ART & SOUL

Savannah truly stands apart as a mecca for the arts. In fact, Georgia’s First City is home to countless artists, each of whom offers a unique interpretation of this moss-draped heaven. With a wide range of venues to enjoy live music and to sample local theater, Savannah proudly showcases the arts at their best. Here’s a handy guide to local arts highlights you won’t want to miss in September.

VISUAL ART:
PASSING TIME: THE ART OF WILLIAM CHRISTENBERRY – The Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts  presents an exhibit of more than 60 photographs, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and building constructions by legendary Southern artist William Christenberry. This show demonstrates how Christenberry draws on his formal training, family traditions and a lasting connection with his boyhood home in Alabama to capture the spirit of Southern culture in the landscape and architecture of rural Alabama. Folk art, commercial signs, as well as the design elements of his mother’s quilt work and the craftsmanship father’s woodworking skills, influenced his aesthetic sensibilities and are prominent in many of his works. 912-790-8800.

THEATER:
THE BEAT GOES ON – Through November 2, the Savannah Theatre at 222 Bull Street, presents “Return to the ‘50s,” a high-energy celebration of America’s most beloved decade of music – a time when every song on the radio was a hit. Rock, bop and twist the night away, with more than 60 of your favorite songs, from the rock and roll classics of Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Elvis to the sensational harmonies of doo wop. Don’t miss this “blast from the past,” which also features side-splitting comedy, hula hoops and, of course, the hand jive. Come join in the fun! 912-233-7764

LIVE MUSIC:
STANTON MOORE TRIO – On Friday, September 12, LiveWire Music Hall, located at 307 W. River Street, presents The Stanton Moore Trio, a leading R&B, jazz and funk band in what promises to be LiveWire's biggest show ever! Led by award-winning New Orleans jazz drummer Stanton Moore, this band is known for broad-ranging musical excursions and tight rhythms. This lively night of music starts off at 9:00 p.m. with The Codetalkers. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. 912-233-1192

BEST FREEBIE:
CURTIS BARTONE: SUCCESSION –  Through September 26, the City of Savannah’s Gallery S.P.A.C.E., located at 9 W. Henry Street, presents a solo exhibit by local artist Curtis Bartone, who focuses upon nature as a fertile topic for creative exploration. Far from a pristine, bucolic wilderness, nature takes on more ominous overtones in his work, serving as a deeply mysterious, fundamentally uncontrollable force. This gifted artist incorporates a remarkably wide range of media – including silverpoint, etchings, drawings and paintings – to evoke the lush decadence and the underlying violence of the world at large. 912-651-6417