FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2023
MARTA ARTBOUND, NEXT, AND
WABE HOST NATIONAL PREMIERE OF “THE NEXT MOVEMENT SEASON 1” CONCERT SERIES
ATLANTA – The Metropolitan
Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) public art program Artbound, NEXT
Atlanta, and WABE
announce the premiere of ‘The NEXT Movement’ Virtual Concert Series (Season 1),
an innovative film featuring commissioned
performances from five of Atlanta's rising literary, visual, and musical
artists, on Tuesday, Nov. 21 from 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Set
against the backdrop of a decommissioned MARTA train, the concert series speaks
to the impact of a global pandemic, a national racial reckoning and each
artist's answer to the question: where do we go NEXT? It features
powerful performances by some of Atlanta’s leading artists working at the
intersection of art and social justice – poet and author Jon
Goode,
musician CC Sunchild, cellist Okorie ‘OkCello’
Johnson,
poet and author Carlos Andres Gomez, and visual artist Melissa A. Mitchell. Visit NEXT Artists - Google Drive for images of the artists.
A screening of the
film will be followed by a panel discussion and interactive dialogue with the
audience, artists, filmmakers, and some of the city’s leading art activists.
“Much
like art, transit is all about taking people on a journey and connecting them
to one another,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood. “And
through MARTA Artbound, we’re proud to support a transcendent work of art like
this that successfully transports its viewers through performances about
important subjects like mental health, race, and social justice.”
“This film allows
us to share the voices of our community’s most aspiring Black and Brown artists
many of whom still struggle to gain access to share those talents. Thanks to
this incredible collaboration with MARTA Artbound, we are able to further
amplify their artistic expression in service to social change,” said NEXT
Executive Director P. Faith Carmichael.
“When
MARTA was approached about the campaign, we were excited for the opportunity to
further showcase Atlanta's vibrant and diverse artistic community,” said MARTA
Artbound Director Katherine Dirga. “This film exemplifies the link between art,
social justice, and forward motion, and through our continued partnership with
NEXT, MARTA has been able to amplify its role as a community connector—engaging
Atlantans around the critical issues that affect us most.”
After the premiere, the film will launch nationally on WABE and the PBS PASSPORT platform in late November.
The NEXT Movement
is a multi-platform arts and social action effort launched in 2022 by NEXT and
MARTA Artbound that aims to elevate the voices of Atlanta's artists to address
our community's post-pandemic dreams and challenges, while harnessing the
connective power of mass transit to ignite meaningful conversations.