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Anyone in Atlanta who ventures out to one of the city’s seedier neighborhoods (read: Little Five, EAV, or the Poncey-Highlands) has undoubtedly noticed the numerous PBR murals decorating the exterior walls of our favorite bars and businesses. Individual pieces have featured a broad range of themes and designs such as: androgynous hipsters slinging back a cold one, a dinosaur clasping the red, white and blue can in its claws, and elaborate patterns comprised of the Pabst logo. While I at first naively assumed the murals to be the work of a street artist with a real passion for cheap beer or a local graffiti crew with a love of iconic irony, when the murals became more widespread, elaborate, and numerous, I questioned the motives behind all of this.
There are a number of rumors circulating on the internets about how all of this came about. Rather than try to chase down a thread of truth from bloggers, Youtubers, or otherwise, I contacted Pabst Brewing Company directly. After thoroughly weaving my way through a maze of hyperlinks, I finally found a contact page. I emailed the human resources department to find out what was going on:
“Dear PBR, I love drinking you. Also, I am a journalist, and I would really like to know what’s going on with those murals you’re throwing up all over Atlanta. Sincerely, Jessica.”
Several days later (and much to my surprise) I received a phone call from Bryan Clarke, marketing director at Pabst, and here’s what I found out.
The murals came about from the volumes of PBR inspired fan art that the brewery received in the mail each year. Seeing so much talent and devotion (Bryan points out that devotion to the product is what unites Pabst drinkers) wasted like day old beer poured down the drain struck the good people up in Milwaukee as a tragedy. Thus an idea was born: run a contest for artists to submit PBR inspired drawings and paintings that would later be taken to the streets in an advertisement campaign brilliant enough to make Don Draper jealous. Fusing a growing nation-wide trend towards the legitimization of street art (see Living Walls Atlanta) with a desire to show that Pabst isn’t just an old man’s beer, the mural project was born.
Matt Klawon Tattooing
Each mural was originally a small scale piece done in a traditional media (no digital) which was transformed via city permits and a professional painting crew into a larger, unique, eye-catching ad. The guys in the Pabst marketing department chose to stay away from traditional advertisements such as television commercials or print promotions, so the paintings work as a creative avenue to get out the new, younger, and more diverse image of the product. While I was perhaps slower than most to catch on, the murals have been surfacing in Atlanta for the last three years and most are from pieces done by local artists. Furthermore, these artistic installments aren’t just here in Atlanta; they’re also in Tampa, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Nashville, Portland, etc.– about 15 cities in total.
Emma Howard & Matt Klawon
After learning more about the mural project, I wanted to meet the artists that made it possible. After a little creative facebooking, I was able to contact cartoonist Jeremy Townsend and arrange a meeting with him at Aurora coffee. Jeremy, a commissioned animator and long-time Pabst fan, moved to Atlanta several years ago after hurricane Katrina laid waste to his house in New Orleans. Jeremy submitted his painting to the Pabst contest without so much as a second thought, but when the company’s marketing executives contacted him several months later about purchasing the rights to the piece, Jeremy gladly accepted the offer to work with the legendary brewery. Jeremy’s painting can now be found locally (It’s the one on the side of Corner Tavern in Little Five featuring the suited-up PBR can running) as well as in Phoenix. His artwork has been displayed at Eyedrum, WonderRoot, and at a ComicCon related show at the Sutra Gallery in San Diego, and you can read more about him on his blog. Other local artists include Matt Klawon, Kristina Dalton, and Ian Brown.
What I learned from my research is this– a lot of people love beer. And not just any beer, this beer– Pabst Blue Ribbon. On a personal note, the very first drink your humble author legally purchased was a 16 ounce PBR. During my phone conversation with Bryan, I could hear how excited he was about this product and about promoting it (he half-way launched into Dennis Hopper’s infamous rant from Blue Velvet but stopped for the sake of modesty). The Pabst website hosts hundreds of examples of fan art ranging from tattoos to latch-hook rugs varying in hilarity and impressiveness. And from personal experience, I know that the loyal local following alone can swill enough cans to ensure the future existence of everyone’s favorite tall boy.
So I conclude my article with a toast to you, PBR. Thanks for the all good times, the artistic inspiration, and the morning-after hangovers.
Photo Credit: Tim Song
If you’re like me, you don’t venture over to the West End very often. And chances are that if you’re not native to that part of town or a huge history buff, you haven’t heard of the Wren’s Nest. The Nest is the historical home of famous Georgia writer Joel Chandler Harris, former journalist and assistant editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and author of the Uncle Remus stories you might remember from childhood. Harris retold and adapted these stories from African American folklore, a point that simultaneously attracted praise and criticism from both the black and white communities. Ignoring offensive Disney adaptations of the twentieth century and controversies over whether or not Harris could actually claim authorship of the tales, by his pen Uncle Remus bridged the gap between oral folk culture and the mainstream literary collection.
