All photos by John E. Ramspott.
Elevate: Art Above Underground ended its 66-day public art festival with the Elevate Carnival that mobilized 101 performers and an enthusiastic crowd despite the chilly winds last Saturday. Two Kids and a Dream danced at the VIP party and throughout the event, alongside men on stilts, trapeze artists, aerial acrobats, fire-swallowers, hoola-hoopers, and burlesque dancers.
Gigantic murals several stories high, a vinyl painting that covered the entire height of an outdoor staircase, and acrobats that swung down from the Peach Drop tower—these were no small achievements. The event was also a big tent party, including artists of many stripes.
Overall, Elevate went big. So many artists of all ages and colors gained a chance to show Atlanta what they could do, and people who normally are not exposed to art had a chance to see quite a variety. I would, of course, have liked to see bigger crowds for the performances and more coverage from the mainstream news media. But the bottom line is that the event enabled artists who make ends-meet by doing nonartistic jobs to spend time making art, supporting each other, and sharing their work with the people of Atlanta for free.
