A look inside Georgia Tech's newest space for start-ups, Encore

By Erin Schilling – Technology Reporter/ Atlanta Inno, Atlanta Business Chronicle

Jul 8, 2021 Updated Jul 8, 2021, 1:30pm EDT

Startups can now lease space in Georgia Tech’s new office space in West Midtown, an area booming with new investment.  

Encore, a 50,000-square-foot space, is part of The Interlock, a budding mixed-use development at the corner of Howell Mill and 14th Street. 

Encore is meant to be the next step for startups graduating from the Advanced Technology Development Center, a long-running incubator sponsored by the state and hosted by Georgia Tech.

ATDC startups are often small, founding teams in the early stages of development, meaning they don’t need much office space. Encore caters to the next phase of a startup — one that’s building its team but not be quite ready to disconnect from the ATDC startup community. 

Encore's co-working concept is popular among early-stage companies, where the community is just as important as the office space. Buckhead’s Atlanta Tech Village already models this concept and has incubated at least two startups, Calendly and SalesLoft, that have surpassed $1 billion valuations. 

The new incubator has 13 suites available to companies, which hold about 14 to 30 people each. Startups can customize the space or lease two suites for more space. CairEA, an artificial intelligence-powered real estate analytics platform, moved in the beginning of this month. 

Encore also has conference rooms, individual workspaces, a coffee bar and balcony available. The Interlock also includes Puttshack, Chase Bank and other restaurant tenants. The $750 million development has 160,000 square feet of office space, a 40,000-square-foot grocery store, 280 student housing units, a 190-key hotel and 20,000 additional square feet of retail space. 

all photography by Katie Bricker Photography

Words with Friends | Mike Black

Mallory Johnson for Amy Parry Projects (APP) + Mike Black (MB)

Lively, creative energy permeates the studio of Atlanta artist Mike Black. We sat down to discuss some of the projects he’s working on, his background, his technique and much more. At the same time, following in their father’s footsteps, his kids used nontraditional materials to create their very own works of art. In this case, transforming sticks into samurai swords with painted designs.

Known for his happy colorful paintings which incorporate textured sculptural elements, these recognizable works hung side by side with stunning black pieces; a clear shift from his commission work.

His work underwent some changes this past year when he was able to devote more time to his art and as it reflected his disappointment at the state of racial injustices in our country.

---

APP: We have loved following your practice over the years and have been dying to place your work. Wondering about your recent spackle technique; what inspired you to start doing that? 

MB: Ace Hardware is my art supply store you know, so basically, I would walk around and look at things and figure out how I could incorporate this or how I could use that or what it could do for the work. I’m really into textures and things of that nature so I thought drywall spackle - let’s see what I can do with that. I like to work in not-your-basic medium and to make work with materials we’re all familiar with. It was really just a trial-and-error thing. 80% of the work is trial and error. Nobody taught me how to take the drywall trowel and make all that nonsense. The same thing’s true with pouring resin on stuff and seeing what the resin’s gonna do. You take the stuff you learn in art school or wherever and use it as you will. You have to learn the rules to break the rules type of deal.
 

APP: Did you come from a blue-collar background, is that another reason you incorporate some of those kinds of non-traditional art materials into your work?

MB: My family growing up were all blue-collar; they were longshoremen in Seattle. It’s a very hands-on physical type of job and I guess that bled through into my art-making career. I steered towards making things with my hands, towards more tactile, structural, big things as opposed to fine paintings and whatnot. I was really more inclined to build stuff and I think that really came from the blue-collar upbringing I had.
 

APP: That was something that interested me in your art: the line between fine art and more graffiti inspired street art. Has that always been something you incorporated?

MB: I guess that’s where it all started. The street art graffiti type stuff has always caught my eye since I was a little kid, then I went to art school and learned “fine art” and I took what I could from that and then kind of steered away from it. I wouldn’t consider myself a fine artist whatever the hell that means. I like to make stuff. To me you can cross the two, the highbrow with the lowbrow graffiti and street stuff and to me it's all art; it’s all the same. 

In an ideal world, I would make pieces and just put them out there, paint a building or just put a sculpture out somewhere and just leave it, graffiti style. I have a project in mind for these big blue tubes where I would make the piece and just go put it out somewhere like it’s a tag that someone threw out in the middle of the night because I think that is how it should be done. You shouldn’t have to go to a gallery or have to go to a museum because lots of time people won't do that. Your common, everyday folk may not want to go to a gallery. Maybe they've never even been to a gallery. I just want people to see the work and feel it and if you like it then you like it if you don’t then you don’t, that's fine. Just as long as it’s out there for people to see, you know?

