Growing as a Ceramic Artist

by Melissa Macker, Executive Director

Imagine downtown Macon without art. No murals or sculptures. No pottery classes. No art galleries to visit on First Fridays. No art on the walls at your favorite restaurant.

It would be awfully dull, wouldn’t it?

Downtown Macon wouldn’t be what it is without artists. And it wouldn’t be where it is today without you, one of our generous donors, paving the way for artists to display and sell their artwork, teach classes, create pottery, put on events, and more.

Artists like Roban.

Roban has been making pottery for many years through a local studio. It was something she loved doing, and she created beautiful work.

While she loved creating pottery, she was only able to work on her skills one day a week.

 During that time, her husband learned about The 567 Center’s pottery studio from a neighbor who was a studio instructor. He knew she would welcome the opportunity to work on pottery more often, and he gave her a studio membership as a gift.

Being part of The 567’s pottery studio allowed Roban to work on her pottery at any time and produce pieces more quickly. With the additional practice she has been able to develop her skills and experiment with different techniques. She has learned from the other potters in the studio who work together and freely share tips. She has enjoyed improving the quality and variety of ceramic pieces she created. Roban has also appreciated the opportunity to display and sell some of her work in the gallery.

Around one year after she started her studio membership, a friend and fellow studio member asked her to sell pottery with her at the All Hands Art Festival. Roban knew she would have to work hard to create enough pieces to make it worthwhile, but she was up to the challenge. When the festival came around, it was definitely worth the work she put in.

Through The 567—and because of the generosity of our donors—Roban experienced the biggest sales weekend she has ever had since she started making pottery.

Photo by Jessica Whitley

The 567 Center organizes All Hands Art Festival each year with the goal of celebrating artwork and fine crafts that are specifically made with clay, glass, metal or wood. Roban felt like that narrow focus attracted people who would be specifically interested in the kinds of things she made. She experienced a festival that was small enough for her pottery to get noticed, but large enough to attract visitors. Because people got to know both her and her work at the festival, she thinks that they will recognize her pottery more in the future. She looks forward to selling more pottery, making more pottery, and being a vendor at All Hands Art Festival again next year.

Roban is just one of many artists we’ve worked with. Thanks to you, 100 different artists have been able to share their talents through teaching art classes or displaying artwork in the past year alone. These artists attract thousands of people to downtown through the classes they teach, enrich lives with the art they create, and provide a creative outlet for all ages.

When artists thrive, so does downtown Macon.

Want to help artists thrive in 2025? Donate here.

Festival Celebrates Clay, Glass, Wood & Metal Art

Photo by Jessica Whitley-Penndorf

A unique art festival is coming to Macon this fall: the All Hands Art Festival. This 3-day festival brings together artists who work with clay, glass, wood & metal. It also allows the public to see how their art is made.

The 3rd annual event takes place in downtown Macon from September 20 to 22, 2024. All Hands Art Festival will include art vendors, demonstrations, an exhibit, live music and food trucks. The main events will take place across from Fall Line Brewing Co., while the VIP Party will be at The 567 Center.

The excitement builds with the Art Olympics, an opportunity for artists to compete in short technical and creative challenges while visitors watch. Inspired by popular competition shows on television, artists will complete tasks like working on a pottery wheel while blindfolded.

Photo by Jessica Whitley-Penndorf

The festival is being organized by The 567 Center for Renewal. The goal is to create an exciting event that not only locals will enjoy, but will draw people from out of town to Macon just for this festival.

 “The Macon art scene has grown significantly over the past several years with new art studios like Triangle Arts and Artspace Macon, as well as more public art such as Macon Sculpture Walk and Macon Mural Festival,” says The 567 Center’s executive director, Melissa Macker. “We hope this festival will help people outside of Macon see us as a true art destination for years to come. It’s sure to be a ton of fun.”

Visit Macon funded the inaugural All Hands Art Festival as part of its American Rescue Funds grants to promote tourism recovery in Macon. The federal funding supports innovative thinkers who are developing new and interesting ways to showcase the places, people and events that make Macon-Bibb special.

For festival information and tickets, visit https://www.the567center.org/allhands or call (478) 238-6051.

Photo by Jessica Whitley-Penndorf

About The 567 Center for Renewal

The 567 Center for Renewal is a non-profit community space for artists who bring collaboratively creative life to downtown Macon and surrounding areas through events, exhibits, and classes. For more, visit the567center.org.

Contacts:

The 567 Center for Renewal: Melissa Macker, Executive Director, phone: 478.238.6051, e-mail: melissa@the567.org

The Macon Sculpture Walk Bringing New Art to Downtown Macon

Sculpture from the 2021 Macon Sculpture Walk by Alex Mendez

The 6th Annual Macon Sculpture Walk will kick off with new sculptures on Friday, April 12. This year’s sculpture walk will feature three new sculptures by both local and national artists. The sculptures will be installed throughout downtown Macon.

