Keeping Blandtown Alive Local artist revives name of historic community with art

By Collin Kelley

Artist Gregor Turk is keeping the name of one of Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods, Blandtown, alive.

Turk recently installed a large sign on the small lawn of his studio on English Street that reads “Welcome to the Heart of Blandtown.” It’s part installation, part reminder as new homes are literally springing up all around the tiny white house that is one of only three remaining original structures in the neighborhood.

Blandtown has slowly been absorbed into what is now called West Midtown, while Brock Built Homes has named the new development around Turk’s studio West Town.

Turk’s studio, a tiny white cottage he guesses was built in the late 1950s or early 60s, is dwarfed by the two-story, single-family half-millon dollar homes that have sprung up on both sides, behind and across the street.

“This neighborhood has a history and I think people will embrace the name – like they have with Normaltown in Athens or Boring, Oregon – if they know more about it,” Turk said.

The neighborhood was named after Felix Bland, a freed slave who settled in the area after the Civil War. For many years, it was a thriving African-American community, but it has slowly been erased, Turk said. As a matter of fact, looking at an original map of the area, part of the Westside Provision District, which includes restaurants like Bacchanalia and JCT Kitchen, and trendy fashion and interior design shops all lie in what was once Blandtown.

Turk moved into his Blandtown studio in 2002 when English Street’s most notable address was a crack house. “They would put a Tweety Bird piñata in a tree when they got a new shipment in,” Turk recalled. A half- dozen other homes in the neighborhood were occupied by residents and vagrants alike.

Turk – whose art has appeared in multiple Art on the BeltLine installations, at the airport, Metropolitan Library and is in the permanent collections of the High Museum and JP Morgan Chase – said neighbors who have purchased homes have dropped by the studio to bring wine and say hello, and ask more about Blandtown.

Curiously, Turk’s Blandtown sign looks like an old television test pattern

– the kind networks used to run when stations went off the air for the night.

“Blandtown is off-the-air right now,” Turk said of the design inspiration. “As the area adjusts its frequency and comes back on-the-air, I hope it will create a dialogue about the neighborhood’s name and history.”

Artist Gregor Turk stands outside his studio on English Street with the "Welcome to the heart of Blandown" he erected last year. Turk's studio is one of only three original structures left in the historic community, which has become known as West Midtown. The studio is also surrounded by new single-family homes in a community that has been marketed as "West Town."

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Visual Arts

Puppy Love Juried Exhibition 2017: This exhibit of loveable dogs supports local animal rescue organizations. Opens Feb. 4. Free. hathawaygallery.com

Wild Weather: Fly through the eye of a hurricane, create a mini-tornado and dance up a storm as the weather responds to your movements. Opens Feb. 4. $16 to $18. fernbankmuseum.org

Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities: Combining historical, political and pop cultural references Thomas tells a complex vision of what it means to be a woman in this exhibit. Opens Feb. 9. $3. museum.spelman.edu

Orchid Daze: Step into a warm, fragrant tropical oasis of flowers during this annual orchid extravaganza. Opens Feb. 11. $12.95 to $18.95. atlantabg.org

Portfolio 2017: Atlanta Photography Group Gallery’s prestigious annual exhibit features submissions from around the world. Closes Feb. 11. Free. www. apgphoto.org

Traces: Whitespace presents Stephanie Dowda’s first solo exhibition about exploring existence. Closes Feb. 11. Free! whitespace814.com

From Here to There: Kids explore the science of how things move by land, sea and air with hands-on exhibits. Thursday through Tuesday. $14.95. childrensmuseumatlanta.org

Hattie Saussy: Rediscovery of an Artist: This exhibit is the first major retrospective of American painter Hattie Saussy (1890-1978) in more than 30 years. Tuesday through Sunday. $5. museum.oglethorpe.edu

Interiors: The new photography exhibit features work by Marlene Hawthrone, Shoccara S. Marcu and Shoccara Marcus. $5. Wednesday through Sunday. hammondshouse.org

Threads of History: Two Hundred Years of Fashion: Take a voyage through style and time with rare European and American garments from the 18th through 20th centuries. Tuesday through Sunday. $5 to $10. scadfash.org

An Evening with Natasha Tsakos

Saturday, February 11 8:00pm

Enjoy a dessert and coffee reception and a behind-the-scenes look at the work of resident art and technology innovator Natasha Tsakos, creator of Billion Billions, premiering at Arts@ Tech in 2017. Tsakos, a Swiss conceptual director and interactive designer now living in the U.S., combines eye-popping visuals and interactive live performance.

