MUSIC
The revered Atlanta band Arrested Development kicks off a three-night residency at City Winery Sunday in celebration of Juneteenth, the band’s 30th anniversary of the Grammy Award winning album 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days In The Life Of and the release of a new album, For The FKN Love. The band’s 1982 hit “Tennessee” was named by the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock ’n’ roll. In addition to the concerts, the residency will include a speaker series on how to apply for first-time home loans, a “Kids Zone” on the patio and awards to Georgians who have helped the homeless. Tickets start at $35.
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The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Anthony Parnther, returns to Piedmont Park on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with a program of Hollywood’s greatest hits. The annual Piedmont concerts at Oak Hill, which are free, have proven wildly popular for the orchestra. The music will include selections from Back To The Future, Out of Africa and E.T. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early as seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Patrons can bring their own food and beverages into the concert area, but grills, glass containers and outside alcoholic beverages are not permitted. Beer, wine and food will also be available for sale on site.
THE ARTS
Come celebrate the arts with ArtsATL in a special outdoor event on the Museum Terraces at the Atlanta History Center on June 22 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The evening will include live jazz by renowned jazz pianist Tyrone Jackson and jazz students from Kennesaw State University, along with a performance by Soul Food Cypher. The event is part of the history center’s Civic Season from Juneteenth through July 4th. Proof of Covid vaccination is required. $25.
ART+DESIGN
One way to celebrate Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, is with Atlanta artist Charmaine Minniefield, whose recent work is featured in the exhibition Indigo Prayers: A Creation Story at the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Her Saturday evening event features a gallery talk, followed by a trip by private coach to the King Historic District to see her mural Cosmic Cypher, Prayer Circle. This depiction of the Ring Shout is painted inside the historic water tower on Auburn Avenue. The tour ends with a reception and tour of Minniefield’s Studioplex studio. 5 p.m. Space limited. Registration required. Members $25. Nonmembers $50. (The water tower is not accessible for people with mobility impairments.)
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Another event timed for Juneteenth and Father’s Day is the new exhibit at ZuCot, an African American fine art gallery. Presence will feature more than 40 works by male and female artists expressing their perspectives on Black fatherhood. Curated by ZuCot partner Onaje Henderson, the exhibit features work by Chanell Angeli, Georgette Baker, Aaron F. Henderson, Horace Imhotep, Grace Kisa, Jerry Lynn, Charly Palmer, Steve Prince and Charlotte Riley-Webb. Opening is Friday 6-10 p.m. 100 Centennial Olympic Park Drive SW, 30313.
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The ever-eclectic eyedrum will celebrate Juneteenth with a celebration of Atlanta’s Black womxn artists as the gallery’s Stars and Feelings exhibit comes to a close. Curated by William Downs, the show features artists Danae Antoine, Erica Chisolm, Sofahood, Nneka Kai, Ash McNamara and Jasmine Nicole Williams. DJ for the party is Michi Meko. Refreshments too. Sunday 2-6 p.m. Free. 515 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, 30312.
DANCE
Atlanta’s Beacon Dance celebrates its 60th anniversary Friday and Saturday with the third episode in a site-specific triptych, Who Decides Who Belongs. Led by artistic director D. Patton White and storyteller/musician Paula Larke with input from the community, the work addresses gentrification in neighborhoods like Capitol View, where Beacon Dance is based. Who belongs? The people who have lived in the neighborhood for generations but can’t afford to stay? The people who are moving in? What is most at stake? 6:30 p.m. Free. Outdoors at The Junction. 1292 Sylvan Road SW, 30310.
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(Mc2) Meaning and Movement, a Docuseries is an offshoot of Atlanta’s first multicultural dance and music festival, a big success in June 2021 thanks to organizer Staibdance. The online film series consists of mini-interviews with 12 festival participants, including flamenco dancer Julie Galle Baggenstoss, Kerry Lee (co-artistic director of Atlanta Chinese Dance Company) and choreographer Cici Kelly. New episodes will be released every Wednesday between now and August 3. Free. No password required.
THEATER
How are you celebrating Bloomsday? Today (Thursday) marks the annual Irish celebration that honors James Joyce’s classic novel Ulysses. The novel takes place over the course of that day, centering on the character Leopold Bloom as he attempts to make his way home through Dublin, Ireland. Aris Theatre, which brings Celtic culture to Atlanta, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the book’s publication by opening a production of the Dermot Bolger stage adaptation at 8 tonight at 7 Stages. The show stars Jeffrey Zwartjes and Kara Cantrell as Leopold and his wife Molly. Through June 26.
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When playwright Cheryl L. West began researching the life of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, she was amazed. “The more I read, the more I said, ‘What a story!’ This woman was one of the best grassroots leaders our country has ever produced. She was fearless,” said West, whose Fannie: The Life and Music of Fannie Lou Hamer is being staged by Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company at Southwest Arts Center. The 20th child of Mississippi sharecroppers, Hamer left school at age 12 and worked on a plantation until 1962, when she was fired for her voter registration efforts. Permanently injured in a 1963 police beating, Hamer continued her political activism. “So, the show asks the question,” West adds, “’What can we do at this point?’” Through July 10.
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Theatrical Outfit’s production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill “feels so intimate and real,” critic Benjamin Carr noted in his ArtsATL review, “that members of the opening night audience began responding to the show like an actual Billie Holiday concert.” Which is saying something since the jazz legend died in 1959. Carr called Terry Burrell’s performance as Holiday in one of her final concerts “magnetic and captivating.” The actress “embodies the irritated, distracted yet still compelling diva as she sings great music and tells us about her life and struggles.” Through June 26.
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FILM
For the opening night of its 2022 Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival, on Friday, the Fox Theatre makes an offer that any movie lover should find hard to refuse: a 50th anniversary screening of The Godfather across the Fabulous Fox’s epic 26-by-56-foot screen. Coming attractions this weekend: Saturday Morning Cartoons, 10 a.m. Saturday; and Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
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BOOKS
David Dennis Jr. will discuss his book — The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride — as part of the Atlanta History Center’s Author Talks series on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The book is part oral history and part memoir. Dennis’ father was a core architect of the civil rights movement and shares his experiences with his son, a journalist active in the front lines of change today. Tickets start at $5.
