"United We Serve" is a nationwide volunteer initiative that will help create change in our community. With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, President Obama is asking us to come together to help lay a new foundation for growth. This initiative aims to expand the impact of existing organizations by engaging volunteers in their respective missions and by encouraging volunteers to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects. United We Serve is initially 81 days of service but will grow into an effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans. This is a great opportunity to serve the cultural community of Atlanta by preserving the treasures of our city. For more information please visit http://www.serve.gov/assets/documents/factsheet_uws.pdf.
The Office of Cultural Affairs will coordinate efforts to visit multiple sites in three distinct Atlanta neighborhoods where participants will clean sculptures in the city’s public art collection. We will get started at one of Atlanta’s crown jewels, Piedmont Park where we will landscape at the newly restored “Noguchi Playscapes.” At mid day we will clean the “Ex-Static” by Atlanta artist Maria Artemis located on Piedmont Avenue. We will end the day at an urban streetscape artwork “De-code/Re-code Atlanta” at the footsteps of Georgia State University.
9:30am – 10:00am - The day will start at City Hall East (675 Ponce de Leon Avenue) where parking and transportation will be provided for those that are planning to work a full day. We will meet at the Office of Cultural Affairs on the 5th floor. The parking garage is near the corner of Ponce de Leon and Glen Iris Avenues.
10:00am -12:00 noon - Our first stop will be Piedmont Park where we will do general cleaning and landscaping of the Noguchi Playscapes site. The “Noguchi Playscapes,” is a playground designed by architect Isamu Noguchi located near the 12th Street entrance of the park on Piedmont Avenue. Parking is limited and may be found behind Willie’s Cantina and the Piedmont Park Conservancy’s satellite office.
12:00 noon – 12:45pm - We will break for lunch (lunch NOT provided).
1:15pm – 2:30pm - The next stop will be “Ex-Static” at the median near the Connector (West Peachtree and Pine Streets).
3.00pm – 5:00pm - The final destination will be the Fairlie Poplar District where we will clean an architectural streetscape entitled “De-code / Re-code Atlanta” (Central Avenue and Decatur Street).
You must RSVP to participant in this event. Please email to Robert Witherspoon at rwitherspoon@atlantaga.gov or call him at 404-817-6157.
Note: all work is best suited for adults and teens who don’t mind getting a little wet and dirty. Safety gear such as work gloves and goggles will be provided. All volunteers will meet on site at the locations.
###
For more information contact Robert Witherspoon at the City’s Public Art Program, 404-817-6758.
The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), a division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, was established in 1974 to encourage and support Atlanta's cultural resources. The Office seeks to support programs that educate and expose the public to a rich and diverse range of cultural expression and aspires to make arts available to everyone. For more information, contact David N. Mitchell, Public Relations Manager, at 404-817-7957 or visit our website at www.ocaatlanta.com.
The City of Atlanta is home to public artworks that are a resourceful blend of government, corporate and privately commissioned works of art. The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) is dedicated to exposing and expanding Atlanta's Public Art by working with other government, civic, and corporate agencies to increase public awareness and access to public artworks. Please visit our website at www.ocaatlanta.com/publicart