The Wren’s Nest has officially been a house museum since 1913, and today it is run by program director Amelia Trace Lerner and executive director Lain Shakespeare (the great-great-great grandson of Joel Chandler Harris). I asked Amelia and Lain to answer a few questions about their jobs and the museum.
Purge: Can you describe a little of what goes on at the Wren’s Nest on a daily basis? (I know that the day I was there, a large group of elderly people were taking a tour of the house.
Lain: On a very busy day, we might give a tour and a storytelling performance to a camp group from Clayton County and to a group of professors visiting Georgia State. Our tour guides will also show ten to twenty walk-in visitors around the house. Amelia, our program director, will head over to KIPP STRIVE, our neighborhood charter school, to lead 16 professional writers in mentoring 16 5th graders. I’ll hand-write thank you notes, answer the phone, and help our intern out with some research regarding a historic landscape plan. Usually one or two crazy people drop by to talk, and maybe we’ll run out of books and order more. It’s pretty glamorous.
Purge: How did you first become involved with the Wren’s Nest?
Lain: In 2006 when the museum was all but ready to close its doors, the board of directors happened to be looking for someone who was cheap and gullible. The extent of my family’s involvement at the time was my aunt on the board of directors. She knew me to be approaching unemployment just as rapidly as the Wren’s Nest was approaching cessation. Since then, it’s been absolutely necessary to get more family involved as donors and volunteers, but we’re still a regular ole 501c3.
Amelia: Lain and I had met in college; not long after I moved to Atlanta someone he had lined up to work at the Wren’s Nest fell through, I began helping out part-time while I job-searched. Clearly, it was a good fit, and now here we are.
Purge: Amelia, you head up a summer publishing program for high school kids, right? Can you tell us a little about your work there?
Amelia: I sure do! I work with 8-10 students each summer to create a literary journal comprised of the work of their Atlanta-area peers. I meet with the students twice a week; they’re responsible for every element of the journal’s production, from selecting pieces to layout to promotion, so I guide them through that minefield with the help of many talented Atlanta professionals.
We debut the journal at the Decatur Book Festival, who are our partners in the program. In the end the students are proud of what they’ve created and I’m mostly just proud of them. Feel good all around.
Purge: So what kind of crowd does the Wren’s Nest bring in– mostly kids or and older sort of crowd?
Lain: We try to market our museum to families, but we end up getting a wide variety of visitors. This week we had visitors from China, Germany, Australia, and Abu Dhabi. We also told stories to a camp group from Buckhead, a camp comprised of refugee children, and a family reunion meeting here in Atlanta.
Storytelling appeals to just about everyone over the age of 3, so there’s really no telling who will show up. We get plenty of old codgers who come on retirement home buses, but we also get students touring significant African-American heritage sites. We’re big in the Mennonite community. The Wren’s Nest is a slice of old Atlanta or “real” Atlanta depending on who you are, so we see locals bringing their out-of-town guests every day.
Purge: What do you think is most important about your job at the Wren’s Nest?
Amelia: It’s wonderful to be able to keep these stories — and all the history they represent — alive and to introduce them to new generations. They mean so much to so many people and are such a prominent part of Atlanta history. It’s not a bad feeling to have someone come into your office and tell you that this is the trip they’ve been trying to make for the last 20 years.
Not to get too basic, but all of the tours and storytelling are scheduled through me. We’re working (hard!) to simply increase awareness of the Wren’s Nest and what we have to offer. Without people coming in, that becomes awfully difficult.
Purge: Is there anything else about the Wren’s Nest that we haven’t covered?
Amelia: We may be the only house museum staff that will invite you on a tour and then insist you stay for beers in the backyard. More folks should abuse our generosity, tell you what.
The Wren’s Nest is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. with storytellings at 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is $8. You can read more about the history of the Wren’s Nest and learn about upcoming events at their website.
Photo Credit: Jason Travis
There’s a new, up-and-coming trend growing out of the living rooms, kitchens, and sewing kits of young people in Atlanta and other major cities across the country. It’s the DIY, homemade, eco-conscious, and nostalgically rustic indie craft movement. Inspired by folk art, nature, and the longing to revive the tangible rewards of well-done handiwork, the craft movement thumbs its nose at assembly line consumerism in favor of the homespun personality of yesteryear. Drawing on forerunners like the Chicago Renegade Craft Fest and the Austin Craft Mafia, Atlanta broke onto the scene back in 2005 with the first annual Indie Craft Experience. The I.C.E., which is a gathering of local seamstresses, painters, and other prolific creative types to buy and sell their wares, may be Atlanta’s most widely recognized craft event, but it’s no longer the only one.