APP: One of my favorites is the one with that big, gilded frame. I’m really loving that idea of using such a traditional fine art element and then spray painting over top of it.

MB: Oh yeah, I’ve got plans! I got that frame from a friend and that’s a legit heavy frame so I’m gonna take a mold of it. I’ll take it apart and make a mold of one of the sections and then make 10 foot sticks of that out of foam so it’ll look just like that. Once I paint it gold, it will look legit but won’t weigh 5,000 pounds or be super expensive. I just like to have it here so I can stick pieces in it and see what it looks like. I like the street art vibe with the hoity toity frame. 

APP: That’s such a smart idea to use foam, because you’d never know but it still achieves the same effect.

MB: Yeah, you would never know and I’m also a big fan of treating things as what they are material-wise. At the end of the day, that’s just a piece of wood with some concrete, drywall spackle, tape and some spray paint. If something happens to it or I take it a step too far and I don’t like it as much anymore it’s like, “you know what? That’s just a piece of wood with some paint on it, it's not a big deal. It’s fine.” With the foam frame it’s like if I screw them up it’s just a piece of foam who cares. Or if my kids decide they want to spray paint something and it's the wrong thing to spray paint, then it’s no big deal.

APP: It seems like the Black Lives Matter movement has a real place within your work.

MB: It’s just important in life really. I feel really strongly about the racial issues in our country, and the way people are treated. I have a whole series of black pieces now because of what was happening this summer and not just what was happening this summer but what has been happening systemically since black people were brought to this country. I came home and all the paintings were these bright vibrant things that I made because they’re happy things and I could make these pieces with these colors in mind because it’s supposed to evoke these good feelings and I want people to be happy. Well, I came home from a little trip and shit was all going down this summer and I was sitting in the studio looking at my work and thinking I’m not happy right now, people aren’t happy, so I painted everything black. I took all my paintings and painted them all black.

If you look at this one (above), you can see what it was underneath. I didn’t feel all bright and happy and the world wasn’t all bright and happy, so I just said “fuck it” and painted all of my shit black. Black is beautiful, there are lots of different layers to it. I ended up with like every different type of black paint. I got that black pigment paint you can buy now that’s like the blackest of the blacks. I went to every spray paint supply place and got textured paint, flat, glossy, semi-gloss just any kind of black I could get my hands on. It was actually pretty fun, a whole new adventure in my art making practice.

APP: How has Covid had an effect on your work this past year?

MB: Covid has had a huge impact on my work in a positive way. I was off from my “real job” in the film industry. I'm constantly working on movies and stuff which totally takes away from this whole thing. Then the pandemic happened and for seven months straight I was just painting and painting and painting. I was able to just sit and be with the work; I actually had time to walk away and come back instead of working project to project. Over the pandemic, I just painted stuff to paint stuff for no other reason than to paint stuff and I got a lot of really good feedback from the public thanks to social media. I sold a bunch of paintings, made a bunch of new connections, and had some shows in New York. Some people I did a project with a few years back were putting together a show in Brooklyn regarding the pandemic and artists persevering through the pandemic. Due to all my social media posts and my constant output of artwork they asked me to be part of the show.  

APP: Do you have any other collaborations coming up?

MB: I actually have a couple of collaborations in the works with a few local artists. My favorite thing is to collaborate with people, because everyone has their own thing that they do, and we can all teach each other some things. I recently reached out to Emily Mann because I love her work and wanted to see if she was interested in working together. We’ve never even met in person; we’ve just been chit-chatting back and forth. One night I was in here and she posted something, and I was like “Jesus Christ, I love her work! Why don’t I just ask her if she wants to make something and she was like, ‘I love your work too!’”. So, we have no idea what we’re gonna make but we’re gonna make something big.

MJ: So looking forward to seeing what y'all come up with!

APP: Lastly, we were excited when we saw your digitally created mural, do you have something like that in the works for a real building?

MB: I was kind of just fishing with that. I put it out into the ether to see and a few people have hit me back up being interested in me doing that. It hasn’t officially been signed off as a project that’s gonna happen, but it looks like it will be in the near future. I’ve got a few different places that I’m in negotiations with that want me to do it.

APP: Can’t wait!

Sonya Yong James | Lyla Lila (ATL)

Christmas came early for Atlanta foodies when Chef Craig Richards’ newest concept, Lyla Lila opened to the public on December 6th. The midtown restaurant is the result of many months of exploration into Richard’s passions - Southern European (leaning Italian) cuisine, experimental jazz and an interest in creating a comfortable, approachable dining experience.