The Macon Sculpture Walk started in 2018 to exhibit high-quality public sculptures in downtown Macon. The sculptures come from different artists and remain on exhibit for one year. Some of the sculptures from previous years have been purchased by local businesses and organizations and remain on display permanently.

Five different artists submitted pieces for this year’s sculpture walk. Out of them, the selection committee chose sculptures by 3 artists: Alex Mendez, Flaminio Antonio and James R. Bodell.

“It’s always exciting to see the new sculptures,” says coordinator Melissa Macker. “Downtown Macon continues to grow as a public art destination, and visitors and locals alike will enjoy engaging with these sculptures. The artists have done an incredible job creating works that people will stop and notice.”

Alex Mendez began is based in Indiana, but he is not new to Macon. He was one of the first artists to participate in the Macon Sculpture Walk. Some of his large-scale metal sculptures are now permanently on display downtown. Mendez’s lighthearted, optimistic, carefree nature is reflected in every piece of his work.

Flaminio Antonio is based in Ocala, Florida, but he was born in Colombia. He learned welding at a young age and quickly became interested in sculpting with scrap metal. He enjoys creating public sculpture because he gets to put his own message into the work and see the impact it has on the viewer.  This will be the first time his work art has been displayed in Macon.

Macon-based artist James R. Bodell is returning to Macon Sculpture Walk after last participating in 2022. He began sculpting at a young age and worked in art settings for many years. He then mastered his welding skills by working in industrial settings for 25 years. When he retired, he became a full-time sculptor.  His works are influenced by the various places he has worked, from art museums to chemical plants.

The Downtown Macon Community Association started Macon Sculpture Walk as a way to beautify downtown Macon and attract visitors. Since then, The 567 Center for Renewal has continued the annual exhibit alongside community partners as part of its mission to bring creative life to downtown Macon. This year’s sculpture walk is made possible by the support of the Linda Harriett Lane Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

About The 567 Center for Renewal

The 567 Center for Renewal is a non-profit community space for artists who bring collaboratively creative life to downtown Macon and surrounding areas through events, exhibits, and classes. For more, visit the567center.org.

Contacts:

The 567 Center for Renewal: Melissa Macker, Executive Director, phone: 478.238.6051, e-mail: melissa@the567.org

Finding the Artist She Always Was

by Melissa Macker, Executive Director

Imagine downtown Macon without art. No murals or sculptures. No pottery classes. No art galleries to visit on First Fridays. No art on the walls at your favorite restaurant.

It would be awfully dull, wouldn’t it?

Downtown Macon wouldn’t be what it is without artists. And it wouldn’t be where it is today without you, one of our generous donors, paving the way for artists to display and sell their artwork, teach classes, create pottery, put on events, and more.

Artists like Malissa.

Malissa became a resin artist sort of by accident. She was a creative person who dabbled in a few art mediums and enjoyed taking classes at The 567 Center--everything from oil painting to photography. Then one day, a friend gave her a resin kit. It didn’t do what she expected, but she immediately fell in love with resin.

During that time, our fine art director reached out to Malissa and asked her to consider selling her resin craft at the All Hands Art Festival. She was flattered to be invited. Through the experience of selling her work at the festival, she realized for the first time that her work was aesthetically pleasing. For the first time in her life, she felt good about saying, "I'm an artist."

Through The 567—and because of the generosity of our donors—she was able transform her passion into a profession.

After the festival, she was excited about making more art. She also wanted to share her passion with others by teaching classes. Her small home studio wasn't really conducive to either. Her completed works were taking over her house, and pet cats and drying resin don't exactly mix well. She was starting to get discouraged. To grow as an artist, she really needed more space.

Our fine art director reached out to Malissa again, this time asking her to consider teaching. It was a perfect fit! At The 567, Malissa was finally able to give people a way to explore making resin art without intimidation and find out whether they love it, just like she did. Not only did she love having a place to teach, but it gave her space in another way. Because of the extra income from teaching, Malissa was able to rent her own studio space at Triangle Arts Macon, a place to store her all of her work and work with resin safely.

Since teaching at The 567, Malissa continues to sharpen her skills as an artist by showing others how to work with resin. She loves the energy of her students and seeing what they create. Teaching at The 567 also provides a way for her to get her name out as an artist. In addition to teaching, she is enjoying selling her own resin art. Now that she has some festival experience and a place to create more, she regularly goes to festivals and markets to sell her art.

Malissa is just one of many artists we’ve worked with. Thanks to our donors, more than 90 different artists have been able to share their talents through teaching art classes or displaying artwork in the past year alone. These artists attract thousands of people to downtown through the classes they teach, enrich lives with the art they create, and provide kids a creative outlet.

