Weekend events highlight Mercer contributions to Macon art scene

Two events this weekend help highlight Mercer University’s contributions to Macon’s art and entertainment world.

One is an ongoing exhibit at Mercer’s downtown McEachern Art Center which this week began online talks by artists featured in the show. The other is a stage presentation of Storytellers Macon: Live at The Grand Opera House titled “Nefarious.”

The exhibit at the McEachern, “TAUT: Recent MFAs Revisited,” began in October and will run through mid-February. Last Thursday, artists began online talks about their work which will continue Thursdays at 4 p.m. until each of the exhibit’s five artists is heard.

McEachern director and Mercer art lecturer Ben Dunn — who is also a Mercer graduate — said the exhibit and online talks say a lot about the intent of the McEachern which opened in 2019, not long before the onslaught and impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The show features artists who received their master of fine arts degrees this year from universities across the southeast,” Dunn said. “Due to COVID-19, they weren’t able to have their normal thesis exhibits, which is something very much looked forward to and prepared for. In a way, it marks the transition from student to professional. One of our primary goals at the McEachern is to help and promote emerging artists this does that and also helps fulfill our mission to bring quality contemporary art to the community.”

Dunn said Mercer does not have an MFA program therefore no Mercer students are in the show.

“But I was able to get the best from around the southeast, largely because so many shows have been canceled due to COVID-19,” Dunn said.

Another goal of the McEachern is to make art and artists accessible. Dunn said the online artist talks help do that as does the gallery returning to pre-pandemic hours from 4 to 8 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays, albeit under COVID-19 safety conditions including social distancing, masks, and sanitizing stations.

Though online talks help bring the artists closer to the community, original pre-coronavirus steps in that direction included barbecues in the alley behind the gallery, talks, and other outreach events alongside exhibits.

Dunn said he looks forward to when the gallery can return those sort of expanded activities.

Thursday’s guest artist was Jude Angowih, a graduate of the University of Alabama. Other artists in the show who will present talks are Caroline Ennis (Florida State University), Toni Ardizzone (Flordia State University), Christina Foard (University of Georgia), and Heather Mclelland (East Carolina University).

Their work on display ranges from paintings to pottery to a variety of three-dimensional pieces both hung and placed on the floor.

Further information on the exhibit and how to participate in artist talks and online Q&As is at macmacon.com and facebook.com/mceachernartcenter.

The gallery, which also houses student studio and educational spaces, is at 332 2nd St.

Storytellers Macon’s “Nefarious” presentation is at Mercer’s Grand Opera House Saturday at 8 p.m.

The Storyteller series features different themes at each event and organizers said “Nefarious” features Macon friends and neighbors and “a ride on the dark side.”

A release for “Nefarious” states, “Everyone strives to live in the light, but a touch of the wicked — or more — creeps into even the purest individuals. The encounters we have with monsters, criminal elements and sordid activities often shake us to our core but stay buried beneath layers of politeness.”

It says the evening’s storytellers will, “… open up about experiences with an edge. We might be the sinners, we might be sinned against, but either way, prepare for an evening of the deliciously detestable – and the hope that survives.”

Included in the evening are Steven Fulbright, director of tourism at Visit Macon; Carl Myers, community activist and founder of Equality Enterprise; graffiti artists Randy Heart; Tonja Khabir, executive director of the Griffith Family Foundation; attorney Kevin Bradley; Brittny Johnson, academic advisor at Mercer University; and Holly Cole, professor of psychology at Wesleyan College.

Ticketing and more information about “Nefarious” and other events at the Grand can be found at thegrandmacon.com. The theater is located at 651 Mulberry St.

And a note on the Warner Robins Community Concert Association’s season which began in October and was highlighted here. Norma Hunt of the association said their Jan. 24 concert has been canceled due to the surge in area COVID-19 cases. She said a decision has not been made on future concerts.

Contact Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.