When Chef approached Amy Parry Projects to consult on a statement piece for the Restaurant’s main dining room, everyone was initially imagining a textile piece - in the interest of southern charm; one that spoke to the passing down of craft. Naturally, Atlanta artist Sonya Yong James came to mind. A studio visit was scheduled between Chef and Sonya (recently represented by Whitespace Gallery) and a delightful shift in direction happened en studio.

Hanging from a pot rack in Sonya’s space within the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center was a large, old wooden spoon that she used in her hand-dyed textile work. Richards saw the spoon and was struck by it’s natural beauty. As Sonya and Chef connected over music and other “ties that bind,” the spoon became the story. Sonya embarked on creating a textile hanging work from a collection of indigo dyed spoons.

View fullsize

Sonya Yong James, indigo dyed wooden spoons, metal armature, 7 x 5 feet

A custom armature was made, spoons (new and old) were gathered, Sonya switched studios (and was awarded the prestigious Artadia Award on the heels of three back to back exhibitions) and the piece was installed as the Restaurant prepared for it’s first round of guests - friends and family of Chef and his Lyla Lila business partner Billy Streck.

Sonya’s spoons are a beautiful complement to the Restaurant’s beautiful, eclectic interior which was designed by Atlanta’s Smith Hanes Studio. If you are in Atlanta, please make a point to enjoy both the food and design of this new, great space.

Recent article from Atlanta Magazine here.

Atlanta Artist Spotlight | KRISTIN THORSEN

Shout out to Atlanta Artist Kristin Thorsen for knocking out a commission for an impressive corporate client gift. Her architecturally based paintings are incredible - especially in person. See more below…

Lyla Lila Announcement - Art Consulting by AP Projects

Lyla Lila will bring house-made
pasta to
Midtown this fall

The restaurant from Craig Richards and Billy Streck is set to open in lilli Midtown later this year

By Carly Cooper - May 30, 2019

A rendering of Lyla Lila | Courtesy of Smith Hanes Studio

Last year, Craig Richards left his position as vice president of culinary for Ford Fry Restaurants and executive chef at St. Cecilia and joined forces with restaurateur Billy Streck (Hampton & Hudson, Nina & Rafi, Cypress Street Pint & Plate). The duo soon discovered they had more in common than a love of food: their daughters share a name. So it only made sense to express that connection through the name of their new restaurant, Lyla Lila. (Richards’s daughter is Lyla; Streck’s daughter’s middle name is Lila.)

“We had 30 names on the table, but this makes it a lot more personal to us,” Richards says. “The restaurant is an expression of us.”

Located in the lilli Midtown building at the corner of 3rd and Peachtree streets, the food at Lyla Lila is inspired by the cuisines of southern Italy and Spain. It will include house-made pasta and wood-fired meats and seafood, along with Old World wines and seasonal cocktails.

Pasta options will include smoked squash and ricotta caramelle with spiced pumpkin seeds and sumac; and tomato leaf pappardelle with pork and beef cheek ragu and charred peppers. There will be two risottos on the menu, along with entrees such as a pork porterhouse with eggplant and oysters; and a whole-roasted fishtail with smoked onions and lemon butter, served with an anchovy and arugula salad. Sides include a salt-roasted sweet potato with fermented chili butter, while appetizers will include lamb croquettes with fennel pollen aioli and a wood-grilled lettuce salad with rye croutons, wild oregano, and yogurt dressing.

The beverage program will focus on seasonal cocktails and Old World wines, along with both local and European-style beers in bottles, cans, and a few drafts.

“This food lends itself really well to sparkling wines, so we’ll have an expanded sparking wine program,” Richards says. “We want the beverage side and the kitchen to be a reflection of each other.”

When Lyla Lila opens in early fall, it will serve dinner seven days a week. Weekend brunch will follow, along with weekday lunch. Smith Hanes Studio is designing the 4,000-square-foot space.

“In developing the concept, we pulled out some old vinyl—Miles Davis, Duran Duran, old Madonna—and got inspiration that way,” Streck says. “You might see some vinyl playing on a turntable. We’re definitely encouraging an after-dinner crowd.”

Expect a wooden floor with tiles that merge into the horseshoe bar area. There’s an area with cafe tables and banquettes for cocktails, a dining room, and a 25-seat private room. The Peachtree Street-facing patio is designed for people-watching, while a second patio in the cocktail area features a fireplace as a throwback to Cypress Street’s sizable firepit.

“We want the patio to be a beacon if you’re coming from either side of town,” Richards says.

And if all goes according to plan, Richards says, Lyla Lila will have the energy and vibrancy of his daughter, who is “extremely excited” about having a restaurant named after her.

