American Roads Travel Magazine
GEORGIA IN BLOOM
and other cool art festivals or small art towns
by Anne Jenkins |
Local art desplayed in the James Madison Inn public areas.
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The town folk of Madison, Ga., like to
say their town was too beautiful to burn. This may well be true, perhaps Sherman really
did admire beauty, but the modern town is burning bright with local art during the Georgia
in Bloom (GIB) art fest. The local Madison Artists Guild put together their second annual
‘tour of art’ - the art of 54 regional artists scattered in 14 locations
throughout the towns of Rutledge and Madison. The festival runs from March 20 through May
9 and fits neatly with the May 1-2 Spring Tour
of Homes - homes that can comfortably be called works of art themselves!
The energetic guild has put out a
comprehensive brochure with the list of businesses, a map and a list of the artists (check
their website). The brochures are all over town but probably it’s easiest to collect
one at the Visitor Center on the main square in Madison.
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A resident Rutledge cat |
Lee and I started our tour of GIB in the
small village of Rutledge just a few miles out of Madison on Hwy 278. Molly Lesnikowski,
works out of the Red Door Studio, and she was busy preparing to paint colorful floor mats
when we arrived. She also shows the work of local artists such as Sam Traina and
“Blue” Chilton. The quaint town boasts an antique store, a caboose deli and the
workmen busy on another building told us it was going to be a bar/restaurant.
The very lovely town of Madison has one
of Middle Georgia’s premier cultural institutions, the Madison-Morgan Cultural
Center, which is housed in a magnificent old school building. The center is a non-profit
multi-disciplinary performing and visual arts facility that also houses several permanent
collections. The original school auditorium is magical and a step back in time. They do
sterling work and it’s easy to linger for a while.
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O'Hara's brick wall's make a good rustic backdrop for the art |
One of the best stops to see the local
art display is O’Hara’s Restaurant right on the Square. The owners, Steve Hesson
and Chef Robert Richardson, took over the place a year ago and are big supporters of the
arts. The walls are covered with the art and, although the lighting doesn’t do the
paintings enough justice, it’s an all-encompassing display. It doesn’t hurt that
their food is good and we enjoyed our lunch. We split two of the choices - the Fried Green
Tomato BLT on lightly toasted ciabatta bread and the Cuban. Both were good, and having had
a look at their dinner menu, we decided we need to go back to sample their Bouillabaisse.
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Eve, the bookstore cat, lounges in luxury. |
More art is displayed at the Madison
Markets - a warehouse of small antique booths and Dog Ear Books. Be sure to give Eve, the
cat at the bookstore, a scratch behind the ears. Right across the street is the James
Madison Inn, a lovely boutique hotel which also supports the arts. When they opened they
commissioned local artists to paint a portrait of local houses for each bedroom and local
landmarks for the public rooms. The GIB art is all downstairs in the breakfast room. If
you should decide to spend the night - and it‘s a delightful place to linger - you
would also have the additional choice of two restaurants right next door. On the left is
Town 220 and on the right, The Ice House Restaurant. More GIB art is on display in the
Town 220 private dining room and the Shops at the Ice House Underground. The Ice House is
an interesting complex - a restored former ice house, now lofts and restaurants and shops.
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One stop you definitely shouldn’t
miss is Antique Sweets, also on the square. Oh My! It’s a trip down memory lane and
no one, but no one, can get out of that shop
without buying some delectable temptation. As you step in you are faced with rows of
baskets of candy of all sorts and a full counter of chocolate happiness. Owner Patrick
Halligood offers a little sample taste of heaven. I was so entranced with the goodies on
offer I nearly forgot about the art.
The display of art continues at Whidby Jewelers, North Main Village which was formerly a Piggly Wiggly grocery store, United Bank and the Madison Visitor Center.
