There will be a variety of activities throughout the evening which you can join either independently or via caravan/carpool from MOCA.

5:30 p.m. – Leave MOCA GA. (Be on time; they aren’t waiting.)
6:00 p.m. – Meet at the sign in the Goat Farm parking lot.
6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. – Tour begins at the Rodriguez Room and continues through the artist open studios.
7:15 p.m. – Blacksmithing demo by Corrina Sephora Mensoff.
7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Shop in the Artist Market and revisit artist studios.
8:00 p.m. – Leave for MOCA GA. Independent travelers may stay as long as they wish. There are lots of places to eat on the Westside.

The tour will be guided by Corrina Sephora Mensoff, a Goat Farm studio resident. MOCA instructs to meet at the sign in the parking area which says you can’t park beyond this sign if you’d like to join and to dress for the weather with shoes appropriate for gravel trekking.

ArtMERGE will feature: 

• Rodriguez Room - The current exhibition in this gallery is Flowing as Water, a collaborative piece featuring the work of Corrina Sephora Mensoff (sculptural installation and paintings), Matt Gilbert (animations); and Ana Balka (sound).
• Goodson Yard - Tindel Michi/Amandine Drouet installation exhibition entitled “The Second Coming” is in the building and sculptures by Corrina Sephora Mensoff in the adjacent courtyard.
• Café/ Library - Beer, wine, water and soda available - Cash Bar
• Open Studios - Among the artists opening their studios are the following: David Baerwalde, Jane Garver (sculptor), Mark Hopper (metalwork), Tian Justman (fashion design), Ingrid Magnuson, Corrina Sephora Mensoff (metalwork), Dee Naalam (photography and mixed media), John Paul, and Vanessa Vadim (collages and recycled materials.) Also participating will be The Creatives Project “Artists in Studio” as follows:  Justin Rabideau & Nikki Starz (sculpture); Hannah Perner Wilson & Ashley Schick (printmaking and fabric arts); and Brandon Sadler and Marcy Starz (painting).
• Artist Market - Among the participating artists are Robin Canedy, Chelsea Darling, Emily Fisher, Robert Harrison, Tian Justman, Corrina Sephora Mensoff, Dee Naalam, and Vanessa Vadim, and Hannah Perner Wilson.
• Artist Performances will be presented by Neda Abghari, Chelsea Darling (fire performance), Robert Harrison (fire sculptures), Mark Hopper (mini-bronze pour); Corrina Sephora Mensoff (blacksmithing demonstration at 7:15pm) + the Glo Atlanta dancers will be doing a roving dance performance.

I’m not entirely sure why they didn’t chose to leverage the score of local crafty badasses to help curate and would have been more impressed if they tried to rally with the likes of Atlanta’s Indie Craft Experience. Regardless, it should be a fun event and they’re bringing drinks, snacks and tunes!

RSVP to attend on their Facebook event.

One of my long-time favorite events, Castleberry Hill’s monthly neighborhood art stroll, is coming up once again on Friday, July 8!

To sweeten the incentive to head downtown, Castleberry Point Lofts will be hosting a food truck lot in conjunction with the event this month, sponsored by Kwanza Hall, highlighting great art across Castleberry’s many galleries complemented by wine tastings and nomtastic (that’s right) food trucks from 7 to 10 p.m. on Nelson Street in front of Castleberry Point Lofts.

Featured participants include King of Pops, Tex’s Tacos, The Pup Truck, Westside Creamery, wine tasting at The Wine Shoe, Denise Jackson’s Emerging Art Scene Gallery, and ZuCot Gallery’s monthly exhibits.

Park for free in Castleberry Point’s covered lot or take Marta to Garnett Street if you expect to partake to unknown bounds in the wine tastings.

Crown Royal recently released its premium whiskey in a limited edition black bag designed by Big Boi as part of its The Crown Life campaign. To celebrate the release, they threw an invite-only party at Atlanta’s Door 44, where Big Boi was on hand for interviews and an impromptu live performance with local hip-hoppers Pill, Killer Mike and others.

Here’s what Big Boi had to say about his Crown Royal collaboration.

First of all, thanks for all the food and drinks.

Anytime, man. You know, I try to be hospitable.

You’ve been very good about giving back to the local community, from your collaboration with the Atlanta Ballet a few years ago to the multimedia street festival you did last Winter with gloATL. How would you say this Crown Royal Black project is giving back to the community?

Basically, it’s a great branding opportunity. What I dig most about it is the creative input I had on designing the bag. The bag’s been the same for over a century, so for them to let me come in and promote something and help market something in a way that I can have my hands on it, not just drinking it, but by giving it a new look, that was a fun challenge to me.

I give back to the community my own way, through my Big Kidz Foundation and things like that. It ain’t like the liquor’s going hand-in-hand with the Foundation, it’s just part of what I do.

You also did a video to promote the Crown Royal Black project. What’s the video about?

