The 13^th annual Art Papers Auction will be held at the Mason Murer Fine Art gallery in Atlanta on Feb. 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. The event benefits the participating artists and Art Papers magazine, exhibits and education programs. An impressive showcase of work by famed and emerging artists from around the world will be featured at the event.

A cash bar with complimentary light hors d’oeuvres and desserts will be provided by Condesa Coffee, Escorpión, Fritti, Sotto Sotto, Sound Table, Sugar Coated Radicals, The Sundial Restaurant, Bar & View, TOP FLR, and more.

This year marks the second anniversary for Wedding Day Hooray, boasting over 40 vendors at the upcoming event. Not only will the vendors have the opportunity to showcase their creations, but the popular Table Decor Competition gives businesses a chance to show brides how to make their table setting pop for their special day.

“We’re looking to make this year’s Wedding Day Hooray bigger and better than the last,” said Christy Petterson, co-founder of Indie Craft Experience. “We love giving brides an alternative to big bridal expos.” Shannon Mulkey, co-founder of the Indie Craft Experience, echoes this same sentiment. “We can’t wait to make these brides’ day the most special!”

Wedding Day Hooray will feature gift bags for the first 100 attendees, a wedding goodie raffle and even a chance to win a honeymoon stay at the Artmore Hotel. A portion of the raffle proceeds will be donated to Burnaway- an online magazine for the arts. Sponsorship opportunities are available, with some that are free to participate. Visit www.weddingdayhooray.virb.com for info.

I attended the opening of Benita Carr’s latest exhibition, Morning Sun, at Whitespace Gallery on Friday night. Known for her portraits, Carr was featured at the Smithsonian Portraiture Gallery in Washington, D.C. a couple of years ago. She has been working on this newest exhibit, which features photography and video installations, since then and has expanded her portraits to include mothers and their children.

The work explores how a mother can lose her sense of artistic freedom while raising children. Carr peels away the layers of reality by photographing families in their homes and backyards, while the “realness” of day to day living is juxtaposed with gorgeous colors and fanciful play things. Two short films on loop show a tap dancing daughter and her mom and a celloist trying to practice while caring for her children. The children demand things from their mom as she plays, while other ambient “domestic” sounds drift through including the noise of a washing machine the sounds of doing the wash, practicing the cello.

It’s both a risque and haunting exhibit. I recommend stopping by WhiteSpace, located at 814 Edgewood Ave., and checking it out. It runs through Feb. 18.

By Taylor Arnold

If you’re experiencing a little cabin fever this season, you’re in luck, because Atlanta has some spectacular places to escape the winter doldrums. We’ve got the rundown of the winter’s must see performances and exhibitions, as well as recommendations from four of Atlanta’s top art leaders. Read on for our list of the best things to see and do in Atlanta this season.

Alliance Theatre
God of Carnage is one of the most acclaimed plays of the decade, and this January, audiences in Atlanta can see why this little jewel won the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Direction, Best Actress In A Play and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. From the same playwright that brought Art to the stage comes a no-holds-barred new play that begs a universal question – What makes you go over the edge? Jan. 11 – 29. alliancetheatre.org

The Atlanta Ballet
This season, the Atlanta Ballet embarks on one of the most monumental collaborations of its 82-year history. Twyla Tharp’s The Princess and the Goblin is the premiere story ballet by the legendary choreographer. Co-produced by the Atlanta Ballet and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, it is the story of a courageous young girl who confronts the trials of coming-of-age. Feb. 10 – 19. atlantaballet.com

The Fox Theatre
The Fabulous Fox has a stellar lineup of musicals this year, beginning with the Broadway classic, Annie (Jan. 14 – 22). Next up is Memphis, the winner of four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical (Jan. 31 – Feb. 5), followed by Billy Elliot the Musical, the show Time Magazine called “the musical of the decade.” (March 13 – 18). foxtheatre.org

Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
In partnership with AIA Atlanta and the Young Architects Forum Atlanta, MODA will host Emerging Voices 11. This annual portfolio-based citation features young individuals and firms with distinct “voices” that demonstrate the potential to influence architecture and design within the Atlanta community. Jan. 10 – 22. museumofdesign.org

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Upcoming highlights at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra include Beethoven’s  Emperor (Jan. 5 – 7), instrumental artist Chris Botti (Feb. 10 – 11), and composer, performer and storyteller Marvin Hamlisch (March 16 – 17). atlantasymphony.org

Onstage Atlanta
The Decatur-based company is unveiling two shows, beginning with 40 Weeks, a portrait of what can happen during 40 weeks of pregnancy (Jan. 13 – 22). Next up is The Drowsy Chaperone, an homage to American musicals of the Jazz Age (Feb. 17 – March 10). onstageatanta.com

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
This winter, SCAD Atlanta will host Zander Bloom: Place and Space, marking the artist’s first solo show in North America. This exhibition presents a selection of recent paintings, drawings and photographs in which the artist explores ideas about the creative process, the presentation of art and art making as well as the significance of media and location. February 3 through April 6. scad.edu/exhibitions
Arts Leaders Winter Picks

Brenda Galina
Executive Director, Museum of Design Atlanta
Emerging Voices is always exciting for us because it’s an architectural competition. After the eliminations, we get the best stuff, so it’s always new and fresh. Plus, we never get a preview so it’s always a surprise. Every architect in the city comes because they want to see who wins. It’s very popular in the architectural community and usually draws a grand crowd the first couple of days. I also have season tickets to the Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Ballet, so I always look forward to that. Those are two of my favorite things in the world. What makes a great city is the arts, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.

Daniel Summers, Jr.
Marketing Director, Center for Puppetry Arts
We’ve got one show I’m incredibly excited about, Ruth and the Green Book. The show is adapted from a children’s book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey. What amazes me about this story is the green book really did exist, and those who knew about it loved it – it’s an unsung story about a tumultuous time in our country. Another big show I’m waiting on is Ghost Brothers of the Darkland County at the Alliance. It starts in April, and it’s been in the works for a few years. It’s written by one of America’s best horror writers, and it’s an ambitious project that deserves to be looked at. The other thing on my radar is the first ever Atlanta Fringe Festival. I’m a big fan of performance art, and I love the fact that there is enough interest in Atlanta that we’re having it.

Russ Belin
Vice President of Broadway in Atlanta
I’m really excited about Memphis in February. It focuses on the birth of rock and roll and underground blues singers, which should resonate in Atlanta because we have some of that history too. The other one would be Billy Elliott. The music is by Elton John, and it’s an inspirational story that anyone can relate to. I think audiences will be inspired by this boy who overcomes the odds. People will leave with a sense of believing. We’ll also check out the Ringling Bros. in February. Since I came from world of entertainment, this is always a good Atlanta tradition. God of Carnage looks really interesting, too. I’m sure I’ll take my wife to see that play. We’ll also see The Apollo exhibit at Atlanta History Center. It’s an interesting look at how music has influenced this country.

Brett Osborne
Associate Dean of Fine Arts, SCAD Atlanta
The SCAD exhibitions department is proud to present Zander Bloom: Place and Space, which focuses on different configurations of lines, shapes and forms that he stages on paper and linen or throughout his studio’s corners and walls, confining his materials, gestures and marks within a single area. At times, each of these works becomes an artistic entity in and of itself. In addition to events hosted by SCAD, we encourage the students to visit or attend the Cyclorama, the largest painting in the world, the Fox, the Historical Society, the Zoo, the Aquarium, Midtown Festival of the Arts, Atlanta Ballet, and listen to Sidewalk Radio. Inspiration comes from many sources within life.

By Patrick Dennis

I am an artist and I’ve been thinking…

Like the ash dangling precipitously from Mame Dennis’ glamorously long cigarette holder, one tap and the holidays are gone.  But not without fanfare, family drama, financial calamity, or fabulous friends famous for their fidelity and flair, not to mention their far flung festivities.

