Categories
Arts & CultureBlogCulture Briefs

Flagpole Premieres: Athens Rising, Excerpt Six: Broderick Flanigan


The first full-length documentary in a planned series “that aims to celebrate the creative class in the Classic City,” Athens Rising: The Sicyon Project chronicles Athens’ multifaceted arts and music scenes, with an additional focus on dance, food, comedy, theater, festival culture and more. 

The doc is the brainchild of filmmaker James Preston, who has been hosting a series of late-summer and fall showings, with one tonight (Sept. 5) at Live Wire, and another next Thursday, Sept. 13 at Trio Contemporary Art Gallery. (Tickets are available at athensrising.com.) To coincide with the screenings, we’re premiering a few segments from the film.

Today’s clip features artist and organizer Broderick Flanigan, who operates Flanigan’s Portrait Studio in East Athens and has been instrumental in bringing arts and culture opportunities to underserved local neighborhoods.

Says Preston, “Broderick is someone who I’ve run into regularly at startup/business, arts and economic development events around town, but that I’d never really gotten to speak with for more than a few minutes. I came away from our discussion pretty blown away at the breadth of his work… I love how he’s been able to craft a program for his business that gives back to the community through his work with kids, by engaging in important conversations, and fighting the good fight for public art in Athens.”

Check out the video below:

RELATED ARTICLES BY AUTHOR

  • AthFest is Canceled This Year as Coronavirus Spreads

    As the coronavirus continues to spread illness and unease throughout Georgia and the U.S., Athens suffers a significant cultural and economic blow as organizers have announced the cancellation of...
  • Five Acts to See at Ad·Verse Fest

    With an eclectic approach that mines the space between music, visual and performance art, Ad·verse Fest features an exciting, queer-centric lineup of scrappy newcomers and more road-tested acts, many...
  • Shane Parish & Sean Dail

    With the innovative North Carolina band Ahleuchatistas, guitarist Shane Parish pushed the boundaries of the early-’00s math-rock scene by incorporating international influences, as well as a healthy dose of...
  • Ruston Kelly, Valley Queen

    Specializing in a twangy, earnest brand of Americana he famously dubbed “dirt emo” in 2018, singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly made good on the term’s promise last year with the release...