Miriam Robinson
Art has this way of filling in the gaps where language can’t. I think it also provides opportunities for provoking thought about topics that may be harder to speak about directly. I want to use art, particularly public art, as a way to meet people where they are, people who may not go to galleries or may feel like they don’t get fine art or that it is pretentious. I also love community art’s potential for bringing people together, giving them an opportunity to participate in something larger than themselves, and giving them a sense of ownership over something new that exists in the world. I’ve said that my mission is to use visual art to inspire hope and possibility across the globe. Recently I think another goal is to find ways to use art to bring attention to pressing social issues in highly approachable ways.
I’m passionate about using art to make a difference and I’ll take big risks to do so. I don’t come from a fine arts background. I’ve gone back to school the last two years, first to get a welding certification, and then to finish my BA in studio art, but really my education has come from working side by side with other artists, and I’ve learned by doing.
From high performance concrete to metal to crochet to polymers to wood, paint, rubber, plaster, ceramics, etching circuit boards and light wiring, I have an unusually versatile background in large-scale public work. I’m glad to participate in this program because community art has such a potential for bringing people together, giving them an opportunity to participate in something larger than themselves, and giving them a sense of ownership over something new that exists in the world.
For more information about Miriam:
https://www.miriamrobinson.com/
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mural of Alexander Hamilton beside wife
When I approach a portrait, my intention isn’t to recreate a single moment in time and hold it timeless across the decades (or even centuries) as a photograph would. My goal is to walk around a moment in time, to capture it from different angles, from different lights, through different colors.
When we look at a black and white photo, such as the original portrait that this painting was based on, we see the person(s) through a single tint, we see everything in the frame as it was at that one moment, forever. But what actually occurs over time in a life is constant change. Some things continue, some shift, grow, or adapt, while others fade away altogether. The hues of our lives change day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year; and we show up in different ways at different points in time and in different circumstances. We are not seamless as people, individuals, or communities. We are segmented but connected. In this piece I wanted to honor the memory of Alexander Hamilton and his wife, while bringing them into the contemporary Atlanta landscape in a way that would provoke interest and curiosity.
22 Butler Street - The Old YMCA, “Branch”
This building became a center of social life not only on Butler Street but also through the Sweet Auburn Neighborhood by providing recreation and supervised activity space for younger Black individuals as well as a meeting place for older folk. Many of Atlanta's young Black men belonged to the ‘Y’ and used it as an activity center. Jesse Hill Jr., Maynard Jackson, Vernon Jordon, and Martin Luther King, Jr. are just some examples of leaders who were once influenced by their membership here and by the time spent playing within and around the building. The building contains over 10,000 square feet and houses 48 dormitory rooms, 7 classrooms, a small auditorium, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, showerbaths, a café, and restrooms. It is the only minority YMCA in America that has been allowed to operate independently without being a branch of another White YMCA.
Known as the “Black City Hall,” the Butler Street YMCA was an integral part of life for communities of color in Atlanta. The architectural firm, Hentz, Reid, and Adler, designed the 10,000 square-foot space and Alexander D. Hamilton, a prominent Black contractor, erected the edifice in 1920. The YMCA location provided the Black community in Downtown Atlanta with a place to congregate.
For more info about The Old Butler Street YMCA: