Arts in the Vineyard Comes to Midtown

The city's first-ever "Arts in the Vineyard" will feature a mix of art exhibits, music, dance and theatre from noon to 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday until June 30. Events are free and open to the public.

"PNC’s Arts In the Vineyard series has given us a phenomenal opportunity to share a diverse range of artists with the Atlanta community,” said Gary Sayers, director of marketing and patron experience, The Woodruff Arts Center. "Just as importantly, this is a great opportunity to engage the entire Midtown community and create a sense of place in a very special way.”

A collaborative effort between PNC, Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, local arts organizations and The Hambidge Center, the series takes place in the Festival’s Vineyard in the City, the nation’s first pop-up, urban vineyard on 14th Street.

“After months of nurturing Arts in the Vineyard, we are excited to see this series of engaging arts experiences come to life,” said Eddie Meyers, PNC regional president, Greater Georgia. “Together with our partners, we have re-imagined existing green space into a unique destination for the public to enjoy high-quality arts programming, in the heart of Midtown.”

The Hambidge Center received a grant from the PNC Foundation to curate the series. Scheduled for the entire month, the artists and exhibits include:
· Rachel K. Garceau will construct an ephemeral pathway of porcelain bricks which will meander through the vineyard, changing and growing.
· Laura Bell will create a 20-foot mural that references the often unsettling and astonishing beauty found in the natural world explored through the use of hybrid, imaginary and existent imagery.
· Lonnie Holley will improvise art and music on the spot that will morph and evolve.
· Peter Bahouth has created several stereoscopic images specifically for Arts in the Vineyard. His viewing devices containing 3D images will provide an intimate alternative view of the space along with other surprises.

“We’re excited about the weekly programming that PNC and The Hambidge Center have curated and hope many Atlantans will take advantage of this opportunity before it moves at the end of the month, added Dominique Love, Festival Co-Founder.

Future weekly performances include:
· June 14: Russell Gunn & The African Drums
· June 16: Lonnie Holley & Ben Sollee
· June 21: Musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
· June 23: Tony Bryant Blues Band
· June 28: Cicada Rhythm & Free Poems on Demand
· June 30: glo

The full schedule of performances is available online at www.artsinthevineyard.com

About The Woodruff Arts Center
The Woodruff Arts Center is one of the largest arts centers in the world, home to the Tony-Award winning Alliance Theatre, the Grammy-Award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the magnificent High Museum of Art. Each year, these centers of artistic excellence play host to more than one million patrons, one of the only arts centers in the U.S. to host both visual and performing arts on a single campus. www.woodruffcenter.org

About The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival
The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Launched in 2010, by Atlanta entrepreneurs Dominique Love and Elizabeth Feichter, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is a four-day culinary experience celebrating the South. With an Advisory Council of more than 80 award-winning talent from 13 Southern states and the District of Columbia, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival offers carefully-crafted programs and events to entertain and educate consumers about the rich food and beverage traditions of the region.

About PNC
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking; residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
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