NewTown Macon is pleased to announce the opening of Bright City: Cultural Confluence, a year-long outdoor public art exhibition bringing together seven artists in conversation to their cultural identities and homelands. The opening event will take place on Friday, November 1, 2024, from 6:30 PM to 9 PM in Second Street Lane alleyway in downtown Macon during First Friday, showcasing the works of the featured artists in illuminated light boxes.

This year’s exhibition, curated by acclaimed artist Yatika Starr Fields, brings together seven artists whose works evoke deep connections to heritage, homeland, and history. Bright City: Cultural Confluence features artwork by Hotvlkuce (Hadulgagee) Harjo, Jessi Sands, April Holder, Carrie Lind, Randy Kemp, George Alexander II, and Brittany Postoak 

This marks the sixth rendition of the Bright City series, a project that has evolved over the past two years through a meaningful collaboration with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. In recent years, Bright City has delved into the theme of "Okmulgee to Ocmulgee," an exploration of cultural reconnection and shared history in the ancestral homelands of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. This year’s exhibition, Cultural Confluence, builds on that foundation, broadening the narrative to express the diverse and layered stories of Indigenous identity across North America.

Curator Yatika Fields explains that “The artwork on view is a confluence of time, branching off from one story to another, always shaped by the next generation’s movement, but holding memory of our ancestors and pasts.

The exhibition opening is free and open to the public. The opening will begin with an artist talk and CMD Styles will offer music in the alley. Light refreshments will be served.

Following the opening event, the exhibition will be displayed through the fall of 2025.