STONECREST, GA –Privi Art Gallery, the first fine art gallery in East Metro Atlanta, has its launch in celebration of Juneteenth on Sunday, June 19 at 1 pm. The inaugural exhibit: ARTcestry: Building Legacy Beneath the Struggle explores the shocking and inspiring journey many minorities face when searching for their lineage and the legacy left for the next generation through artistic and photographic expression.
The opening exhibit will highlight the works of six contemporary artists including Kevin Cole a mixed media artist and art professor whose work interrogates the relationships between color, music, and art; Abstract artist Zerric Clinton who uses a variety of shapes to highlight symbolism and incorporate themes of social issues, culture, and history; New Orleans native and multidisciplinary artist Sean Haynes, a teacher of visual art in the Fulton County school system, whose art is a representation of the human condition and the human spirit; Reginald Laurent a self-taught artist who fuses his urban upbringing and geometric shapes from his childhood into his work.; 25-year veteran art teacher Anthony Loadholt, an accomplished sculptor with numerous art exhibitions and sculpture installations; and Derrick Phillips, Jr., who brings to life stories of past heroes and documents their labors and successes as a reminder of the human bricks that built today’s America.
The gallery, located at the Mall at Stonecrest, is part of Stonecrest Resorts’ recently announced redevelopment plans to turn the former Sears building into a lifestyle complex called Privi.
The exhibit will run from June 19 through July 31, 2022, with a private Exhibition Preview Event on Saturday, June 18, 2022, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. featuring an artists talk and live music. During the launch event on Sunday, June 19, the artists will be available to discuss their work and an intro to cryptocurrency and art NFT symposium will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
“Our seminal exhibit, ARTcestry, is a harbinger of the future we expect from Stonecrest. Just as the awe-inspiring work of our six artists tells a story, our efforts to reinvent this community are built on a canvas of real estate and community building,” says gallery founder and real estate developer Vaughn Irons. “Our exhibits will rotate, each cycle we will create direct access to the artists, we will offer an educational platform that exposes our patrons to the world of art and doesn’t just leave them to figure it out on their own.”
The gallery curator is Nicole Maurice, a former international art dealer specializing in African antiquities and Senior Art Specialist for a Fortune 500 retailer. “My deep and sincere desire was to open this exhibition with people who aspire to honor our ancestors and support our community unwavering and unafraid despite the struggles of oppression still felt today,” says Maurice. “Through the pain and seemingly insurmountable odds, our rhythm keeps beating, and beneath that struggle, we continue to build a legacy, we continue to thrive, we continue to learn, and we continue to love.”
The exhibit will be open to the public on weekends from 12 to 5 p.m. The gallery is located at 8020 Mall Parkway in the Privi Building, next to SeaQuest. The entrance to the gallery is located in the mall parking lot 1C.
Event sponsors include Stonecrest Resorts, APD Solutions, SeaQuest, Crimson Consulting, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
For more information, call (470) 593-0933 or visit www.PriviStonecrest.com/ArtGallery.