9 essential Atlanta arts events this weekend
Thursday
The Bakery Atlanta and Emory’s Ethics & the Arts Program debut A Network of Autonomy with an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 20 at the Supermarket on North Highland Avenue. The show features work from Atlanta artists who emphasize the social and environmental aspects surrounding reproductive rights. The opening reception will include two performances: Tethered, choreographed by Cecilia Rodriguez, with dancers Maggie Harrison, Leah Lipshutz, Sofia Tovar and Marley Crosby; and Sometimes hidden from me in daily custom and in ritual I live by you unaware, choreographed and performed by Hiroko Kelly. The show will continue through March 31.
Maker’s Competition and Youth Violin Concerto Competition
Before musicians can play an instrument, someone has to make it. While most instruments are mass-produced these days, there are many still crafting them the old-fashioned way. The Southern Violin Association hosts this biennial event, which will showcase contemporary violin craftsmanship, at Agnes Scott College from March 19 through March 21. The Competition Room will be open to the public for viewing of the instruments, with an opening reception on Thursday evening. On Friday, there will be a Youth Concerto Competition. Find out more about the schedule on SVA’s website.
Salon: The Art of Conversation with Joshua Gilyard – A Night of Insight, Music and Movement
Creativity, culture and conversation come together at this event hosted by Core Dance. Live performances by A Noa and Aktzi offer a chance for the community to engage in transformative conversations and witness the collaborative process. Join the conversation from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Core Dance Studio in downtown Decatur. The evening is hosted by artist-in-residence Joshua Gilyard, and admission is free — but you can reserve your spot on the Core Dance website.
Friday
He’s one of hip-hop’s most fascinating and innovative wordsmiths, and Tyler, the Creator is bringing his Chromakopia tour to Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on March 21. The tour is named for his eighth album, released last October. Pitchfork called it “an electric, revealing and perennially odd journey back into his aging psyche.”
The 2024-25 Choreographer Career Development Initiative culminates in this year’s showcase of new works by seven choreographers at the Rialto Center for the Arts on March 21 and March 22. Take a closer look at works by three of the creatives — Alexandra Light, Erica Rae Smith and Sevon Wright — in our preview of this weekend’s performances.
George Balanchine’s Coppélia, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is coming to Atlanta for the first time, thanks to Atlanta Ballet Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin. It is the largest production the company has ever performed, he said recently, and will have its Atlanta premiere March 21 through March 23 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
Saturday
This collection of ensembles aims to provide “a positive representation of our city’s LGBTQ+ and ally community through music.” This weekend’s concert at the Church at Ponce & Highland offers a program of both classics from Holst and Grainger and more contemporary music, including a bit of Abba. You’ll also hear a new work from its Student Composer Residency Program, The Dance and the Feast, composed by Tyson Washington, a student at the University of West Georgia.
Next up at Actor’s Express is playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play about two African American brothers, ironically named Lincoln and Booth, who are fated to remain in perpetual competition, even as they try to overcome poverty through humiliating jobs and card games. Previews begin on March 20, with opening night set for March 22.
Our mothers, our water, our peace
Korean American artist Gyun Hur’s Our mothers, our water, our peace is a reflection on the Atlanta Asian community’s resilience and love. Created in response to the escalation of Asian hate crimes during the pandemic and the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, Hur’s project explores grief by inviting communities to contemplate their immigrant experience and offering a way for them to heal. On view at Flux Projects at the Goat Farm, Hur’s installation of more than 125 handblown, tear-shaped glass vessels will remain up through Sunday, March 30. This Saturday, there will be conversations with the artist at noon and 2 p.m.
Sunday
Mazel is a trio that consists of 10-time Grammy winner Janis Siegel (of The Manhattan Transfer), Grammy-nominated pianist John di Martino and cantor Daniel Kramer, along with featured bassist Boris Kozlov. They re-imagine Yiddish classics with new arrangements, taking them into new territories that explore Latin, jazz and more. Catch them at the Breman Museum and Cultural Center at 5 p.m. March 23, with a pre-show reception at 4 p.m.
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