Pittsburgh Artists Represent @ Atlanta's A3C Hip Hop Cultural Festival

In my short visit to Atlanta, last year It seemed to be open, inclusive and moving in a good direction. Creative but not uptight,

The AC3 Festival shows that.

"A3C (all 3 coasts) festival is the preeminent hip-hop festival in the US. Founded in 2005, A3C has grown from a regional showcase to an internationally celebrated cultural experience including music, education, art, film, style, pro-audio and more."

Pittsburgh's "delegation"

The Come Up Boys
Beedie Ground Up
Goldsmith (Formerly Crystal Seth)
Palermo Stone
Macon Hamilton
Masspike Miles

Atlanta Street Art in Little Five Points

Almost all these pieces are in an old eastern neighborhood of Atlanta called Little Five Points. Most buildings and design dates from around 1900-1930, with a sprinking of new buildings. Atlanta's population surged from around 90,000 to over 290,000 (It was only 9,000 before the Civil War) in this period, which saw the development of many walkable, streetcar suburbs.

Little Five Points has an amazing number of vintage clothing stores; lots of planned murals and high quality street art. I wish we had more time to explore here.

Quick Trip to Atlanta: Several Posts On The Way

Me and Jean were lucky enough to get a mini vacation / business trip to Atlanta, squeezing in as much as we could, including a holiday tour of the historic Fox Theater, The High Museum, Emory University and The Atlanta History Center. Surprisingly, some significant areas of the city are walkable.

Several posts are on the way with thoughts about transit, neighborhoods, architecture and several museum visits.

The Great Migration In Reverse: African Americans Return To The South

While New York's population is growing, attracting a vast global elite, and still surging immigrant populations, on some deep level the city has failed as a place most of it's working middle class residents either can or increasingly want to deal with.

Many, particularly in the far flung semi suburban areas that make up large parts of Brooklyn, Queens and even more so New Jersey and Long Island are packing it in and heading south--including, now several of my relatives, who also now live in the Charlotte area.

No group seems to be making this choice more than it's black middle and working class.

For New Life, Blacks in City Head to South

Spencer Crew, a history professor at George Mason University who was the curator of a prominent exhibit on the Great Migration at the Smithsonian Institution, said the current exodus from New York stemmed largely from tough economic times. New York is increasingly unaffordable, and blacks see more opportunities in the South.

The South now represents the potential for achievement for black New Yorkers in a way it had not before, Professor Crew said. At the same time, unionized civil service jobs that once drew thousands of blacks to the city are becoming more scarce.

“New York has lost some of its cachet for black people,” Professor Crew said. “During the Great Migration, blacks went north because you could find work if you were willing to hustle. But today, there is less of a struggle to survive in the South than in New York. Many blacks also have emotional and spiritual roots in the South. It is like returning home.”

This is part of a much larger emerging trend strongly impacting the former Rust Belt worthy of a series of posts.

Chicago -- Fewer Blacks in City Could Affect the Politics

Blacks leaving major cities for life in the suburban South

Study Finds African Americans Leaving Cleveland

Cleveland's Amazing and Moving Civil War Memorial

I will be doing a few posts on some of the major public art and architecture in Cleveland. We spent a lot of time in museums and also needed to tour neighborhoods, so I didn't take that many shots. Also, I'm really bad with a camera.

This monument in the heart of the city, was something I had in the back of my mind--low on the list of things to see. As we drove by- Jean and me both were like--Wow, this is something else.

Huge scale, formal Civil War memorials and statuary are a pretty common Victorian era response to this ghastly social drama. Ohio, played a central role in the war, contributing many of it's central figures like Sherman and tens of thousands of men.

Even so, this central tomb like vault surrounded by depictions of both soldiers and sailors--carries a huge dignified punch.

The back lit shots don't really do this justice.

"The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument commemorates the American Civil War; it consists of a 125' column surrounded at its base by a Memorial Room and esplanade. The column, topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom, defended by the Shield of Liberty, signifies the essence of the Nation for which Cuyahoga County veterans were willing to and did give their lives. Four bronze groupings on the esplanade depict, in battle scenes, the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry. Inside the Memorial Room are four bronze relief sculptures: Women's Soldiers' and Sailors' Aid Society, Beginning of the War in Ohio, Emancipation of the Slaves and End of the War at City Point, Va. , as well as busts of Gen. James Barnett and Architect/ Sculptor Levi T. Scofield, together with 6 officers, who were either killed in action, or died of disease or their wounds.

The column is made of polished black, Quincy stone with 6 foliated bronze bands listing the names of 30 battles in which soldiers from this County fought. The Memorial Room is constructed of rough finished, light gray granite and light brown Amherst sandstone; the esplanade and steps of Medina red sandstone."

"The Monument, managed by a bi-partisan Commission of 11 Trustees, is open daily, Monday through Saturday -9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years' Day."

Cleveland Soldiers and Sailors Monument website

Read more about the monument and recent restoration.