(Still) Taking Care of Business - International Women's Day 2018

Reflecting on the journey with this still-relevant 2016 post. Happy International Women's Day, everyone!

---

It is with great pride that I announce that Amy Parry Projects is now Certified as a Women Owned Business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

The news last week brought literal tears to my eyes. I didn’t realize how much being certified meant to me until I got the official notification from WBENC that I had been validated. I felt like Sally Field receiving her 1984 Oscar - “You like me! You LIKE me!” But more so, the memories of all the crazy moments that added up to this point in my business flashed before my eyes: furiously quoting a job as I was in labor at the hospital…bringing six-week-old baby James to Hirsch Bedner & Associates to work a project deadline...schlepping him to the shipper to deliver a custom work of art for a hotel…vacations spent pushing back beach time until I had wrapped up an important email…It’s been a hectic few years. And rewarding. And fun!

I have the pleasure of working with my friends, who are amazing women with their own families and dynamic lives. We work together as a team. We support each other, respect each other and dream for each other. We work hard and into the night when things need to get done. And we feel good about our aesthetic choices and the fair way we make decisions to complete our tasks at hand.

I am so proud to be a professional woman; a mother, wife and friend. I do the job because it’s my passion but also because it supports not only my family, but artists I care about and all these other women that are working with me in the same busy, multi-tasking way. We are a powerful bunch and it is clear that women-owned businesses are creating a new normal in American society. I am thrilled to be part of this empowered generation of ladies who are taking care of business and making things happen from our brains and our souls.

Thanks to WBENC for the approval of our application and for the future opportunities we will discover because of it.

So sincerely,

Amy Parry

Chic New Atlanta Hotel - Hotel Clermont →

ILLUSTRATION: COURTESY OF PHASE:3 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Hotel Clermont is due to reopen next year.

"Hotel Clermont welcomes guests in March after an extensive renovation that merges the building’s classic 1920s features with punk-rock style. In addition to a restaurant and a rooftop bar, the property’s infamous Clermont Lounge remains and, though it got a freshen-up too, retains its gritty glory—and its black-duct-taped bar."

(Garden & Gun Magazine, November 15, 2017)

Words with Friends | Brett Smith

Brett Smith is a self-taught abstract artist, represented in Atlanta by Sandler Hudson Gallery. We've been following his work for some time and just love it. We were delighted when he said yes to the casual interview, seen below. Thanks, Brett!

APP: So why Atlanta? As a South African native, how did you settle on this "city in a forest" and what are some things that keep you here?

BS: I got a tennis scholarship to play for Georgia State University. Back then, Atlanta was going to host the '96 Olympics so I thought that would be a great experience. Compared to other college towns, Atlanta seemed to be an exciting city to live in and had a lot going for it, so it really was an easy choice. Apartheid was ending in South Africa and the future was very uncertain, I had this opportunity and I grabbed it.

APP: I know your current series is called "From Scaffold to Thicket" and is largely inspired by all the cranes and construction chaos that is always scattered around our city. Can you talk about the thicket element and how this body is a progression from past bodies of work that are more obviously about nature?

BS: The full name of the current body of work is ‘the portrait of a landscape under construction, from scaffold to thicket we build.’ Recently the themes and ideas behind my work have shifted. I have become more interested in how we interact with nature not just being inspired by trees, flowers, branches etc. This delicate balance we have with each other and our precious planet, all the systems and structures that make up this complex web we interact with on a daily basis (and for the most part ignore) has become my new muse. All the construction going on around us in urban environments amplifies this idea of a constant need to build and grow. Nature also has a constant need (and struggle) to grow and flourish and this tension is the starting point for the current work.

APP: What kinds of "art tools" do you use that might surprise people?

BS: Lol!! Studio secrets! Well, the new paintings are made with an empty ballpoint pen and sometimes the back of a paint brush. I have also used paint stirring sticks from Home Depot and Popsicle sticks, whatever works!

APP: Can you comment on the trial and error aspect of creating these layers of lines and how you begin/when you finish?

BS: The paintings are really this great combo of painting and drawing. Technically, they are made of paint and a cold wax medium but I view them more as drawings. I just start drawing elements and images from photographs that I have taken or collected from social media or the internet. At some point I will pick up the paint brush and paint over some or part of the drawing. This creates a ghost like quality which for me is evocative of the building being destroyed over time and then I draw new images over the top. Recently I have used oil pastel to make additional images once the paint dries. This can be considered an example of trial and error as you are taking a big risk when you decide to draw over something that you already think is successful, but no risk no reward!