Who doesn’t remember the Christmas Eve scene from Auntie Mame where Beauregard Burnside appears at Mame’s Beekman Place apartment door after “searching every last Dennis in the Manhattan directory with the meter still running” to find his “little gal with the big heart?” Rosiland Russell’s expression was the classic cap on the spirit of the holidays. With a heartfelt hug for Patrick, Nora, Ito and Agnes, she’s off and running to the banquet table of life with a sprig of hope pinned to her hat.

Some things have not changed since 1955. Just like the life of the infamous character Mame, the holidays inevitably fill us with uncertainty, hope and the occasional hangover which is worth every minute because we lived life fully. It’s no wonder we toast each other with a cup of cheer every year; we need the fortification even if it’s just to take the chill off.

Artists almost never give up hope and our glass is almost always half full even though that’s partially due to the fact that we just like to drink. Like Mame, we might be dramatically inconsolable when things go terribly wrong  but deep down we know that around the corner there just might be a Beauregard Burnside looking for us because they saw our work at a show, a fundraiser, a festival or on somebody’s wall.  So we continue to create with hope, knowing we are fully embracing the possibility of starvation or worse, being under-appreciated. Yet we are certain that we are artists for a reason: to present the unsuspecting public with things they have never seen before, and that can make it all worthwhile.

At the annual Telephone Factory Art Show and Sale last month, I saw artists both new and experienced who had some of the freshest concepts and innovative ideas I’ve ever seen. The show was well planned and full of surprises, thanks to a thoughtful Sarah Rosenberg. The enthusiasm of Jennie Juechter and Alexander Wright of Urban Attic  (urbanaticatl.com) was worthy of Mame praise. They showed me graphic transfers on wood panels with layers of paint and images that I’ve never seen combined.

There were so many great and colorful art shows and events in December, I think I fell in love about a hundred times. Kim Chesney and Debi Lamb’s powerful skills put together a night of pure imagination with “Hope for the Holidays” at The Art House (thearthouseatlanta.com), complete with a fantastic tent, music, mime and local art covering every square inch.  At King Plow, the Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (.glarts.org) held their annual fundraiser in the great room with over 40 participating artists.  In addition to their daily business of supporting the arts, they even presented awards to artist Marc Villanueva and past supporters for their contributions.  The love of art overflows there.

Some artists live by inspiration from the masters or the generosity of their supporters.  Me? I hear Mame’s words in my head like the Pied Piper when she says to her young nephew and my namesake Patrick, “Ah, my little love, I’ll show you things you never dreamed existed!”    That’s enough to keep me interested in grabbing a seat at the banquet.

Take a page from the story of Mame and let your imagination be your guide in 2012. I guarantee you’ll find that hope and art is a great combination.

Thru January 7: “Art Ancient and Modern” at Thomas Dean Fine Art.  Paintings by eight selected artists, photography, drawings and watercolors from 1750 to 2012. thomasdeans.com

Thru January 8: “Grainger McKoy” at the High Museum.  More than 30 sculptures and drawings from the master of wildlife art. high.org

January 21: “Westside Art Walk” at Atlanta’s Westside Arts District.  Brave the chill to visit galleries from Emily Amy, Kiang, Sandler Hudson and many more. wadatlanta.org

Thru February 10: “The Glass Ceiling Shattered” at Alan Avery Art Company.  Celebrating 30 years of great American Women Artists (including one of my all time faves, Louise Nevelson).  alanaveryartcompany.com

Patrick Dennis is an artist, gallery owner and President of the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces. He lives in Atlanta. Email him at Patrick@affps.com.

This year the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) will commemorate World AIDS Day by staying open for 24 hours (from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on December 1). During that time period, visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to take in two AIDS-related exhibitions, Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of World AIDS Posters and The AIDS Memorial Quilt, as well as an array of educational opportunities, entertaining performances, and commemorations of those who have passed.