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One of the quirkier pieces on display |
The student art section of the exhibit is
at the fabulous Steffen Thomas Museum. This wonderful place is out in the rural
countryside, in “the real” Buckhead as locals call it (as opposed to the fancy
Buckhead near Atlanta.) The museum is dedicated to the life and career of the prolific and
talented artist Steffen Thomas. There is a vast collection of his work on display and they
do admirable work with children to promote the arts. It is a fascinating and uplifting
experience to visit and I suggest you give yourself time to enjoy it.
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| The art display with an original Piggly Wiggly sign at North Main Village |
There’s another small festival on
April 25, the Madison Fest. This a day of fun day for all the family with food, arts and
crafts with an eco-friendly theme.
The hardworking and forward looking artists guild also sponsors a Plein Air Paint Out on May 1 & 2 during the Madison Spring Tour of Homes. It’s a great way to interact with artists as they paint and you wander around incredible homes. Madison positively oozes magnificent homes around every corner and it’s a visual treat.
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Molly Lesnikowski in her Red Door Studio |
Another festival that’s beautiful to
behold is the Sunflower Farm Festival held over the weekend of the 4-5 July on a sunflower
(surprise!) farm south of Rutledge. On a family farm in the same family for four
generations, this little festival started out a sort of small, off the cuff event and has
grown in to a much anticipated annual event which has been written up by Southern Living.
They hold antique tractor pulls, an artist market, offer local BBQ and
cut-your-own-sunflowers galore. If nothing else, the fields of sunflowers are a sight to
lift the heart.
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Just 24 miles east in the lovely town of
Greensboro, the annual Southland Jubilee is held every April. This festival has an artists
market, an American Idol-type event, a parade and lots of food stalls. This year it will
be held on 18 April.
There are grand plans for the Oconee
Performing Arts Center which is being built in the town and they are already bringing
world class performances to the area. Coupled with the Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton, the
two are making an impact of the level of the arts in the region.
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Opening reception at The Point of Art |
Head 7 miles further east to the historic
little town of Union Point and the Point of Art Gallery for fine, affordable local art and
wonderful folk art. Their current show is “Rite of Passage”, a fabulous display
of 8 selected local artists. The show will run through the end of May. Around the corner
from the gallery is the town’s old theater which holds a flea market every Friday and
Saturday if no other event is planned.
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Morgan Madison Cultural Center seen |
From here it’s a short hop to
Washington and a step back in time. They have the Art Gallery La Place - their new show is
“Fragile Balance,“ a boutique hotel, the Fitzpatrick, and stunning antebellum
homes now offering Bed & Breakfast. And a choice of restaurants from sandwiches to
fine dining.
You can easily spend a few days exploring
this pretty region just a short distance from Atlanta and Augusta. For some years it has
been rather quiet and slightly off the beaten track but is now making a comeback and is
just blossoming with art.
Business information:
Madison Morgan Visitors Center, 115 E
Jefferson St, Madison GA 3.0650 (706) 342-4454
Madison Morgan Cultural Center, 434 S
Main St, Madison GA 30650 (706) 342-4743 www.mmcc-arts.org
Madison Arts Guild, President Karen
Strelecki (706) 752-0137 www.madisonartistsguild.org
Steffen Thomas Museum, 4200 Bethany Rd,
Buckhead GA 30625 (706) 342-7557 www.steffenthomas.org
James Madison Inn, 260 W Washington St,
Madison GA 30650 (706) 342-7040 www.jamesmadisoninn.com
O’Hara’s Restaurant, 133 S Main
St, Madison GA 30650 (706) 343-1123
Antique Sweets Inc 132 E Washington St
Madison GA 30650 (706) 342-0034
Dog Ear Books, 142 Academy St, Madison GA
30650 (706) 342-3460 www.dogearbooks.com
Sunflower Farm Festival, 1430 Durden Rd
Rutledge, GA (706) 557-2870 www.sunflowerfarmfestival.com
Southland Jubilee in Greensboro: www.southlandjubliee.com
The Point of Art Gallery, www.ThePointofArt.net
(706) 486-6808
Washington Chamber of Commerce www.washingtonwilkes.org
Art Gallery La Place www.artgallerylaplace.com
(706) 678-6258 after hours (706) 486-6808
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