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September 22, 2023 - Atlanta, GA - Living Walls, in collaboration with Underground Atlanta and Atlanta Fashion Week, have joined forces to announce an inspiring event that will celebrate art, culture, and creativity. On October 6th, 2023, an exceptional mural unveiling and gallery exhibition featuring prints by Jasmine Nicole Williams (Atlanta) and textiles by Daniel Villela (Mexico) will take place as part of the Living Walls Abroad mural exchange program.

The mural was created as part of the 3rd annual Living Walls Abroad exchange program between Atlanta, Georgia, and Ciudad Satélite, Mexico. Atlanta artist Jasmine Nicole Williams traveled to Mexico to paint a mural with Satélite-raised Daniel Villela in August. In exchange, Villela will visit Atlanta to create a second mural with Williams at Underground Atlanta. Both murals are collaborations between the artists, exploring the ways in which their personal practices and cultural histories can be interpreted in modern monuments.

This collaboration between Living Walls, Underground Atlanta, and Atlanta Fashion Week represents a fusion of artistic disciplines that promises to inspire, ignite conversations, and foster a sense of community and pride. The gallery will be open from 12pm-12am on Friday, October 6, 2023, with a mural unveiling at 8pm followed by a gallery reception at 9pm.

ABOUT LIVING WALLS ABROAD

Living Walls Abroad started in 2019 as a way to support the development of local Atlanta artists through cultural exchange. Previous exchanges included Dianna Settles and Kashink in Paris & Sofahood and Maremoto in Mexico City. The overarching goal of this exchange is to learn from other artists and organizations across the world while having conversations around public art practices and how culturally diverse artists can work together to take up space across the globe.

DUNWOODY, GA — May 2, 2023 — Coming soon! A new 2,500 sq ft mural will be big, bold, and imbued with colorful visual resonance for MARTA Dunwoody Station travelers and commuters. The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCIDs), in collaboration with the City of Dunwoody, Dunwoody Development Authority, MARTA Artbound, the Dunwoody Art Commission, and Living Walls, is excited to announce that DAAS, renowned global artist, has been selected to create a new public mural for the Dunwoody MARTA Station.

About the Artist

DAAS has painted murals all over the world with a unique and vivid color palette. His striking shapes are a mix of abstract and representational imagery created within immersive environments that entice the viewer to engage with the surrounding spaces. Considered both contemporary and timeless, DAAS’ bold pieces celebrate color and the verve of human spirit. Expect the future reveal of his Dunwoody Station mural to showcase his captivating transformative style. DAAS’ art can be seen and enjoyed from Miami spaces to public art installations in Berlin. You can read more about DAAS and his captivating murals on his website artist-daas.com.

About the Site

The mural will be installed on the south side of the station’s parking garage (facing Hammond Drive). Now a central node for the Perimeter business district, Dunwoody Station’s parking deck has been an enticing “blank canvas” for creating visual vibrancy. “The selected mural is dynamic and eye-catching. We think this will help make Perimeter Center even more inviting,” said Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch. “This is just one more step in our efforts to encourage visitors and residents to forgo their cars and enjoy walking and biking instead.”

This particular site is surrounded by spectacular transformation spurred by new development, improved streetscapes, and pedestrian access. It sits opposite State Farm offices at Park Center, and across from the construction site of High Street, an exciting forthcoming mixed-use destination. A short walk from the mural is Twelve24, home to Insight Global.

A Sense of Place

Public art has become a growing priority for Dunwoody and local stakeholders, a reflection of the personality and evolution of the community. Ann Hanlon, Executive Director of Perimeter CIDs, says, “We’re excited to work with our partners at the City of Dunwoody, MARTA, and Living Walls to create our second mural installation at the Dunwoody MARTA station. We believe that an engaging piece of public art will bring an enlivened sense of place to the Hammond Drive corridor for employees, residents, and visitors to Perimeter.”

The Selection Process

The artist selection process and the logistics for the painting of the mural were assisted by three organizations with a legacy in the community of high-quality, local art: Living Walls, MARTA Artbound, and the Dunwoody Art Commission.

About Perimeter Community Improvement Districts

The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCIDs) plans and implements vital transportation improvements to enhance mobility and access to the Perimeter business district. Representing both the Central (DeKalb) and Fulton Perimeter CIDs, the PCIDs are self-taxing districts that use additional property taxes to help accelerate needed transportation and infrastructure improvement projects. For more information about the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, visit PerimeterCID.org.

About the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) & MARTA Artbound

Established in 1971, MARTA is among the largest transit agencies in the U.S., providing 95 percent of the public transit trips in the metro Atlanta region with 110 fixed bus routes, 38 heavy rail stations, 2.7 miles of light rail, and on-demand paratransit services. One percent of MARTA’s annual budget is allocated to enhance the ridership experience through visual and performance art. MARTA Artbound provides opportunities for artists year-round with a range of projects encompassing many modes of art. To learn more visit itsmarta.com/artbound.aspx.

