Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1510185
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 | maconmagazine.com 57 our photographers, "This project brings forth the importance of community and intergenerational connection as a means of preservation of a culture and fulfilling the human experience. These connections ... between elders and children nourish an evolving identity and transcend separation, location, and time." Mvto to those who pass through this exhibit to see us as your neighbors and friends and not just as historical people. We are still here, and we are still Indigenous. As human people, we are more alike than different if we choose to see that we are all connected. Go see! The additional selections featured here are from the same project that resulted in Fanning the Flames, the latest show in the outdoor art exhibit, Bright City. A cooperative effort between Dashboard, Newtown Macon, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and local photographers, the Bright City initiative is in its fifth season of bringing a public art exhibit of large, illuminated photographs to Downtown Macon's Second Street Lane between Poplar and Cherry Streets. Fanning the Flames features work by Muscogee (Creek) artists Harmony Apel and Victoria Tiger and Macon artists Diana Davenport, Matt Odom, Mike Young, and Sarah Lemon. Curatorial statement by Tracie Revis In the bicentennial year, Macon has encouraged honest connections and conversations with its complex past. Fanning the Flames is an opportunity for Indigenous and Macon photographers to share a conversation through photographs. The four Macon photographers were paired with one of two Muscogee Creek photographers to create a theme and see where the conversation leads. This project was an experiment in social change and public art. The participating photographers were asked to visit with their Muscogee mentor to capture an image that portrays what this past year of Indigenous history has meant to Macon. Upon completion, the photographers stated that they were forced to think "outside of the box" and think more about "celebration" of modern Indigenous life rather than the stereotypical image of a posed portrait in front of the Ocmulgee Mounds. Some realized that they did not know enough about the Indigenous people to know how to capture what was significant or how they could relate. However, seeing them beyond the landscape produced a more intimate experience. The final product was that we are more alike than different. The conversations represented in this exhibit showcase shared values and culture around food, healing, individual expression, education, fashion, family, and passion. In the words of one of Fanning the Flames From left to right: Harmony Apel, Mike Young, Tracie Revis, and Matt Odom at the Bright City gallery opening of Fanning the Flames in Downtown Macon's Second Street Lane. Photo by Leah Yetter.