Elevate: Art Above Underground Rises To Its Occasion

Though many characters trek through Underground Atlanta entertaining out-of-towners and Marta commuters, they never made as much noise as Elevate: Art Above Underground did Friday. With various installations, from acrobatic performances to sky-high murals, The Underground was full of creative energy stemming from the most eclectic minds in Atlanta.

Columns that no one really noticed beforehand suddenly shot up through Harriet Rising, images of eight Atlanta women carrying on the legacy of Harriet Tubman through activism. Organizers Lisa Tuttle and Alice Lovelace - both activists themselves - found it exhilarating that Elevate’s opening fell on the day women got the right to vote, as well as the day in the thick of the Civil War because Harriet Tubman played an intricate role in that too.

Another ground-raising installation rose as high as the Atlanta skyline. Two buildings became canvases for Sunday Southern Art Revival and SAM-3 of Living Walls, where SSAR blessed The Underground with their mixed media specialty “Preacher” and SAM-3 painted a pierced man looking to the sky on the side of the neighboring building.

The aesthetics really came alive when Lelavision and Allison Rentz strolled through The Underground. Lelavision gave a compelling performance winding and twisting through weird pieces of metal. Their five-wheel bike makes me want to step my Huffy game up! The live art piece by Allison Rentz included industrial sounds blaring through downtown, and a hazmat-looking ensemble following an escaped colleague with what looked like symbols from the Japanese flag.

There were plenty of interactive media at The Underground, giving regulars and passerby’s a chance to take part in the elevation. Doodlerag made flags with art-driven messages on them for everyone to take, as well as some chalk to draw on the brick road. People could also customize a sculpture built by Lillian Blades by adding seashells and beads to the beach-inspired sculpture. Inside The Underground’s top floor was Zygosis and their face-plastering video media – no really, my face and body at one point covered a wall!

An art opening of this magnitude wouldn’t feel right without music, and Elevate covered that too. Sure, there were other social canvasses around where people could engage in healthy conversation, but a little booty shaking doesn’t hurt anyone. Noot d’ Noot’s funkiness had the downtown homeless dancing with the suburban socialites, an example of the goal of Elevate.

According to Camille Russell Love, Director of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs, “In collaboration with the underground community - those unusual suspects, because we don’t see them in galleries – let’s figure out how we get to them and how we can create something that is interesting, exciting and will bring a positive artistic vibe to the city of Atlanta. We want to give people a reason to come downtown, to Underground, and to linger.” That goal was very much accomplished.

Despite the typical Underground Atlantans confused by the artwork, there were many different walks of life fascinated by every erected installation. Elevate, which will have different programs throughout October 30, is looking like the best program to integrate street art, live art, conscious art and downtown’s touristic nature with the city government’s support.