After almost a year of virtual programming, Georgia Tech Arts is bringing audiences and artists together again in person by taking its programming outdoors! The organization’s first-ever Skyline Series was born out of a commitment to fostering human and artistic connection while maintaining the safety of everyone involved. With an outdoor stage and spaced-out pod seating, Georgia Tech Arts is excited to connect communities through the power and beauty of live music, dance, and conversation. The program, which runs March 26-May 18, will feature a mix of Georgia Tech groups, Atlanta arts companies, and internationally recognized artists from outside of Georgia.
In keeping with the Institute’s mission to make students a top priority, the project will provide Georgia Tech students with discounted tickets, subsidized by a generous BuzzFunds grant, to all performances. All Skyline Series events are open to members of the Georgia Tech community and the general public.
Tickets are now on sale at arts.gatech.edu/skyline-series.
School of Music shows are free but require a reservation. A limited number of student tickets are available for purchase to all other Skyline Series performances. Student pricing is $10 per person, sold in pods of two or four. GT students can use promo code BUZZ10to access their discount and then show their BuzzCards at the entrance to the venue. Use promo code BUZZ5 to access $5 tickets, sold in pods of two or four, to the April 14 event with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and Immerse ATL. Register as general public and do not log in as student or staff at this time.
Public prices start at $20 for double-pod seating and $40 for 4-person pod seating. Pod sizes, configurations, and public pricing all vary by performance. Georgia Tech Arts Box Office staff are available by phone (404-894-9600) or email (tickets@arts.gatech.edu) Monday through Friday, noon until 5:00 p.m., to answer questions and offer additional assistance. Full details on Georgia Tech Arts’ safety protocols and ticketing policies are also available on the website.
With the campus nestled in the heart of Midtown Atlanta and in full view of the stunning cityscape, the spring program is aptly titled, Georgia Tech Arts Skyline Series. It will offer Georgia Tech Arts the opportunity to present artists like composer and guitarist Kaki King and global music artists Mwenso & the Shakes in an inviting outdoor space that is safe for patrons, artists, and staff. In building the outdoor stage and plans for the series, Georgia Tech Arts’ director Aaron Shackelford also saw an opportunity to connect with local arts groups who have had limited opportunities to perform over the past 12 months and put live performances back in front of audiences.
Says Shackelford, “We embraced the Georgia Tech mindset of innovation and creativity in finding a way to bring live performance back to our campus and share these experiences with our city. We know students want to see art and share their own talents and that artists want to perform. We found a way to make it happen by working with so many partners on and off campus. The Skyline Series lets us strengthen the arts on campus and also support the arts organizations that make Atlanta such a vibrant and exciting home for Georgia Tech.”
Physically Distanced Pods Create a Safe Environment Fostering Community
Georgia Tech Arts has built an extensive plan to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for guests, which includes contactless e-ticketing, physically distanced private pod seating, and 6-foot single direction walkways.
The Skyline Series will offer 105 audience pods designed to hold up to 4 individuals on the W21 parking lot at the intersection of Ferst Drive and State Street. The 8-foot square spaces include chair seating on top of green turf donated by Shaw Industries and Shaw Sports Turf, all of which adds to the festival-like outdoor experience. The sponsorship offers the perfect connection for a company that prides itself on products that are “more than playing surfaces but are also centerpieces and rallying points for schools and communities.”
Series Snapshot
The series will feature Mwenso & the Shakes led by artist and social commentator Michael Mwenso. In Hope, Resist & Heal, the international group of artists create an energizing concert that brings Mwenso’s unique and ancestral perspective on Black music and its ability to heal us through original compositions and arrangements to Atlanta. The public concert will complement a listening party and artist discussion for Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff.
Invited guests include internationally acclaimed guitarist and composer Kaki King, who’s been hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself.” The Atlanta native - and recent Golden Globe nominee (Best Original Score) - has become known for her integration of technology into her performances. The Skyline Series will mark her first performance in front of a live audience since the pandemic started. Bringing along a few of her finest and most interesting guitars, King will play a selection of songs from her 20+-plus year career as well as new material from her most recent album, Modern Yesterdays. "I am excited for the future of live music and performance as we slowly and safely find our way out of these dark days. I'm infinitely grateful to Georgia Tech for supporting me in so many ways during this time, and I'm thrilled to be returning to do a LIVE performance for the Skyline Series," says King.
ATL Collective will bring local musical voices together to faithfully relive Dolly Parton’s timeless album, “Jolene,” curated by bassist Robby Handley.
After Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company’s October 2020 premiere of What Problem? was postponed due to COVID-19, Georgia Tech Arts is excited to announce that company dancer and Georgia-native Chanel Howard will work with ImmerseATL artists to present Continuous Replay: Come Together, a work that’s part of the DNA of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Howard and fellow company members will then return in January 2022 to present What Problem? as part of Georgia Tech Arts’ 21-22 Series.
The Skyline Series also provides an opportunity to announce Georgia Tech Arts’ partnership with Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, which has been part of choreographer Troy Schumacher’s residency with Georgia Tech Arts over the past year. Terminus will present an excerpt of a work in progress developed with Schumacher, an Atlanta-native who is now based in New York City, that explores topics around neurobiology and neuroethics. The showing will be immediately followed by a panel discussion with the choreographer and some of the scientists who have contributed to his research. The full work by Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre will premiere during the Georgia Tech Arts 2021-2022 Series.
Other participating organizations include Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Ballet 2, and Dance Canvas with plans to announce more partners in the coming weeks.
Visit arts.gatech.edu/skyline-series for the full list of performances and event details.
About Georgia Tech Arts: Part of the Division of Student Life, Georgia Tech Arts serves as a home for artists, students and faculty working at the innovative and inspiring intersection of art, science and technology. Georgia Tech Arts weaves art into the learning and research of students and faculty across the Institute and invites the entire community to join in these encounters. Through a blend of professional performances, exhibitions, installations, residencies, and support for student and faculty ideas, Georgia Tech Arts places art at the epicenter of supporting the Strategic Objectives of the entire Institute. arts.gatech.eduAbout Georgia Tech: The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion dollars in research annually for government, industry, and society.