Colony Square celebrates the mural’s debut with a free Summer Solstice Meditation class on June 21
This Friday, the first day of summer and Summer Solstice, the sun and stars will align at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta as it debuts Aurora, a 2,915-square-foot mural painted by four local women. The massive art display symbolizes hope, transcendence and the coming of a new day. Colony Square will honor Aurora and the Summer Solstice with a free sunrise meditation class taught by a local yoga studio owner on June 21 along Peachtree Street.
Led by Dancing Dogs Yoga owner Shelley Lowther, the Summer Solstice experience at Colony Square will begin at 6 a.m. in the Front Loop along Peachtree Street with a self-healing practice for guests to set intentions and celebrate the new season. At 6:45 a.m., the ritual will conclude with a special ceremony to welcome the dawn and seal intentions. In addition, guests are encouraged to bring an item that represents themselves to place at Aurora’s feet, bringing luck and warding off the darkness. The entire event will take place under the loving eyes of Aurora.
“The summer solstice signifies the longest day of the year, a time when the Earth is full of strength, fertility and abundance. It represents cleansing, renewal, love and reflection on the growth of the season,” said Lowther.
Upon check-in, attendees will receive a citrine stone, said to bring abundance, to help channel their energy throughout the meditation practice. The first 10 guests to arrive at Colony Square will receive a complimentary palm reading from Handful of Stars. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase a palm reading following the event. In addition, guests are encouraged to experience the grand opening of Starbuck’s new Colony Square location in Building 100.
“Aurora tends the landscape space between her sister Luna, the moon, and her brother Sol, the sun. She represents the magic time between waking and dreaming, nighttime and morning, when our imaginations are most open and alive, “said Lauren Stumberg, curator of the all-female artist team. “Aurora embodies the power to bridge two worlds: one of darkness and one of light. With this mural, we celebrate her as a symbol of hope, transcendence, and the coming of a new day.”
To bring Aurora to life, Colony Square partnered with an all-female team of four local artists known for creating Persephone, a massive 90’ x 90’ foot mural at Edge on the Beltline, North American Properties’ (NAP) mixed-use community along the Atlanta BeltLine. Located on the north wall of 5Church facing Peachtree Street, the mural depicts Aurora in the moment she’s waking up, while the landscape around her is still rich and dark. The art reflects her power to bridge two worlds – one of darkness and one of light. Aurora was created by:
Molly Rose Freeman, a multimedia artist best known for her large-scale murals and installations that feature organic patterns, gestural geometry and vibrant colors;
Lela Brunet Raymond, a visual artist whose main subject is the female form and the contrast created when the grace of the figure and the tension of energetic patterns and colors collide together;
Laura Vela, a Chicana multimedia and interdisciplinary artist whose work often explores identity and gender;
and Lauren Pallotta Stumberg, a muralist, painter and arts advocate whose work honors the human experience through abstracted portraiture and symbolism.
Colony Square, the Southeast’s first mixed-use project, is an original icon at the epicenter of the ever-rising capital of the modern South and is currently undergoing a transformation to bring “The Art of Modern Life” to the cultural center of the region. Since NAP acquired Colony Square in Dec. 2015, more than 100 creatives have been engaged to create artful encounters for the community, such as the MIDTOWN letters, interactive artist hives launched in conjunction with The Hambidge Center and even an artfully painted public piano.
“At Colony Square, art is a mindset,” said Liz Gillespie, partner and vice president of marketing at NAP. “Throughout the redevelopment, we’ve looked for opportunities to embrace art at every corner. Art is a treasured part of community, and we’re excited for Colony Square to become a platform for creating, curating and celebrating art in Midtown.”
Upon completion, Colony Square will feature an ever-growing collection of art ranging in forms from murals to photography to interactive pop-ups and more. The completion of Aurora marks the first art installation at Colony Square which will be part of a larger collection representing The Art of Modern Life.
