Johns Creek CVB Chair Participates In Public Art Panel

JOHNS CREEK, GA — Lynda Lee Smith, chairperson of the Johns Creek Convention and Visitors Bureau, took part in a panel discussion last week that explored the role of art in creating community resilience and sustainability.

The panel was held April 18 at Gallery 72, and presented by Urban Catalyst Lab and the Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs. The discussion hosted by UCL and the mayor's office also explored how art, policy and change "align to achieve a sustainable and resilient urban future," Johns Creek CVB said.

Panelists include Smith, Hanif Kureshi, founder of S+art Delhi Street Arts Festival; William Massey, mixed media sculptor and installations artist; artist Elyse Dufour; Adriana del Pilar of United Nations - Habitat; Michelle Wiseman of the Mayor’s Office of Resilience; and Kevin Sipp of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

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Smith shared insight from JCCVB’s latest project, the city's new 130-foot mural designed by Kureshi. The project, located within a pedestrian tunnel underneath Medlock Bridge Road just south of McGinnis Ferry Road, is a collaboration between the CVB, the city of Johns Creek, Georgia Department of Transportation, Urban Catalyst Lab, Kureshi and fellow Atlanta-based artist William Massey and other volunteers in the Johns Creek arts community.

Its design was inspired from community discussion of the area's rich history, as well as the diversity that is celebrated today. The project, which celebrates unity, also tells the story of how this diverse community came into being, where it is now and where the city has the potential to go in the future.

Overlapping geometric shapes symbolize the geography of Johns Creek's community areas, while Kureshi's signature letterforms will represent the many languages spoken by the diverse ethnicity of Johns Creek residents, both past and present. Stand at a central point outside the east entrance, and the design takes the shape of both a heart and peace sign, illustrating the sense of unity described from the community.

“This public art project connects Johns Creek to public art movements happening not just in Atlanta, but around the world,” Smith said.

UCL is a not-for-profit non-government entity working to pair the world of contemporary art with the public mission-driven context of urban resilience and urban sustainability. #UCLMovement is working to elevate Atlanta’s art scene to the global stage.

Photo: Lynda Lee Smith, third from right, speaks at the forum held last week at Gallery 72 in Atlanta while William Massey (second from left), Hanif Kureshi (far left), Kevin Sipp and other panelists listen. Credit: Johns Creek Convention and Visitors Bureau