What to see, do and hear: Art fairs, DramaTech, smooth jazz and more

ART+DESIGN

Call it Atlanta’s Artpocolypse or Artmaggedon or Artopia, this week sees a confluence of major visual art and design events rarely seen in any city. Events include Atlanta Art Fair, Atlanta Art Week, Atlanta Design Festival and Elevate. Throw in Atlanta Fashion Week and the offerings can make even the most stalwart art warrior woozy. ArtsATL has published a set of handy guides to all the major festivities here, broken down by organization and interest area. Make a plan and enjoy the art! Prices vary according to event.

Through Sunday.

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The cavernous spaces of the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum & Conference Center offer artists the opportunity to work big. Shanequa Gay is the latest artist to take advantage of the space in her current solo exhibition, Psalms for Black Girls. The show includes murals and tapestries of African American girls playing with monotone American flags, addressing issues of race, youth and vulnerability. The show runs through January 18, 2025, with an artist talk on Saturday, October 19. Free.

Ongoing.

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THEATER

Extended for one week, Theatrical Outfit’s A Raisin in the Sun continues from today, Thursday, October 3, until its close on Sunday, October 6. Director Robert John Connor has brought Lorraine Hansberry’s classic drama to the stage to depict the Younger family’s decision to move from Chicago’s South Side and the repercussions that flow from it. The 1959 play has long been a trenchant examination of race, wealth and the American dream. Read ArtsATL’s review of the show here. Tickets: $45 and up.

Through Sunday.

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What do you get when you cross astrophysics with theater? You get Georgia Tech’s DramaTech Theatre production of Orbital Debris, which runs through Saturday, October 5. Orbital Debris is an opposites-attract love story between an aerospace engineering student and purveyor of homemade jams. The two could not be more different, and their meeting could not be more fateful. The production takes place in the Dull Theatre Black Box. Tickets: $10.

Through Saturday.

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DANCE

For the second year in a row, Monica Hogan Danceworks will present Spectra, its program specifically designed to showcase early, emerging and independent choreographers. This year’s program, Spectra: Volume 2, features the work of Kendall Alexander, Faith Fidgeon and Madison Lee, all Atlanta-based artists with recent degrees in dance. (Lee’s degree is from Emory University.) Performances also feature Julianna Feracota, one of ArtsATL’s recent Ones to Watch. Tickets: $25 general admission.

Saturday and Sunday.

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It’s never too early to start getting into the Halloween spirit. This Friday through Sunday, the Georgia Ballet will present Sleepy Hollow, an adaptation of the famous Washington Irving tale of the Headless Horseman and a haunted village — a classic of early American storytelling. According to the website, the narrative will unfold, “through evocative choreography, capturing the mysterious and supernatural ambiance of the original story.” Tickets start at $19.

Friday through Sunday.

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BOOKS

Controversy notwithstanding, Jann Wenner’s book of Rolling Stone interviews, The Masters, made a big splash, focusing as it did on big names like Bob Dylan and Pete Townshend. Perhaps as a rejoinder to such hero worship, Franz Nicolay’s Band People focuses on musicians who typically fly under the radar: the backup singers, the horn players, the accompanists, perhaps even a tambourine player or two. The author will come to A Cappella Books this Friday, October 4, to discuss his book in conversation with Jay Gonzalez of the Drive-By Truckers. Expect deep dives on band life, music politics and the tribulations of going unnoticed. Free.

Friday only.

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MUSIC

Jazz of the smooth variety will fill Spivey Hall at Clayton State University this Sunday, October 6, in An Elegant Evening of Jazz. Three musicians will be highlighted: Lori Williams (vocalist), Trey Daniels (saxophonist) and Gino Rosaria (pianist). Williams is not only known as an international jazz performer, she is also the founder and owner of Positive Music for Positive Minds, which provides mentoring and instruction from professional artists for middle school, high school and college students. Tickets: $53 to $93.

Sunday only.

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FILM+TV

Atlanta never met a Halloween party it didn’t like. So this is just about the right time of year for the Atlanta Horror Film Festival. Warm up your vocal cords for all manner of shrieks and screams for this year’s multitude of offerings, which include a neo-noir mystery thriller set in the afterlife (Purgatory Jack) and a horror comedy about two sibling youth pastors who accidentally possess a member of their youth group with a demonic spirit (Mysterious Ways), among many other features and shorts. All films will be shown at Limelight Theater from October 4 through October 6. Tickets: $13 to $60.

Friday through Sunday.

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