Macon Magazine

CHOOSING MACON Ben Dunn Part of a series that features individuals from our community who, after some time away, have returned to share their skills and talents here. BY RACHELLE WILSON | PHOTO BY MARYANN BATES ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO, my limited exposure to Macon was broken by a group of artists. I still remember the first time I climbed the creaky staircase in the Arts Exchange building on Mulberry Street and discovered an entire world of people creating visual and provocative works of art. What some consider the pioneers of our current First Friday scene, these artists gave the public a glimpse inside the gritty studio that served as an incubator for chaos and creation. One of those very artists can now be found curating Mercer University's McEachern Arts Center on Second Street. And though it is just around the corner from the Arts Exchange, Ben Dunn has gone across the country and back to get there. Macon-raised, Ben experienced the typical adolescent angst of needing to get out of town to establish himself. After graduating from Mercer and spending several years as an exhibition assistant at the Museum of Arts and Sciences, Ben found himself pursuing art in Chicago, and then migrating to Seattle to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Washington. Upon completing his studies, Ben and his wife, Jaimy, relocated to Atlanta where Ben had the chance to prioritize his art practice. After downsizing cities a few times, Ben and Jaimy began to feel the attraction of something even smaller. They considered places like Chattanooga and Savannah and yet no place seemed to be the right fit. "We were trying to find a place we could plant roots to be in for a long time but there was this blind spot to Macon," Ben said. "While at the same time, we were having a conversation about how nice Macon was and coming back to visit more and more." About the same time, Mercer began looking for a director for its new gallery space. Macon soon became the obvious choice and Ben accepted the position at his alma mater. "I think I had forgotten just how nice it actually is to be in Macon. It is a beautiful place with beautiful architecture and I can walk to work in the morning through a beautiful park," he said. "And, if I'm acting right, I am very awake to this place and how present it is as a setting. From that position of appreciation, I also have a feeling of stewardship – whether that is related to the arts, teaching or just kind of pitching in where you think you can be of use." With Mercer's art program now including a bachelor of fine arts, Ben was excited to be part of the movement that was taking place. "It was this weirdly compatible thing. Starting at the beginning of 8 4 M ACO N M AG A Z I N E.CO M | F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 0

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