What to see, do and hear: Mexican art, race discussions, a one-man show, more

ART+DESIGN

Photography is having a moment in Atlanta. In 2023, several fine photography exhibits caught our attention at the High Museum of Art and the Carlos Museum, and now the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art is presenting its first juried photography exhibit. The appropriately titled Georgia Photography Juried Exhibition features work by more than 60 photographers, among them Myrtie Cope, Peter Essick, Tokie Rome-Taylor and Jerry Siegel. Through March 17. Opening reception Saturday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free for members. $10 for nonmembers.

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The Swan Coach House Gallery’s first exhibit of the year is Material Memory, featuring works by Kelly Taylor Mitchell and Sergio Suárez. Mitchell’s art includes paper, print and textiles, which reflect the artist’s interest in ancestral memory. Suárez is a Mexican-born, Atlanta-based multimedia artist and printmaker whose work delves into existentialism and transformation. TK Smith curates. Opening reception is Thursday, January 11, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. An artist talk will take place January 13 at 3 p.m., and the show runs through February 15.

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Three months ago, Black Art In America put out an open call for artists in preparation for its upcoming Small Works: Big Gems show. Artists were asked to create and submit works measuring 16 x 20 inches or smaller. The gallery received 300 submissions from across the country. Not all of them made the cut, of course, but those that did can be seen at the East Point gallery from Thursday, January 4, through February 24.

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THEATER

Starring Alex Edelman and directed by the late Adam Brace, the one-man show Just for Us is at the Alliance Theatre this Friday through Sunday only. The production is based on Edelman’s response to antisemitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online and his subsequent decision to go straight to the source. ArtsATL writer Benjamin Carr sits down with Edelman to find out more about the “funny jokes and stories at its core.” Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets start at $35. 

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Essential Theatre kicks off its 25th anniversary season with the first annual Southern Fried Bake-Off this weekend. The 24-hour play festival allows playwrights, actors and crew to come together for just 24 hours to write, rehearse and perform brand-new plays based on a theme and list of ingredients. ArtsATL writer Luke Evans’ recent discussion with the fest’s creators delves deeper into the notion of the “ingredients” for each play. All plays will be performed on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Core Dance in Decatur. Payment is by donation. 

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DANCE

Core Dance is known for breaking down barriers between dance, film, art and life and between the United States and everywhere else in the world, particularly Europe. On Thursday, January 11, Core Dance’s 1830EST series will feature a virtual conversation with the artistic duo Marco Casagrande and Nicolò Giorgini. Based in Italy, these movement artists are currently in residency at Core Dance. 6:30 p.m. Livestream only.

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BOOKS

Award-winning journalist Frederick Allen started his career at the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 1972. Since then, he has been a CNN commentator and has written multiple books. In Reckoning with Race: An Unfinished Journey, a collection of 18 essays, he explores his ongoing efforts to understand the struggle of Black and White Americans to navigate their shared history. He is candid about his shortcomings as a White native northerner gradually learning about the complexities of race in his adoptive South. The Atlanta History Center presents a conversation with Allen on Thursday, January 11, at 7 p.m. General admission $10. Members $5.