About the City of Dunwoody

Located just north of Atlanta, Dunwoody, Georgia is a premier hub for business, shopping, dining, and genuine hospitality. With easy access to mass transit and major highways, the city provides accessibility to key Georgia tourist attractions, events, and festivals while still delivering the charm of a small community. The city’s business-friendly atmosphere, diverse recreation options, lower-overall cost of living, and proximity to mass transit has established Dunwoody as an up-and-coming center of employment, transportation, educated workforce, and population density. To learn more visit dunwoodyga.gov.

About Living Walls

Living Walls creates inclusive, intentional, thought-provoking public art to inspire social change. With over 10 years of experience curating and producing murals, installations, immersive experiences, community gatherings, and conversations, they envision a world where public art acts as a social and economic engine, where it is foundational to the growth and evolution of cities and channels the spirit and culture of local communities. For more information, visit livingwallsatl.com and follow @livingwallsatl on Instagram.

April 1, 2023 - Atlanta, GA - If you’ve driven around the city of Atlanta, you’ve surely noticed large public artwork lining almost every street. Dozens of these murals can be credited to Living Walls, an Atlanta-based arts organization whose work has evolved with the changing city around them. Living Walls started as a public art conference in 2010, bringing in artists from all over the world to activate our streets with intricate artwork in the form of large-scale murals. Since then, Living Walls has evolved to give mural-making opportunities to mostly local emerging artists, women, LGBTQIA, BIPOC, and other artists whose work has been historically underrepresented in the street art world.

When Living Walls was approached to curate and produce a mural for The Works, a new development on Atlanta’s Upper Westside, they were excited about the potential of working with artists Jessie and Katey, who last did a mural in Atlanta for the 2012 Living Walls Conference,

Jessie and Katey are a Baltimore-based artist team whose mission is to transform public spaces into vibrant, playful experiences, and use highly geometric, abstract language to engage with the history, architecture, and culture of a place. Since 2011, they have been consistently creating large-scale, public murals and installations across the country, learning the intricacies of the places they work.

For this mural at The Works, titled Chromatic Portal, they used their unique visual language to create an energetic, bright, and playful composition, including interactive elements by extending their mural from the wall to a concrete bench and onto the ground. While painting on the ground was a feature that stood out from their 2012 mural, their visual language has surely evolved in a decade, reflecting the evolution of the city itself—beauty, nuances, and all.

If you’re an artist interested in working with Living Walls, they will soon be launching their annual Laura Patricia Calle Grant, which gives artists an opportunity to present proposals for a mural to be painted in Atlanta with full financial support. These murals honor the life of Laura Patricia Calle, a friend and member of Living Walls, by promoting awareness on the subject(s) of feminism, social equality, cultural diversity, LGBTQIA+ rights, and/or immigrants’ rights. The grant is set to re-open in April, and you can see past projects and learn more about the grant at livingwallsatl.com/laura-calle. Follow @livingwallsatl to keep up with Living Walls’ work in Atlanta and beyond.

March 3, 2023 - Atlanta, GA - On March 4, Living Walls and AT&T in partnership with AMB Sports and Entertainment will unveil the latest mural inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of AT&T’s Believe Atlanta initiative focusing on celebrating Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhood and its artists.

The latest mural is the fourth installment in the curated series developed by Living Walls and AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Through this program, local artists share their love for Atlanta through their work that is featured in the AT&T Perch as part of Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s art program.

This year’s featured Atlanta artist, Matthew Evans, pays homage to Atlanta’s skyline by representing it through his signature chrome reflective smiley face. As an artist born and raised in Atlanta, Matthew Evans constantly seeks new ways to push the boundaries of traditional mediums and techniques. In his mural, he has explored the intersection of art and technology by using site-specific 360-degree photographs and a 3D model of a chrome smiley face. The resulting mural offers a one-of-a-kind art experience that invites the viewer to fully engage with the present moment, sharing a glimpse into the vibrant energy that connects Atlanta as a whole.

“AT&T has worked with Living Walls and AMB Sports and Entertainment for years to ensure that one of Atlanta’s most iconic landmarks, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, reflects the city’s creative culture,” said John Dwyer, President, AT&T Prepaid Portfolio. “This goes hand-in-hand with AT&T’s mission of creating meaningful and lasting connections in the communities we serve. The mural Matthew Evans created is a beautiful display of his talent and is another example of the deep pool of artists that call Atlanta home. We’re excited for visitors to see his work when they come to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”

“When you see someone smiling, you’re inclined to smile. I’m creating an opportunity for everyone to have that moment of reflection,” says mural artist Matthew Evans.

“We are honored to partner with AT&T and Living Walls to continue this incredible program at Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” says Debbie Slingerland, director of corporate partnerships at AMB Sports and Entertainment. “It is incumbent on us to continue to shine a light on Atlanta’s history and culture that makes this city unique, and we are pleased to offer Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the canvas for so many artists to share their vision.”

Living Walls invites fellow Atlantans to celebrate their fourth mural in Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s AT&T Perch on Saturday, March 4 during the Atlanta United game. For more information, follow @livingwallsatl or visit livingwallsatl.com.