CORE celebrates 30 years in Atlanta with premiere at High Museum

Based in Atlanta and Houston, CORE Performance Company will kick off its 30th anniversary season of contemporary dance in a most public way, performing twice during the opening party for the High Museum of Art exhibition "Hapsburg Splendor: Masterpieces From Vienna's Imperial Collections" on Oct. 23.

During the 7-10 p.m. "A Royal Affair" party, CORE will premiere "Waltz," choreographed by company dancer Joshua Rackliffe, at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. in the Stent Wing atrium.

“I am focusing mainly on movement invention,” Rackliffe said of “waltz,” “utilizing the abilities and facility of each individual body to create a vocabulary that is exciting and, most importantly, accessible to any type of viewer.”

The dance is expected to dovetail with “Hapsburg Splendor,” an exhibit of nearly 100 artworks and artifacts from Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum that officially opens Oct. 18 (even if the opening party isn’t until Oct. 23 — Fridays being the High’s hot night for parties).

The principal sovereign dynasty across Europe dating to the late Middle Ages, the Hapsburgs also commanded a remarkable art collection, including works by Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, Velazquez, Giorgione, Correggio and Tintoretto that will be view. Artifacts that will help detail the imperial story include arms and armor, sculpture, Greek and Roman antiquities, court costumes, carriages and decorative art objects. The exhibit runs through Jan. 17.

CORE’s Oct. 23 performance is free with half-price museum admission.

And CORE plans to return to the High much later in its anniversary season to perform in conjunction with another major exhibit, “Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion” on May 6 and 13.

In between its museum appearances, CORE also will give an "Edge in Unexpected Places" performance at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26 as part of the Rialto Center for the Arts' Off the Edge contemporary dance festival.

Additionally, CORE will offer its Lunchtime in the Studio series at its downtown Decatur studios (139 Sycamore St.) during which the public can watch the dancers at work and learn about the company. Sessions are free, with lunch provided to the first 40 guests:

  • Nov. 19: "Dance-making as a Catalyst for Social Change"
  • Feb. 25: "Dance the Unexpected"
  • April 14: "CORE in the Community"

More on CORE: www.coredance.org.

Meanwhile, the High will present two more Atlanta dance troupes as part of its series of free outdoor performances on Sifly Piazza in conjunction with the interactive "Los Trompos" exhibit: T. Lang Dance at 6 and 7 p.m. Oct. 16; and Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi at 7 p.m. Nov. 6. Info: high.org.

VISUAL ART

Artist to show how plastic waste in oceans starts at home

Pam Longobardi, the 2013 winner of the $50,000 Hudgens Prize for her work in turning plastic waste that floats on ocean currents into thought-provoking sculpture and installations, is making her environmental message hit home.

Photographic prints of decaying plastic objects (or gyre) the Georgia State University professor has collected, along with nets and other flotsam she retrieved, are on view by appointment at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve gallery through Nov. 28.

On Oct. 17, Longobardi will lead a 2-4 p.m. hands-on art making workshop there. Fee: $75.

Open since 2000 north of the heart of Buckhead, the trails and greenspace of the 25-acre preserve along Nancy Creek are free and open to the public during daylight hours. 4055 Roswell Road, Atlanta. To register: 404-345-1008, www.bhnp.org.

ARTS

C4 Atlanta selects 14 for community art training

C4 Atlanta, the Atlanta nonprofit that serves artists and arts organizations, has selected 14 metro artists to help pilot Hatch, a program that will teach the legal, financial and “soft” skills required to lead community-based art projects.

C4 recently was awarded a two-year, $100,000 grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation in support of its Ignite and Hatch professional development programs for artists.

The initial Hatch cohort begins this month.

“The first round of artists represent an artistically diverse pool of professionals who are already participating in community-based art,” C4 executive director Jessyca Holland said. “Their input will help us shape the program.”

2015-16 Hatch artists include Jessica Caldas, Orion Crook, Michael Jones, Angela Davis Johnson, Danielle Deadwyler, Nick Madden, William Massey, Charmaine Minniefield, Lauren Pallotta, Shelia Pree Bright, Kris Pilcher, Scottie Rowell, Hez Stalcup and Shannon Willow.

More: c4atlanta.org.

EVENT

Party at Paradise Garden benefits restoration

“See, I wanted this to be a garden where people could come into it and relax and feel like they’re free,” Georgia’s most famous and idiosyncratic folk artist, Howard Finster, once proclaimed of Paradise Garden, his roadside attraction/art environment outside the northwest Georgia town of Summerville.

After several years of restoration work by the nonprofit Paradise Garden Foundation, Finster’s mecca has regained a lot of the beauty it boasted during its 1980s heyday. You can see for yourself during the annual Party at Paradise fundraiser, 6-9 p.m. Oct. 17, featuring a progressive dinner and art auction. Tickets: $45.

200 N. Lewis St., Summerville. 706-808-0800, paradisegardenfoundation.org.