Young Blood Gallery on North Highland Ave. has long been Atlanta’s center for local art and handmade vendibles, and on June 18th, Young Blood hosted the Etsy Craft Party. Held simultaneously in cities like New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Minneapolis, the night celebrated the fifth anniversary of the launch of Etsy.com with craft workshops, how-to instruction, and an opportunity to trade ideas and materials. For the event, Etsy collaborated with Ready Made Magazine and Meetup.com to organize events in different states. Here in Atlanta, the event was headed up by locals Shannon Mulkey, Beth Schechter, and Krista Cook. While the three had never worked together before, they easily teamed up under the premise of getting Atlantans together to make and create.
Friday’s event was the tenth largest craft meeting in the country, and included workshops that instructed participants on how to transform light bulbs into terrariums and turn old aluminum cans into robot shaped planters. Early arrivers received grab bags with craft supplies like buttons and salvaged afghan squares to inspire future projects. (For those who didn’t receive a bag, Shannon recommends scouring thrift stores and estate sales for recyclable base materials.) The night was as much a social event as an instructional one, allowing patrons to meet and collaborate with other local craft enthusiasts.
The organizers of the Etsy Craft Party energetically responded that they planned to host similar events in the future, though no exact dates had been set. Until details arise, interested readers should explore the High Museum’s (family-friendly) craft workshops on the second Sunday of each month and check out the sewing classes offered at Whipstitch on the Westside.
Photo Credit: Christy Parry
Deisha Oliver does everything. A biochemistry major turned actor turned arts and music promoter and marketing consultant, former restaurant manager, active mom and soon to be bride and new account executive at AM 1690, Oliver is truly a Jack (or maybe Jill) of all trades. And maybe she’s a little bit manic. Coming in at just over five feet tall, Deisha’s pint sized frame exudes all the energy, personality and determination of an entire basketball team.
Deisha is the founder, owner, and operator of Bang! Arts Management and Promotions. She began the business back in February of 2008 as an extension of the music promotion gig she was working at Twain’s Billiards and Tap in Decatur. I asked Deisha if she ran into difficulties trying to start a promotions company in the midst of the great recession. “Oh yes,” she grinned. After lofty dreams of juggling dozens of talented clients and single-handedly uniting Atlanta’s arts communities gave way to a hand full of talented but confused local artists, actors, and musicians. Working only with clients who she is fully invested in and many of whom are friends or acquaintances, Ms. Oliver stressed the importance of loving what you do because, as she explained, it’s the only way to get through the tough times. Deisha considers her role at Bang! that of a teacher; rather than taking compete control of the artist’s name, Deisha encourages clients to be involved in the business side of promotion in a hands-on way. Using Ms. Oliver’s creative energies and community focused approach, Bang! Management and Promotions has become a unique and dynamic force.
And despite Deisha’s multiple full-time jobs, her most important role has always been that of a mother. Her young daughter, Lily Grace, exudes the same energetic self-confidence and sharp intelligence that distinguish Deisha’s personality. Parental pride beams in Deisha’s voice when she talks about Lily’s blossoming creativity; she helps me to continue to see the world as a dynamic and exciting place, Ms. Oliver said.
And even with all of the above on her plate, Deisha Oliver refuses stop. When I met her for coffee on Tuesday afternoon, she was already hard at work helping local musician Blair Crimmins make and distribute flyers for his band’s upcoming show. As Deisha talked about Bang! and I scribbled notes, trying to keep up with the geyser of information, dates, names and future events, she passed out business cards, disassembled a napkin holder to remove an out-of-date events schedule, and waved at familiar passers-by. That’s the exactly the kind of ever-ready energy it takes to motivate a group of (notoriously lazy) creative types, and the type of person that can always exude inexhaustible positive vibes is a rare find, indeed.
Photo Credit: Jason Travis
A photograph stops time, freezes an act, captures a glace, stills the world. Each print is a visual history of its subjects, a piece of their story. It’s this complex personality and visual intrigue that draw us to photography: the ability to record, retell and remember.
Local artist and actress Angelyn Pass has an especially unique perspective and relationship with film photography. Drawn to the medium from her experience in front of the camera, Pass repurposes film negatives to create light boxes and jewelry. Glak Love, the name Pass has given to her artwork, was born last year during what Pass terms an “artistic dry spell.” Using materials on hand, Pass cut-up and reworked some old negatives into several necklaces. Pleased with the results of this original project, Pass began working on more pieces varying in size and composition.
Pass’s artwork exhibits a rare creativity, although when observed from a distance the images portrayed are deceptively simple. Lean in close and you’ll see that each small strip of negative contains multiple scenes from their corresponding photographs. “I fell in love with the things I was seeing on the negatives… these little moments from people’s lives… they begin to tell a story in themselves,” said Pass.
Angelyn’s work has been featured at Traders (in EAV), Picaflor Studio, and Meditating Mantis. You can also find her on Etsy.