DUNWOODY, Ga — Dunwoody marked the end of its Arts and Culture Month by celebrating the work of local creatives. Artists marked the end of the month by asking for more arts funding and community support.
Over the past 15 years, Georgia has sunk from the bottom 5 in state funding for the arts, to dead last, according to ArtsGeorgia.
Don Ball, a music teacher, performs “A Night In Tunisia” after delivering some remarks about the importance of fine arts education in schools at Marlow’s Tavern Oct. 30 at an event to celebrate the conclusion of Dunwoody Arts and Culture Month.
Don Ball, a former band teacher, said underfunding the arts does a disservice to students. Ball speaks from experience, having worked with music students for more than 40 years. He said arts help students with, “creativity, emotional development, motor skills, reading,” and more.
“The question we need to be asking ourselves is not how we can force feed students more math and science, but how come they’re not learning the math and science we’re already trying to teach?” he said.
The Dunwoody Fine Art Association, founded more than 50 years ago, organized an Oct. 30 cultural event at Marlow’s Tavern to mark the end of the annual Arts and Culture Month.
Local artists and community members enjoyed appetizers while speakers from the arts community shared their stories.
Artist Barbara Riordan, who is part of the organization, said more than 100 paintings were displayed at 23 locations this month. Doctors, lawyers, hairdressers, and even the Hungry Peach Café offered space to showcase this year’s pieces. Chupito’s Azteca Grille in Dunwoody has recently made an agreement with the Fine Art Association to be a permanent venue to show works as well.
Art is displayed at the new full-time exhibit at Chupito’s Azteca Grille in Dunwoody.
Julie Marshall, chair of Dunwoody Fine Art Association’s October activities, said that the point of the event was “to make people stop, to make people aware, to make them react and hopefully enjoy it, and to make them think and be a part of the community and the art they see.
“Art is all around us,” Marshall said “… What is displayed, what is heard, what is seen in the theaters, what is in gardens, places we don’t normally look at.”
Justin Ball, the producing artistic director at Stage Door Theatre, shared stories of youth he had interacted with through the theatrical arts. He’s seen dramatic transformations as young artists gain confidence, which, he said, improves their self-esteem.
Justin Ball addresses the gathering at Marlow’s Tavern Oct. 30 about his work at Stage Door Theatre, including youth summer camps, volunteering in hospitals, and future productions coming to Dunwoody.
Don Ball also spoke about the impact arts had on his students.
“One of the things that arts education provides students is a place where everyone can participate on equal footing,” he said.