When artists thrive, so does downtown Macon.

Want to help artists thrive in 2024? Donate here.

Festival Celebrates Clay, Glass, Wood & Metal Art

MACON—A unique art festival is coming to Macon in October: the All Hands Art Festival. This 3-day festival brings together artists who work with clay, glass, wood & metal. It also allows the public to see how their art is made.

The 2nd annual event takes place in downtown Macon from October 6 to 8, 2023, with both outdoor and indoor activities. All Hands Art Festival will include art vendors, demonstrations, an exhibit, live music and food trucks. The main events will take place outside the Grand Opera House, while the exhibit will be on display at The 567 Center.

Photo by Jessica Whitley-Penndorf

The excitement builds with the Art Olympics, an opportunity for artists to compete in short technical and creative challenges while visitors watch. Inspired by popular competition shows on television, artists will complete tasks like working on a pottery wheel while blindfolded.

The festival is being organized by The 567 Center for Renewal in partnership with Visit Macon. The goal of the organizations is to create an exciting festival that not only locals will enjoy, but will draw people from out of town to Macon just for this event.

 “The Macon art scene has grown significantly over the past several years with new art studios like Startup Studios and Triangle Arts, as well as more public art such as Macon Sculpture Walk,” says The 567 Center’s executive director, Melissa Macker. “We hope this festival will help people outside of Macon see us as a true art destination for years to come. It’s sure to be a ton of fun.”

Visit Macon has funded All Hands Art Festival for two years as part of its American Rescue Funds grants to promote tourism recovery in Macon. The federal funding supports innovative thinkers who are developing new and interesting ways to showcase the places, people and events that make Macon-Bibb special.

For festival information, visit https://www.the567center.org/allhands or call (478) 238-6051. For tickets, visit https://www.thegrandmacon.com/ or call (478) 301-5470.

About The 567 Center for Renewal

The 567 Center for Renewal is a non-profit community space for artists who bring collaboratively creative life to downtown Macon and surrounding areas through events, exhibits, and classes. For more, visit the567center.org.

About Visit Macon

Visit Macon promotes Macon, Georgia to travel writers, meeting planners, group tour operators and leisure travelers in an effort to bring people and revenues into the community and area businesses. For more, visit visitmacon.org.

Contacts:

The 567 Center for Renewal: Melissa Macker, Executive Director, phone: 478.238.6051, e-mail: melissa@the567.org

Spotlight on: Brandi Byrom

If you've taken a watercolor class at The 567 Center, you've probably met Brandi. She has been teaching Watercolor & Wine with us since 2018. Brandi also paints with acrylics and other media, but always comes back to watercolor, her first love.

She loves the unpredictability and fluidity of watercolor, and she enjoys introducing people to it through her monthly classes. People can find watercolor intimidating at first, but with Brandi's instruction, they always come out with a beautiful painting.

Just like Brandi helps people find their confidence with watercolor, The 567 helped Brandi find her confidence, too. "The 567 has definitely helped me come out of my shell," says Brandi. "I never would have entered a gallery showing before." We've loved seeing Brandi grow as an art professional, too!

You can take Watercolor & Wine with Brandi on August 17.

The Macon Sculpture Walk Bringing New Public Art to Downtown Macon

Sculpture from the 2021 Macon Sculpture Walk by Alex Mendez

The 5th Annual Macon Sculpture Walk will kick off with new sculptures on Friday, March 10. This year’s sculpture walk will feature three new sculptures by both local and national artists. The sculptures will be installed throughout downtown Macon.

The Macon Sculpture Walk started in 2018 to exhibit high-quality public sculptures in downtown Macon. The sculptures come from different artists and remain on exhibit for one year. Some of the sculptures from previous years have been purchased by local businesses and organizations and remain on display permanently.

Eight different artists submitted pieces for this year’s sculpture walk. Out of them, the selection committee chose sculptures by 3 artists: Alex Mendez, Cecelia Moseley and Tameka Philips.

“It’s always exciting to see the new sculptures,” says coordinator Melissa Macker. “Downtown Macon continues to grow as a public art destination, and visitors and locals alike will enjoy engaging with these sculptures. The artists have done an incredible job creating works that people will stop and notice.”

Alex Mendez began is based in Indiana, but he is not new to Macon. He was one of the first artists to participate in the Macon Sculpture Walk. Some of his large-scale metal sculptures are now permanently on display downtown. Mendez’s lighthearted, optimistic, carefree nature is reflected in every piece of his work.

Cecelia Moseley is based in Louisiana, but this is her second year participating in Macon Sculpture Walk. Moseley struggles with dyslexia, and the frustrations faced by those with dyslexia are often themes of her work. She also works in metal, playing with shape and color in her sculptures.