Vijay Iyer Trio

Friday, February 17 8:00pm

Jazz pianist Vijay Iyer and his award-winning trio (Marcus Gilmore, drums; Stephan Crump, bass) bridge the avant-garde with the mainstream, making a name with two tremendously acclaimed albums, Accelerando (2012) and Historicity (2009). Iyer is a MacArthur Fellow and GRAMMY nominee, described by The New Yorker as one of “today’s most important pianists…extravagantly gifted.”

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: The breathtaking and beloved dancers return to center stage at The Fox Theatre with premieres, new productions and “Revelations.” Feb. 15 to 19. $21.50 to $75.50. foxtheatre.org

Performing Arts

Le Petit Prince: When a pilot is stranded in the desert, he meets a mysterious child whose journey has made him wise beyond his years. Performed in French with English supertitles. Feb. 1 through 12. $18.50 to $27.50. theatredureve.com

Sea of Common Catastrophe: When two people are displaced from their new home by rising waters, will they find a new way of living? Feb. 2 to 12. $22.50. 7stages.org

David Bintley’s Carmina Burana: Atlanta Ballet presents a lush, modern reimagining of the classic parable in which the pleasures of the flesh challenge the resolve of three young seminarians. Feb. 3 through 11. $20 to $128. atlantaballet.com

The One and Only Ivan: An enthralling adaptation, with movement and puppetry, of the Newbery Award-winning novel based on the true story of Zoo Atlanta’s Ivan the gorilla. Feb. 3 through 26. $11 to $26. synchrotheatre.com

Romeo and Juliet: Atlanta Shakespeare Company celebrates their 17th anniversary of performing this play about young lovers and a Friar with good intentions. Feb. 3 through 26. $15 to $36. shakespearetavern.com

The Adventures of Mighty Bug!: This science-filled, comic-book-style adventure is also available in a sensory-friendly performance on Feb. 5. Tuesday through Sunday. $20.50. puppet.org

Lost In The Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Seminar: Tom Key re-imagines Walker Percy’s opus as a soul-searching seminar where cheeky group leaders hilariously suggest alternatives to our everyday behavior. Feb. 9 to 26. $20 to $48. theatricaloutfit.org

The Phantom of the Opera: Newly reinvented staging, stunning scenic design plus a cast and orchestra of 52 reinvent this timeless musical. Opens Feb. 22. $30 to $150. foxtheatre.org

Million Dollar Quartet: The smash-hit musical was inspired by the recording session that brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time. Feb. 10 through 26. $33 to $58. tickets.atlantalyrictheatre.com

Hari Kondabolu: The Brooklynbased comic has had his own Comedy Central Presents special, made his rounds on late-night talk shows, and has been lauded by the New York Times. Feb. 17. $17 to $25. centerstageatlanta.com

Exit Strategy: Teachers launch a last minute battle to save their Chicago school from an impending shut-down. Opens Feb. 21. $20 to $50. truecolorstheatre.org

The Temple Bombing: This world premiere play tells the story of the 1958 bombing of Atlanta’s oldest synagogue. Opens Feb. 22. $20 to $72. alliancetheatre.org

Balé Folclórico da Bahia: For nearly three decades, this Brazil group has electrified stages around the world with its exuberant interpretations of traditional Brazilian folk dance. Feb. 24 and 25. $38 to $70. rialtocenter.org

Taj Express: This show explodes with the sounds of India and Bollywood, capturing the vibrant spirit of the world of Bollywood movies. Feb. 26. $35 to $100. cobbenergycentre.com