I shot a little ten minute documentary about my life and it just really kind of documented a couple of days of me going around, performing in L.A., then we came back to Atlanta and followed me throughout the day. We’re just giving people a personal insight into me and my life. The Crown Life experience is about those crowning moments in life, those special moments you just want to remember. You might want to kick back and celebrate your kid’s graduation or you might have gotten a promotion at your job, or anything, you know what I’m saying? Those special moments in life that you want to celebrate. It might be the last day of school for you, if you’re a college student or whatever. The whole thing is it’s those moments that are special to you.

When it comes to actually drinking Crown Royal Black, how do you prefer it? What do you like to mix it with?

Apple juice. I call it the “Kinfolk” because it takes the edge off a little bit. It makes it a little smoother and the ladies like it.

And that’s always important.

Fo sho.

What do you garnish the Kinfolk with?

I might put a little piece of pineapple in there, or some tangerine. Just a little something something. Not too much. It don’t need much, you know what I’m saying?

Do you plan on working with Crown Royal on any additional projects in the future?

There’s some talks going on in the back rooms, you know what I’m saying? The launch has been going really good so far. We just did Orlando. We had an event in Houston that went really nice. Then we had Chicago, Detroit and another upcoming event in Atlanta. So we’re moving right along, bringing awareness to let everybody know this is out there, it’s The Crown Life and it’s summertime, so just sit back and relax.

Crown Royal Black is not a limited edition item, but the bag you designed is. How long will it be available with the limited edition bag?

Good question. I’m not really sure. For a minute. It depends on how many they’re selling. But it’s already in stores. It came out last week, I believe.

Tonight and Saturday, curated by Chefs Dan Latham and Eli Kirshtein, the Street Cart Pavilion will provide guests access to a growing food movement across the South: street food. Enjoy the flavors from a sampling of street cart vendors from across the region, including tacos, sweets and barbecue.

The Late Night Events will include Southern music, libations and street food created by guest chefs from across the region, including:

STREET CARTS:
Avocado’s from Mexico (Mexico)
Bulleit Bourbon (Louisville, KY)
CIROC Vodka (France)
Club Patron (Mexico)
Crooked Spoon (Orlando, FL)
Dietrich’s (Santa Rosa Beach, FL)
GastroPod (Miami, FL)
Klausie’s Pizza (Raleigh, NC)
Sweetwater Beer Truck (Atlanta, GA)
STK (Atlanta, GA – new restaurant)
VIKING Cooking Rig (Greenwood, MS)
Yum Yum Cupcake Truck (Atlanta, GA)
Westside Creamery (Atlanta, GA)

GUEST CHEFS:
Alberto Cabrera (FL)
Jeremy Fox (CA – GA native)
Katsuya Fukushima (DC)
Eli Kirshtein (GA)
Dan Latham (GA)
Whitney Otawka (GA)
Adam Sobel (DC)
Plinio Sandalio (TX)

Friday Tickets | Saturday Tickets

Don’t trust your luck? Tickets are still available via Ticket Alternative and at the door.

To win a pair of tickets to see Wintersleep and Gift Horse at The Earl tonight (Monday, May 9), enter via email with your full name and tell me why you should win the tickets. One winner will be chosen at random from the rule abiding contestants and notified via email. Upon confirmation, the winner will receive two tickets which they will receive at Will Call. You must be able to confirm by 5:30PM EST today.

Held in the theatre’s parking lot, BaconFest offers more than just strips of greasy grub washed down with local brews (though that’s all included with the price of admission). This year’s fattened-up lineup includes X-rated face painting, a silent auction and booths offering services such as consultations with Dr. Boobies and Hobo Wine Tastings. Other attractions include eating contests (isn’t that sort of what the entire event is?) and the coronation of this year’s Bacon King and Queen. And while the Vortex keeps cooking up the bacon, you can also enjoy music from local bands such as Mike LaSage & the Stumbling Troubadours, the Young Orchids and Darling Norman.

Depending on how much you want to pig out at this year’s BaconFest, there are three admission options. Portioned Porking ($25 online, $35 over the phone/at the door) offers “a fistful” of game tickets and three cups of beer and/or bacon. Bottomless Bacon ($50 online, $60 over the phone/at the door) provides unlimited game tickets, bacon and beer. And for those who really want to overindulge, the new Whole Hog option (a $50 upgrade) includes servings from a whole roasted pig courtesy of P’Cheen, exotically-flavored bacon not available to other festival-goers, high gravity beer from Wild Heaven Craft Beers and a bacon bib. With all the other hog-inspired hilarity and festival fare, busting a gut could take on a more literal meaning at BaconFest if your not careful.

There will be 80 special guest brewers, including “local celebrities”, home brewers, retailers and charities, who will create their own one-of-a-kind cask for festival attendees to sample and judge.

The event will also include SweetWater’s usual brews, live music, and guided tours of the brewery.