Things to do in and around Atlanta for Monday, Aug. 20

With football starting up again in a few weeks, Monday's a good day to bone up on X's and O's and history and artifacts at the College Football Hall of Fame.  HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

With football starting up again in a few weeks, Monday's a good day to bone up on X's and O's and history and artifacts at the College Football Hall of Fame. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Monday’s calling, Atlanta!

The bad news is it's not part of a three-day holiday weekend, when we're all officially allowed to kick back and let loose. That one's still a couple of weeks off (yes, we mean you, Labor Day).

The good news is there’s no reason you can’t turn this particular Monday into an unofficial holiday. For a few hours, anyway.

Here’s a trio of things happening in and around town on Monday, any one of which will help you kick back and let loose and even make the evening commute a thing of beauty.

“SPLENDID PIECES: MOSAICS BY JULIE MAZZONI”

Making a mosaic may be the most painstakingly precise — and endlessly beautiful — example of fine art. Sometimes thought to be reserved for somber and traditional works (think: stained glass windows), Mazzoni's contemporary pieces will have you seeing mosaics in a whole new light. Catch Mazzoni's first solo show, which includes Georgia garden mosaics, before it closes on Aug. 31.

10 a.m.-8 p.m. Free. Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, 2051 Lower Roswell Rd, Marietta. www.cobbcat.org

“HUCKIN’ & BUCKIN’ EXHIBITION AT THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME”

Are you ready for some football….photographs? Get ready for the start of the college and NFL seasons by taking in this special exhibit spotlighting the work of famed sports photographer Jim Laughead and his partner Brad Bradley. Among the many players and coaches caught on camera are Jimmy Johnson, Archie Manning, Dandy Don Meredith, Tim Brown and Bob Lilly. The show’s title refers to “the iconic and often intimidating poses” Laughead would demonstrate for his photos’ subjects, chief among them the Huck and Buck.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Included with admission: $21.99; senior citizens and students, $18.99; ages 3-12, $17.99; free for active and retired military and ages 2 and younger. The College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience, 250 Marietta St. N.W. Atlanta. www.cfbhall.com

“ARTBOUND LIVE”

As if it weren't enough not to have to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Downtown Connector or I-285, now MARTA's offering another reason to ride the rails. Musicians will be performing today in three stations as part of the transit system's ongoing program to bring art and culture to the ultimate captive audience. (You can see a complete schedule of performances and locations in August on MARTA's Facebook page). And even if you don't need to catch a train, there's no law that says you can't go into the station and listen anyway (just make sure to pay the fare if you have to go through the turnstiles to hear them)!

3 p.m.-6 p.m. North Springs, Dunwoody and Five Points MARTA stations. www.itsmarta.com

Looking for more? Listen to our weekly accessAtlanta podcast, which offers more ideas for things to do in and around Atlanta.