Atlanta Arts category interest

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - There is a Sandy Springs program encouraging young artists to create pieces surrounding Juneteenth. The prompt: What does freedom mean to me?

“Expressing yourself away from stereotypes and also Black joy in general. Just general Black joy. That is my freedom,” said Jade Elom, a 15-year-old artist.

“The freedom to express yourself without any restraints, without anything holding us back,” said Madison Ozane, a 17-year-old artist.

The class is led by PeQue Brown, an artist who has been creating for 35 years.

“I wanted them to understand what freedom meant to them. I wanted them to think about that in a deeper way,” said Brown.

The Sandy Springs Juneteenth program is spearheaded by Sandy Springs City Councilwoman Dr. Melody Kelley, along with partners all over town.

“Without the schools, and the teachers and the administrators this wouldn’t have happened. It actually makes me a little emotional to see these ideas become real,” said Kelley.

Nine students from Sandy Springs and Dunwoody make up the group. They were chosen to be part of the program. On Juneteenth, their work will be showcased as part of the LIQUID Arts andamp; Productions’ Immersive Art Exhibition and Experience.

“They are going to take those pieces and turn them into augmented reality pieces, meaning that with the right app, the artwork will have motion and a little story that goes with it,” Brown said.

“It really is another pathway to go through so you have more opportunities, and also just widen your skill set,” said Elom.

Students have been working on their creations digitally and saw their canvases for the first time this week.

The work will be showcased at City Springs in Sandy Springs for Juneteenth. You can come and support these young artists and see it all for yourselves.

For more information, click here.