APP: We noticed you experimented recently with a bit of 3D. Is sculpture something you think you will dig deeper into?

BS: Yes, sculpture is increasingly on my mind. It seems like a natural progression for me and I have some ideas when this work gets exhibited, so stay tuned!

APP: You've been doing the black and white thing through this series but we love your past use of color also, particularly the orange. Do you have a color you like best?

BS: That is a tough one, color is so seductive. Orange was a stand out from the LIFE series but I’m not willing to say that is my favorite. I think it depends on the shade and intensity of the color; I mean there is red and then there is REDDDD!!!

APP: Do you ever draw curves? Or doodle in circles?

BS: I do, the first work on paper I ever did was circles drawn with watercolor pencil. It was based on bubbles in water; water is life after all. A lot of my work based on flowers also embraces the curve or looped line. I like exploring line in all its forms I just try and find what will be appropriate for what I’m trying to achieve visually and thematically.

APP: We would love to see your florals!

We noticed that you use the hashtag #globalwarming sometimes when you post images of your work. How does the work comment on this very timely topic?

BS: It gets back to this idea of balance. We need to keep building and expanding our cities, communities and population, (but) the environment is struggling to survive. It really is the war of our time; too many wrong moves and the ramifications can be catastrophic. I’m trying not to take sides just observing and trying to start a conversation. I want the paintings to be slightly overwhelming, hints of scaffolding and construction cranes draw the viewer in as these images are familiar to everyone, and then you can explore the pictures and put your own spin on it.

APP: We loved seeing the recent work alongside many other great Sandler Hudson artists in Summer Thunder. Is there a solo show in the works so we can mark our calendars?

BS: There is definitely a solo show in the works, still working on the dates.

APP: Speaking of other artists, who are some of your favorite mark-makers?

BS: Cy Twombly probably has had the greatest influence on me. I feel like he is ever-present. There has been such a move to take the hand of the artist out of the painting process, for better or worse, I find I always come back to painters who get their hands dirty: Joan Mitchell, Brice Marden, Pollock and Shiraga come to mind.

APP: What are some of your favorite places to get inspired around ATL? In the city or in nature?

BS: I love walking the Beltline. I feel like it is such a great addition to the vitality of the City. The Mercedes-Benz stadium was just incredible to watch as it was being built. Anywhere a building is going up or coming down for that matter. Buildings are far more interesting during the construction phase or the destruction phase, they are constantly changing while they are being built, kind of like watching a plant grow. I took many ‘thicket’ photographs of thorn bushes in Africa last time I was there, and I see this influence in the new paintings.

APP: Do you follow "Cranes of Atlanta" on instagram?

BS: No, but I will!

APP: Do that. 

_______________________________________________________________________

To learn more about Brett's work, please visit Sandler Hudson Gallery or Brett's website.

The Iconic ATL Airport Ants

It has become more shocking to NOT see red fire ants crawling on the ceiling of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport than it ever was to see them there in the first place...

Brute Neighbors, a commissioned public art sculpture created and installed by ATL artist Joe Peragine in the summer of 2001 has just been removed without his knowledge. In the 15 years that the ants were scattered overhead the North and South Baggage Claim areas, they became iconic for so many of us. An article released by the Airport in November of 2010, highlighted the continued popularity of the piece and the element of surprise it offered travelers passing through.

Apparently, however, there have been intermittent grumblings about the ants from airport business owners and complaints from concerned parents over the years. As with other examples of public art, the sight of Brute Neighbors sparked both curiosity and controversy.

The circumstances surrounding the removal of the piece last Thursday are still not fully known. The ants will remain in storage until the fate of the work is determined and forthcoming renovations in the airport are completed. If you feel connected to this work and compelled to show support for its reinstallation, please send a note to the Airport Art Program Manager, David Vogt at david.vogt@atlanta-airport.com.

Details on the piece - which is described as being in the Airport’s “Permanent Art Collection" - can be found here.

 

 

To learn more about this significant artist, please visit Joe's website: www.josephperagine.com

 

I’m an art consultant but really I’m a translator

Danielle Roney’s Field, at Morris, Manning, & Martin, 
a project of ConsultArt.

Atlanta based arts organization Burnaway put together an interesting article on the role Art Consultants play in the local art scene. In "Collecting: How Art Consultants Help Local Art Scenes Grow" Amy Parry was thrilled to share to her perspective about the state of the arts and Art Consulting in Atlanta. 

“I do what I can to help people feel like they ‘get’ the art. When the client understands the work and can talk about the work, they get excited and BUY the work. I’m an art consultant but really I’m a translator.”

Check out the full article here.