Posts Tagged ‘West End’
International Museum Day — 90.1 WABE’s City Cafe Interviews Lain Shakespeare
John Lemley, the famed voice of WABE’s City Cafe, stopped by the Wren’s Nest the other day to talk about memory in museums.
Because, as we surely all know by now, “memory” is the theme of this year’s International Museum Day. City Cafe is doing it up right — all this week they’ll interview plenty of other folks about memory in Atlanta’s museums.
John and I talked about my favorite artifact in the Wren’s Nest, pictured above and below. Brer Fox escorts Brer Rabbit to jail for stealing vegetables, and Brer Rabbit drops the evidence along the way. It’s an intricate Bavarian wood carving from the early 1880s. Plus, their heads pop off to better use as a humidor for tobacco.
The piece illustrates just how revolutionary these African American folktales really were. It was the first time animals walked, talked, dressed, and sassed like humans in American literature. Uncle Remus was like Aesop 2.0.
These stories were also the first serialized narrative in children’s fiction, where the animals exist in a kind of alternate universe. There’s no beginning, middle or end to the story. Brer Rabbit was like jumping from Turner and Hooch to The Wire overnight. It’s no wonder Harris had received this gift from Bavaria about 18 months after Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings debuted.
I’ll spare you more. That’s where City Cafe’s “A Visit to the Wren’s Nest” comes in.
Categories: Failed Attempts at Looking Reputable, Historic Preservation | Tags: Atlanta Museums, Brer Rabbit, City Cafe, International Museum Day, Joel Chandler Harris, John Lemley, lain shakespeare, Teddy Roosevelt, West End,
New Mural Along the BeltLine in West End
Remember when the BeltLine, the 22-mile ring of transit, trails, and parks, currently under construction here in Atlanta, broke ground in our sleepy lil’ West End neighborhood? You’ll be happy to know it’s coming along nicely.
In fact, our neighborhood just received a new mural courtesy of artist Malaika Favorite. Take a gander:
Familiar faces in the video include (1) many of our awesome West End neighbors who volunteered to paint and (2) Uncle Remus, who appears mid-yarn-spin on the right side of the mural (with a few (brer?) rabbits thrown in for good measure).
The groundbreaking for the 2nd mile of the BeltLine here in southwest Atlanta is tomorrow. Pretty exciting. There’s a 5K, a holiday lunch, and a party at Hammonds House to mark the occasion. Oh, and a groundbreaking.
Thanks for the heads-up, Creative Loafing.
Related: The Asian Cajuns, Lain, and Amelia Hike the BeltLine, The BeltLine Begins!
Categories: Atlanta, Storytelling, The Beltline | Tags: Go West, Malaika Favorite, The Beltline, Uncle Remus, West End,
Photos from the West End Concert and Tour of Homes
WEND, our neighborhood association here in West End, celebrated the kickoff of their Tour of Homes at the Wren’s Nest on Friday night.
We had a great time. The 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra opened for Maria Howell, she often of the Sambuca Jazz Cafe (…and Army Wives!).
Take a look at the pictures I snapped.
The weather held until 9:53 pm when we were pummeled with rain. Your loyal staff did not have to usher anyone off the grounds at 1 am as we occasionally must do, and I don’t think anyone left disappointed. Great success!
The West End Tour of Homes followed on Saturday and Sunday.
Amelia and I skipped out on the Wren’s Nest to catch the last hour of the tour. I took a few pictures to show you what you missed.
The Wren’s Nest isn’t the only storied home in West End, and we’re honored to share our neighborhood with the rest of Atlanta. Thank you to WEND, and specifically to Vonda Henry, for making the West End Tour of Homes such a successful event.
Categories: Atlanta, Events, Historic Preservation, Shirking Responsibility, West End | Tags: Atlanta, Concerts, The Wren's Nest, Tour of Homes, West End,