Macon-based artist Tameka Phillips is the first textile artist to be part of Macon Sculpture Walk. Her sculptures are molded from real people and explore ideas of cultural identity. In addition to the form itself, Phillips also uses colors and patterns to tell a story. While communicating these ideas in her art, she also expects her life-size public sculpture to be interactive and hopes visitors will enjoy posing for pictures with her work.

The Downtown Macon Community Association originally started Macon Sculpture Walk as a way to beautify downtown Macon and attract visitors. The 567 Center for Renewal is continuing the sculpture walk alongside community partners as part of its mission to bring creative life to downtown Macon. This year’s sculpture walk is made possible by the support of the Linda Harriett Lane Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

About The 567 Center for Renewal

The 567 Center for Renewal is a non-profit community space for artists and entrepreneurs who bring collaboratively creative life to downtown Macon and surrounding areas through events, exhibits, and classes. For more, visit the567center.org.

Contacts:

The 567 Center for Renewal: Melissa Macker, Executive Director, phone: 478.238.6051, e-mail: melissa@the567.org

Spotlight on: Brianne Hall

Photo by Jessica Whitley

by Melissa Macker, Executive Director

Brianne studied art in college, but couldn't find a place to create for 2 years after graduation. When she discovered The 567’s pottery studio in 2021, she finally was able to do ceramics again. As a studio member, she found a much-needed creative outlet.

She also found a community of all kinds of artists, which has made such a difference in her artistic career. She has enjoyed interacting with potters, painters, photographers, teachers, and gallerists. Her favorite part of being a vendor at the All Hands Art Festival was meeting all the different kinds of artists (but selling all her ceramic work was a nice perk!).

Because of the encouragement of other artists in the pottery studio and a place to practice, Brianne has found a gusto for trying new things with her art this past year. She uses the supplies in the studio to experiment with forms and glaze techniques. We can’t wait to see how she continues to grow as an artist in the coming year.

Thanks to our supporting members & donors for making stories like this possible!

Finding a Creative Community

by Melissa Macker, Executive Director

Imagine downtown Macon without art. No murals or sculptures. No pottery classes. No art galleries to visit on First Fridays. No art on the walls at your favorite restaurant.

It would be awfully dull, wouldn’t it?

Downtown Macon wouldn’t be what it is without artists. And it wouldn’t be where it is today without our donors paving the way for artists to display and sell their artwork, teach classes, create pottery, put on events, and more.

Artists like April.

April retired last year from her career as an elementary school art teacher. She found teaching so rewarding. It was hard to leave those students, but it was time for a new season in her life. Even though that job had ended, she knew she still had so much more to give as an artist. How could she continue doing what she loved, but with the flexible schedule that she needed?

Through The 567—and because of generous donors—April found new ways to share her talents in her retirement.

She decided it was time to try a new challenge--teaching adults! At the beginning of the year, she reached out to The 567's staff, who was thrilled to bring April's experience and fresh ideas to the center. She started teaching The 567's very first oil pastels class, as well as new acrylic painting classes. Teaching regularly provided her a little extra money to buy art supplies and so much more.

"I probably get more out of it than the students do," said April about teaching at The 567. Many of her students have rushed to the store to buy oil pastels after taking her classes. It's been so rewarding for April to inspire adults to pick up a new hobby or just teach them to express themselves in a different way. She loves the art community that The 567 has built. She describes the students at The 567 as "art hungry" and eager to try to new things.

Through teaching at The 567, April has also been able to build relationships in Macon's art community and make new friends. Thanks to the help and encouragement of The 567's staff, she's been growing as an artist, too.  She credits The 567 for making Macon the kind of place she wants to be--a place where people are really interested in art.

Macon loves April, too. After her first class, one student said, "This lady is amazing! She told us interesting facts about Henri Matisse and passed around pictures of him and the nun who was his caregiver. She set up the assignment so well, drawing three elements in advance for us and leading us through the most difficult elements of the composition in such an easy way. I feel so lucky to have gotten such a knowledgeable and accomplished teacher."

We are entering the season of giving, when many people give to the organizations and causes they care about. Please make a gift to The 567 today so that we can continue to be a place for people like April to share her talents and find community.

Spotlight on: Danecia Washington

Danecia is one of our new Corks & Canvas instructors that started this year. Her favorite thing about teaching is the people--she loves meeting other creative people who share her passion. About The 567 she says, "I love teaching at The 567 Center because they allow me to be the best version of myself while still supporting my creativity."

Danecia struggles with anxiety, but she deals with it by spreading awareness, positivity, and love. She's a mother of three and a wife, but she always makes time to feed her creative soul with painting, whether at The 567 or at home.