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About Colony Square
At the corner of Peachtree and 14th Streets, Colony Square is not only the heart of Midtown, it’s the heart of Atlanta – an original icon at the very center of the ever-rising capital of the modern South. Today, Colony Square is becoming an icon of another kind, bringing the Art of Modern Life to Midtown. Featuring 912,000 square feet of Class A office, 160,000 square feet of best-in-class retail, a 466-room hotel and 262 luxury residences, the reimagined Colony Square will be known as a foodie haven; shopping and entertainment destination; sophisticated business hub; and an amenity-rich, arts-infused place to gather with community and soak up Midtown’s vibe. Open, walkable and transit-friendly, the reimagined Colony Square, like all great city squares, will be seamlessly connected to the vibrant energy of the streets around it. To learn more about Colony Square, follow the Midtown destination on Twitter,Facebookand Insta
About Molly Rose Freeman
Molly Rose Freeman is a multi-media artist best known for her large-scale murals and installations that feature organic patterns, gestural geometry, and vibrant colors. Her exploration of pattern as a universal and unifying visual language has led her to create site-responsive public works around the world. Her primary media are murals, installation, painting, drawing, and digital design for 3D fabrication. Since 2010, Freeman has been partnering with governments, organizations, and corporations to create what she calls “love songs to each place, grounded in the intimacy of specificity.” Her work with Atlanta-based public art project Living Walls was featured in the New York Times and Creative Loafing, and in 2015 she was named one of Atlanta's “30 Under 30” by ArtsATL. One of her best known pieces is a 130-foot-long mural at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport titled “Salvation in the Land of Flowers and Honey,” which serves as a joyful respite for weary travelers. Her clients including Microsoft, NCR, World of Coke, W Hotels, Mailchimp, the Atlanta Hawks, and the City of Charleston. She was a resident with the Creatives Project from 2013-2015, and in 2016, she was awarded a Distinguished Fellow Grant for the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences.
About Laura Vela
Laura Vela is a Chicana multimedia and interdisciplinary artist in the Atlanta area. Vela recently graduated from Kennesaw State University with a BFA concentrating in Painting and Drawing and a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. Her work explores identity, gender, race, and mental illness through oil paintings, watercolor and ink, photo, zine, and collage making. Vela is a Hambidge fellow and has shown work at Kibbee Gallery, Beep Beep Gallery, Emory University, Agnes Scott College, and The Low Museum among others.
About Lela Brunet
Lela Brunet (b. 1985) is a visual artist living in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her BA in Art Education from Kennesaw State University in 2014. With her main subject being the female form, Lela explores the contrast created when the grace of the figure and the tension of energetic patterns and colors collide together. Lela’s work explores this visual battlefield of pattern, color, and form. She works in a variety of media including murals, painting, drawing, and design. She has exhibited her work and murals in multiple galleries and events throughout the United States and internationally. Her clients include Microsoft, MailChimp, NCR Corporation, Orpheus Brewing, Mellow Mushroom, Shops Around Lenox, Starbucks, and Soul Cycle. You can view her work on her website www.lelabrunet.com or on Instagram @lelabrunetart.
About Lauren Pallotta Stumberg
Lauren Pallotta Stumberg (b.1981) is a local muralist, painter and arts advocate with a background in graphic design, education, non-profit management and international development. Her work honors the human experience through abstracted portraiture and symbolism. Her paintings are imbued with patterns that translate into the hieroglyphics of one’s journey; they are feminine, painterly and expressive of the energy that unites us. Since moving to Atlanta in 2012, Stumberg has used her creative offerings as a means to engage with community. She started Think Greatly as a platform to facilitate neighborhood projects as part of her social practice and to curate female-driven collaborations. Stumberg’s work has been awarded grants from Living Walls, Fulton County, the City of Atlanta, and Georgia Council for the Arts, and public commissions from Norcross, Peoplestown and Hapeville; her projects in the public realm can also be found in Cabbagetown, Decatur, Old Fourth Ward, Midtown and Southwest Atlanta. Stumberg is one of two local artists to receive a 2017 Emerging Artist Award from the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. She is a Hambidge Fellow, and represented by dk Gallery in Marietta, which was recently voted Best Gallery of 2018 by Jezebel magazine.
