Art Takes Over the Square

Carrollton’s Historic Adamson Square is soon to be transformed into an extravagant art festival. Carrollton Main Street in partnership with businesses in the area and the University of West Georgia are set to put on an art filled evening on March 30 from 5-8 p.m. 

Carrollton Main Street is excited to offer a new and exciting kind of takeover. The Art Takeover will host 25 locations, featuring artists from the UWG School of Arts faculty and students, as well as local artists from the Carrollton Artist Guild. Several musicians will be playing in venues around the square as well.  The Carroll Symphony Orchestra Musical Director and The Carroll Community Wind Ensemble will both be performing at the Carrollton Presbyterian Church. Restaurants and shops throughout the square will also be open for business.  

Visitors will not only be able to purchase art, but they will have the opportunity to watch the artists work. The Art Takeover idea was born from downtown business owners Michael and Andrea Stone. The Stones wanted to draw greater attention to the art community and their growth in Carrollton. The main concept for this idea was to build a bridge between the UWG School of the Arts, the Artist Guild and merchants of downtown. The first Art Takeover event, which took place last March, was a huge success according to the Stones. The event brought more awareness to the art community and downtown local businesses. 

“We hope to build on the success of last year’s Art Takeover event, and we believe the excitement created by this shared commitment to the arts by the Main Street Merchants and the UWG School of the Arts will ensure a large turnout by the community,” said Michael Stone, CEO and founder of Milestone Investment Management. “We believe art sets the tone to draw people together, and a community is literally empty of culture or soul without art. Also, art can drive tourism.” 

The Stones have such a strong passion for the arts that they created an endowment in partnership with UWG called the “Michael and Andrea Stone Visiting Artist Series”.  This program features one nationally recognized artist from art, music, theater or creative writing and film each semester. “Supporting local art enhances the quality of the cultural life of this community, and our encouragement of local artist to create and explore new directions both individually and collectively can enrich our individual lives in ways impossible to measure,” said Andrea Stone, retired art educator. They believe that the arts are especially important for the children of Carroll County. 

 “Despite the current trend in our local public school system to reduce or eliminate art education in the classroom, students with an education in the arts have higher GPAs and standardized test scores, with lower dropout rates,” said Stone. Parents are encouraged to bring the entire family out for this event. 

Visitors and those participating in this year’s event are encouraged to visit each host location to be eligible for a drawing at the end of the night for a gift basket. All information of the host locations will be available downtown on March 30. For any addition information, contact Carrollton Main Street (770) 832-6901.