer Billie Hilliard.
www.billiehilliard.com

Overall I had a very inspiring time at The Goat Farm. I left with the wish that we could create and sustain something like this in Tampa. It is a smart thing for a developer to do. The developers and administrative wing of the project are obviously making money and the residents seem happy and fulfilled. I look forward to visiting The Goat Farm in the future and seeing the progress.







Atlanta Georgia- Report From the Field

May of this year I had a few weeks in Atlanta, GA for a project at The Georgia Aquarium. During my stay I revisited some of my old stomping grounds ( I was on mobility from Parsons School of Design New School for Social Research in 1992-1993 and attended The Atlanta College of Art during that time) and also had a little time to see something new.
The High Museum of Art in midtown Atlanta has had an addition built on to it since I was last there. The addition, designed by Renzo Piano, more than doubled the size of the museum's exhibition space.

Nadine Robinson's "Coronation Theme: Organon" A really nice sound/sculptural installation in the contemporary collection.
Anish Kapoor- another example of amazing finish fetish insanity. Polished stainless steel.

Phillip Guston "Untitled" oil on masonite
There was an incredible amount to take in at The High Museum of Art- a custom car show, a furniture design show and many more works worth sharing in the permanent collection. I will post just a few more just to add flavor.


Centipede 111 Bench by Hector Esrawe

Crochet Chair by Marcel Wanders- Epoxy, fiber, resin


"The Sleeping Fawn" by Jean-Joseph Carries- plaster and brown patina