MODA’s World AIDS Day commemoration will include poetry readings by the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival; a lecture about the AIDS Memorial Quilt; a dance performance by Zoetic; musical performances by Timothy Boyd, Aural Pleasure, the Serenbe Playhouse, and the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra, and much more. www.museumofdesign.org

Hours for the market are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and  8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the art programs at Church of the Common Ground, Emmaus House, and the Church of the Holy Comforter. Tthe Cathedral of St. Philip is located 2744 Peachtree Road.

For more information, visit www.workofhands.com.

By Patrick Dennis

I am an artist and I’ve been thinking…

Probably I scared the daylights out of trick-or-treaters this year because instead of wearing a mask I decided to answer the door with a clipboard and a telephone headset and my pajama bottoms.

I could see the worried looks on the mothers’ faces saying in hushed tones, “just get the candy and leave before he starts asking questions about our household income.”  They couldn’t have known that the man with wires on his head nervously tapping a board with papers was just working late on a festival that is due to start in a couple of days.

I’m pretty sure I was disheveled and nervous looking, exacerbating the horrifying image every child has of old people. I wondered briefly if I smelled faintly of wax or Polident  and if I’d gotten that chocolate turtle off my giant menacing front teeth.  In the end of course it’s all about the candy and not getting caught with it on your face when you answer the door.

Most artists I know are winding down their year to spend some hard earned time and money on their families. Sometimes I imagine a fire in a dark room with grandma ladling out portions of stew from an iron cauldron while children play with last year’s second hand toys nervously wondering if their pets will be on the menu.  But that’s just my idea of fun because I’m a big fan of The Addams Family and I’m not really over Halloween yet.

Perhaps because or in spite of these times I keep working to organize opportunities for artists to make a living. On Nov. 5-6 we have our last art festival of the year, The Chastain Park Arts Festival, in hopes that artists can make a proud bow to consumers who have come to see the wonder of art and how it’s made before the frenzy of holiday mass merchandising is in high gear even though it already started in August.  Finding even one item of art and knowing the person who made it increases the value in every way.  We artists hang our hopes on this perception, that our admirers will appreciate the intricate details wrought from our own hands and take it home or share with a loved one.  And that, if you ask me is practically like a roadmap to a successful Thanksgiving, without the gelatin salad or tofurkey leftovers.

If you’re already planning your holiday calendar and a “new” recipe for medicinally infused eggnog to ward off the effects of visiting relatives, stop for a minute.  Remember, one item made by hand with thoughtful care means much more than any famous designer could produce by ‘little hands’ in China. I should know this because of course all old people are wise, so you should take my advice and support your local artist before I really do come to your home with a clipboard asking personal questions.

Here are some of my favorite things to do this month. Enjoy!

Nov. 4: The Atlanta Contemporary Jewelry Show at the Defoor Center. Featuring 25 award winning jewelry artists. 11710 Defoor Ave. AtlantaContemporaryJewelryShow.com

Nov. 5: ArtCAN 2011 is an evening of inspiration and art from 25 artists who are cancer survivors or have had their lives affected by cancer. At the Bill Lowe Gallery, 1555 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 100. lowegallery.com

Nov. 5-6: TheeChastain Park Arts Festival is back for a third year and it just keeps getting better. Grab your coat and head to the park to see over 175 artists, demonstrations, delicious local foods, music and more. Free to attend. Park Drive at Stella Drive, 4469 Stella Drive. chastainparkartsfestival.com

Nov. 7: Bohemian Circus at the Apache Cafe. This interactive evening of art by emerging artists is engaging. 64 Third St. NW. apachecafe.com

Nov. 12-13: Slotin Folk Art Auction – The George and Sue Viener Collection. At Historic Buford Hall, 112 E. Shadburn Ave., Buford, GA 30518. auction@slotinfolkart.com for information.

Nov. 19: Art Visions at The Paideia School.  This is their 29th anniversary art market and fundraiser for art programs.  Art and merchandise from 100 local artists with an emphasis on eco-friendly design. 1509 Ponce de Leon Ave. paideiaschool.org

Patrick Dennis is an artist, gallery owner and President of the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces. He lives in Atlanta. Email him at Patrick@affps.com.