FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“RAD Studio Cruise 2010” – Thriving arts district invites Atlanta to an exceptional evening of arts and entertainment

ATLANTA – January 18, 2009. The RAD Studio Cruise returns on Saturday, February 13, 2010 with an even more spectacular lineup of studio tours, art exhibitions and demonstrations. Since its inception three years ago, RAD has become a powerhouse independent arts event, emphasizing the immediacy and proximity of fine art and fine craft in the Atlanta area. Thousands of people have attended each year, getting a glimpse of artists in action, and in some cases even participating in the creation process.

In 2010, the event continues gaining momentum with a bigger artist market, new charity auctions, new sponsors, and expanded hours. RAD Studio Cruise 2010 will take place on Saturday, February 13, 2010, from 2:00 to 10:00 pm, and is free and open to the public. We offer an exciting, educational, and fun way to spend the day. Visitors are encouraged to stay in the area, and enjoy a romantic night of art paired with the many nearby dining and entertainment options.

ABOUT RAD STUDIO CRUISE

RAD Studio Cruise continues to grow and gain momentum in 2010, promising an even more spectacular time for art collectors and enthusiasts. We’ve expanded the hours each venue is open to accommodate the growing attendance. The artists of the Rail Arts District create paintings, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, studio pottery, blown glass, and more.

Every week, hundreds of artists visit the Rail Arts District to work in large public studios like Duckbill Studios hot glass shop, MudFire Clayworks ceramic studio, Amalgam Arts jewelry studio, and the Little Tree Studios community. Academy Theater, Georgia’s oldest independent theater, hosts a small posse of performance companies with a wide variety of programming each month. Atlanta artist Chris Warner both creates his own work and hosts cutting-edge exhibits with internationally prominent artists at Alcove Gallery. Bart Webb’s metal studio, Cutting Edge Gallery & Framing, and the artists of Studio 2850 add more flavor to the district.

All of these studios (and more!) will open their doors for visitors with music and conversation, food and drink, education and demonstration, and a vast smorgasbord of aesthetic delights in all media available for purchase. Nearly two dozen other area artists will also participate in the RAD Artist Market at Academy Theater.

Asked about what makes RAD Studio Cruise so popular, Luba Sharapan, director of MudFire Clayworks says, “It’s our job as artists to keep art alive by being accessible, by educating, by interacting with our community and sharing information. The cruise is about meeting the artists, seeing them in action, wandering around their studios, and experiencing that world apart where the artist pauses to envision and create. Many of the venues are teaching studios, and when people visit during RAD they meet the real people behind the art and see other first time students making a ring, turning a bowl on the wheel, or blowing a glass heart ornament, and they enjoy the tantalizing thought that ‘I too could do this.’ It’s a richer and more personal experience than your typical gallery visit and can lead people to exciting new hobbies and even careers in the arts.”

Visitors can start at any location and pick up a map showing the other locations. The participating arts groups are located at five stops, each a two-minute drive apart. Refreshments will be served at each location, and there are dozens of restaurants nearby. Admission is free and parking is available at each location.

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
Support for the RAD Studio Cruise is generously provided by Avondale Pizza Café, Avondale Estates Business Association, James Joyce Irish Pub, Savage Pizza, and The University Inn at Emory. Sponsors have special promotional offers on food and lodging that can be picked up at all the stops on the Studio Cruise. We encourage visitors to make a romantic Valentine’s celebration night of it, and stay in the area to enjoy not just the artwork and studio experiences, but also the many dining and entertainment options that Avondale Estates & Decatur have to offer.

Cruise maps and coupons from our sponsors can also be downloaded at http://www.railartsdistrict.com.

ABOUT THE CHARITY AUCTIONS
Each participating venue in the Studio Cruise will offer a donated artwork for sale via silent auction. All of the silent auction proceeds will be pooled and donated to a single charity. The Arts Leadership League of Georgia, a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy group working to strengthen arts and culture in Georgia, will be the recipient for these proceeds.

The charity auctions will give participants the opportunity to engage in the excitement of competitive bidding for a cherished artwork, while at the same time helping this important advocacy group improve education and the economy in Georgia.

ABOUT THE RAIL ARTS DISTRICT OF AVONDALE/DECATUR
A vibrant new arts district has formed in the Atlanta metro area over the past few years. The area boasts some of the city’s largest community art studios, relocated Buckhead galleries, and dozens of individual studios for visual and performing artists. Reasonably priced industrial space and strongly supportive surrounding communities have been the keys to the growth of this new Rail Arts District.

The action is taking place along a one mile stretch of CSX rail line that passes through downtown Avondale Estates, into the Laredo Drive industrial area, and along East Ponce De Leon Ave into Scottdale. This section of track is flanked on either side by mid-century industrial and warehouse buildings that are increasingly populated by art and artists. Tucked away in these unassuming buildings you’ll find large community art spaces that offer lessons, exhibits, workshops, performance space, studio rentals, classes, and of course artwork sales and exhibits. These large facilities are complemented by dozens of smaller individual studios to form a teeming arts district.

PRESS CONTACT
Erik Haagensen, MudFire Clayworks and Gallery, 175 Laredo Drive, Decatur, GA 30030
phone: 404-377-8033, fax: 404-371-1554, email: info@mudfire.com

PARTICIPATING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
All of the participating arts organizations are located along a one-mile stretch of CSX rail line in downtown Avondale and off East Ponce De Leon Avenue in Decatur & Scottsdale. Activities will take place ongoing between 2:00 pm and 10:00 pm at all locations.

LOCATION #1
AMALGAM Arts Atlanta, 404-371-8922

http://www.amalgamartsatlanta.com

3172 E. Ponce De Leon Avenue, Scottdale, GA 30079

Duckbill Studios, 404-460-2791

http://www.duckbillstudios.com

3172 E. Ponce De Leon Avenue, Scottdale, GA 30079

LOCATION #2
MudFire Clayworks, 404-377-8033.

http://www.mudfire.com

175 Laredo Drive, Decatur, GA 30030

LOCATION #3
Academy Theatre, 404-474-8332

http://www.academytheater.org

119 Center Street, Avondale Estates, GA 30002

RAD Artist Market at Academy Theatre

LOCATION #4
Little Tree Art Studios, 404-297-9960

http://www.littletreeartstudios.com/

2830 Franklin Street, Avondale Estates, GA 30002

Little Tree Gallery, 404-297-9960
2830 Franklin Street, Avondale Estates, GA 30002

Cutting Edge Gallery & Framing, 404-292-9200
2840 Franklin Street, Avondale Estates, GA 30002

Bart Webb Studios, 404-299-5556

http://www.bartwebbstudios.com

2846 Franklin Street, Avondale Estates, GA 30002

Studio 2850, 404-433-3320

http://studio2850.wordpress.com/

2850 Franklin Street, Avondale Estates, GA 30002

LOCATION #5
H.C. Warner / The Alcove, 404-663-0159

http://www.alcovearts.com

2852 E. College Ave, Decatur, GA 30030.
(a very short walk from Location #4)