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32 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2025 Celebrating 40 years of Macon Arts Alliance • Friday, May 16, 6-9 p.m.: The Macon Arts Alliance 40th Anniversary Celebration Fundraiser at Mill Hill Community Arts Center. Advanced tickets are $40, $50 at the door. Includes a first look at Artist Market work and heavy hors d'oeuvres. • Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.: Anniversary Artist Market at Mill Hill Community Arts Center. $5 at the door benefiting the work of Macon Arts Alliance, with 100% of art sales going to the artist. Celebrating 20 years of Fired Works • April 25 - May 3: The 20th Annual Fired Works functional and sculptural pottery exhibit and sale. At the Round Building in Carolyn Crayton Park. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with free admission. played a significant role in helping artists and arts organizations through the COVID-19 pandemic when it joined with local allies to provide funds and direction toward regional and national programs offering aid. The fund still accepts applications. • The Macon Mural Festival works with local businesses to bring muralists to Macon for a week to create quality public art and, as national artists return home and share their experience on social media, to further identify Macon as a creative community and destination to wider audiences. • The Tech Toolshed is a digital resource center funded by Knight Foundation. This space has technology equipment like large format printers and iMac computers so that photographers, filmmakers, designers, and more can advance their work accessibly. • The Annual Macon Arts Alliance Cultural Awards recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses making significant contributions to the cultural life of Middle Georgia Central Georgia through their work or philanthropic efforts. • 478 Creatives is a networking group that meets to discuss different challenges for those in creative fields and introduce guest speakers, support other arts events, and more. MAA serves as the fiscal sponsor for the group and has provided financial support. And there's more, with one significant project undertaken during Jan Beeland's tenure as executive director from 2012 to 2018, Mill Hill: East Macon Arts Village, a neighborhood revitalization effort to develop an artist village in a historic mill village to address blight and foster economic opportunity while advancing the arts. The effort is centered around a revitalized Mill Hill Arts Community Center and ABOVE Macon Arts Alliance First Street Gallery right before a First Friday opening. ABOVE RIGHT MAA Staff from L to R: Development Associate Bo Greene, Project Director Maria Andrade, Executive Director Julie Wilkerson, Curator Sierra Bush. BELOW Patrons enjoy art, light beverages, and company on First Friday gallery openings.