A Q&A scrawled in marker onto a white record sleeve as well as on the vinyl, a hand-painted message on the back of a shovel, a battered straw hat with fraying pink trim, and photographs of pets. These items and dozens more add to the character of the Athens’ music community on display this fall at the UGA Special Collections Libraries along with colorful portraits of the artists taken at their homes.
The free exhibit is a three-dimensional portrayal of photographer and UGA alum Jason Thrasher’s 2017 art book Athens Potluck, capturing the behind-the-scenes lives of musical artists who have called the Georgia town home. It features an eclectic array of musicians that rocked the stages in town and around the world over decades, starting with Laura Carter of Elf Power and other members of the E-6 Collective and including R.E.M legend Michael Stipe and Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe Hay, as well as performers that contribute to the indie, punk, country, and traditional old-time genres.
On Thursday, Aug. 8, the exhibit will open with an evening of live music from Charlie and Nancy Hartness and Jill Carnes, who are among the more than 30 musicians featured in the display. Community members are invited to dress in their favorite band merch for the free reception, held from 6 to 8 p.m.
“It’s an organic mixture of the music scene, but it’s not just about big names,” Thrasher said, explaining that he chose the first subject, Carter, and then each musician suggested the next to be featured, resulting in a mix of higher-profile and lesser-known artists from the dynamic community. “It was my first time learning about some of these performers, and it’s been amazing to introduce people to all these phenomenal musicians.
With musical instruments, fashion, art pieces, and memorabilia from the Georgia Music Collections at UGA Libraries and on loan from musicians, the exhibit serves as a preview of the upcoming Special Collections Libraries display at the Classic Center Arena, which opens later this year with an inaugural performance by the B-52s. The arena will host an extensive Georgia Music Collections display on its main level, with Thrasher’s Potluck photographs highlighting the suite level.
The Athens Potluck exhibit also serves as a bridge from Thrasher’s first book to his new one, Murmur Trestle, a photographic exploration of the changing natural landscape of the town due to be published by the University of Georgia Press in September. One room in the Special Collections gallery is dedicated to the new book with images of the trestle, an iconic landmark emblematic of the city’s musical history that was removed in 2021 to make way for a pedestrian bridge and bike path. Thrasher will also host a Murmur Trestle installation at his Ace/Francisco Gallery, with an opening celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 19.
With a potluck of performances from musicians featured in the first book, UGA Press, Avid Bookshop, and The Ace/Francisco Gallery will host a book launch of Murmur Trestle, which will also serve as a celebration of the exhibit, on September 21 at the 40 Watt Club. Tickets support the nonprofit Nuci’s Space and are available online.
The day before, on Sept. 20, Thrasher will discuss the stories behind the photographs in a free curator’s talk at the Special Collections Libraries. The event will be held at 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
For Thrasher, who graduated from UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art with a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1997, moving through the project from photographer to book editor to curator has been an exciting creative challenge. He appreciates the efforts of Jan Hebbard, exhibits coordinator, and Ryan Lewis, Georgia Music Collections coordinator, who helped to shape the vision and bring it to reality, complete with a listening station featuring the artists pictured on the walls and within the display cases.
“The processes are different, but telling the story of Athens’ music community is always fun and inspirational and a testament to the great people of this town,” he said. “It’s an honor to share their stories at the Special Collections Libraries.”
Athens Potluck serves as a theme to this year’s Free the Tapes event, an offering from the Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection highlighting digitized audiovisual materials from members of the community. Registration for digitization opens Monday, August 12th at 10 a.m., with a limit of three free home movies per household. A special family friendly celebration will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. For more information, contact Thomas May at thomas.may@uga.edu.
Athens Potluck will remain on display through Dec. 20 at the UGA Special Collections Building on the University of Georgia campus. Galleries are open to visitors for free from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with extended evening hours until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit libs.uga.edu/scl.