Atlanta Contemporary

26 - Rachel Reese—Making Connections through Curatorial Practice by Vivian Liddell

Rachel Reese on her first meeting with artist, Suzanne Jackson:

I was giving a lecture at the opening of the Nick Cave exhibition we had at the Jepson Center and in that lecture was talking about sort of the impetus for his soundsuits— which was a response to the Rodney King beatings in Los Angeles— he was in Chicago... And she came up to me after the lecture and introduced herself. “Hello. Hello, I'm Suzanne Jackson” And she was wearing these bracelets that she said "Your lecture reminded me. I wear these bracelets everyday" (and she does) "I got them in Watts just before the riots broke out in 1992.” And so that was our first conversation with one another, and I said I've been trying to get in touch with you! So we sort of both talk about that, like, serendipitous first meeting, but from that I went to her studio and—her house and studio—and was just blown away at the amount of work, the like experimental style of her work that she was making. I entered another world in her house, and it was very clear that she had been like head down making work for 10 years with no visibility.

Read More

8 - Veronica Kessenich—Director of the Atlanta Contemporary on her path so far by Vivian Liddell

Veronica Kessenich on writing:

It’s a little magical to me. I am very shy; I don’t share it at all. Very few people have read my writing. So, I don’t know. I think it’s just you know like, you have to be very courageous I think as an artist, and generous as an artist to say “This is my internal musings and this is what I think about the world. And here, people! Consume!" … And you hope that your audience is generous with you, and accepting, and challenging…

Read More