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Artist paints Georgia music-history mural at Classic Center's Akins Ford Arena
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Summary
A mural artist is creating a Georgia music history–themed piece inside the new Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center in Athens, featuring artists from Ray Charles to Outkast and aiming for equal representation of women and people of color.
A mural artist is painting a Georgia music history–themed mural inside the new Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, that highlights musicians from Ray Charles to Outkast and aims for equal representation of women and people of color.
The artist said the work will feature larger-than-life depictions of Georgia musicians as both a tribute to their influence and an inspiration for visitors to the venue. “Selecting the artist for this mural was actually really challenging. There's so many talented musicians that have come out of Georgia. It was was really important for me to have an equal representation of women, people of color,” the artist said.
The mural includes figures the artist named as selections: Ray Charles, Duane Allman, Gladys Knight (of Gladys Knight & the Pips), James Brown, Outkast, Cindy Wilson of the B-52's, Pylon and Widespread Panic. The artist said the choices reflect both statewide music history and personal influences; she described wanting each figure to feel "larger than life" so visitors can "almost feel them singing."
The artist described the painting process as personally meaningful and said the finished design is intended to both inform viewers about Georgia’s musical legacy and inspire other artists. “This design as well is kind of, like, the epitome of what I want my artwork to look like and feel like, and focus on,” she said.
No timeline, funding source or formal city action was specified in the remarks recorded in the meeting transcript.
