Please note that on the following dates, The Patch Works will be adjusting its hours:
On Sunday September 15th and 22nd, the center will be closed, due to our 2:00pm Matinee presentations of the play Cabbagetown: 3 Women, which is taking place at Cabbagetown Park’s Joyce Brookshire Amphitheater.
The center will be closing early, at 5:00pm, on Friday September 13th, Saturday September 14th, Friday September 20th, and Saturday September 21st, also due to Cabbagetown: 3 Women, which has 8:00pm showtimes on those nights. All six shows are free and open to the public.
In addition, please note that the center will be closed on Sunday September 29th, as The Patch Works will be participating in Oakland Cemetery’s Sunday in the Park. This event is also free and lots of fun, so please swing by and visit our tent!
The Patch Works Art & History Center (The Patch Works) — in collaboration with the Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association (CNIA) and the Cabbagetown Initiative Community Development Corporation (CICDC) — revives Cabbagetown: 3 Women… an Oral History Play With Music, 41 years after its premiere at Atlanta’s Academy Theatre on May 21st, 1978.
PERFORMANCES
FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL (Open to the Public): Thursday, September 12th, 8:00P
Evenings
OPENING NIGHT: Friday, September 13th, 8:00P
Saturday, September 14th, 8:00P
Friday, September 20th, 8:00P
Saturday, September 21st, 8:00P
Matinees
Sunday, September 15th, 2:00P
Sunday, September 22nd, 2:00P
WHERE
Joyce Brookshire Amphitheater
Cabbagetown Park
170 Kirkwood Ave SE, Atlanta GA 30316
Performances are free and open to the public. There will be beverages and souvenir stands where attendees may purchase items.
Cabbagetown: 3 Women, an Oral History Play With Music was adapted by R. Cary Bynum from “actual dialogues originally compiled by the Patch, Inc., and published in Cabbagetown Families, Cabbagetown Food, edited by Pam Durban Porter.” The play profiles the lives of three women, who were long time residents of Cabbagetown: Lila Mae Brookshire (Joyce Brookshire’s mother), Effie Dodd Gray, and Beatrice “Aunt Beadie” Dalton. The original cast included Doris Bucher, Brenda Bynum, and Annette Coleman.
“Live music [was] movingly woven into the performance by Joyce Brookshire, accompanied by Fritz Rauschenberg, with songs she wrote about the families with whom she grew up, and originally were published in Foxfire Records premiere album, North Georgia Mountains.” (produced in 1977)
(Source: an Alliance Theatre program from the play’s performance on September 12, 1979)
This presentation is funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
On August 20th, please join us at The Patch Works for the first evening of a unique and collaborative two-part event: Todd Mack and Music in Common are bringing together two organizations — The Patch Works and WERD Radio — to discuss not just their respective histories, but also the music and other elements that bind and unite our seemingly disparate communities.
WERD Radio is the first, African-American-owned radio station in the country, where Dr. Martin Luther King himself would broadcast sermons and civil rights’ commentary. After years of obscurity, WERD has been resurrected by Ricci de Forest, who will be our guest on August 20th and then our gracious host on August 22nd.
Also participating on August 20th will be our amazing friends Slim Chance (aka James Kelly) and Dr. Erich Nunn. Slim will perform examples of Hillbilly music, while Dr. Nunn will discuss the origins of such music in Cabbagetown and how it evolved from sounds being produced by African-American performers at that time.
If y’all are reading this, then y’all are already aware that our website is running just fine…once again…finally.
Nonetheless, we wanted to apologize for any inconvenience over the past few days — while our site was inaccessible. On the positive side, the site was down while we were transitioning to a secure website (to protect our visitors), so y’all’s “user experience” should be even better now! Thanks for checking out The Patch Works!
On January 31st, The Patch Works will be conducting a walking tour of Cabbagetown for homeschool kids ranging between the ages of 7 and 13. Oakland Cemetery’s Education Manager, Marcy Breffle, is organizing the event, which will offer Cabbagetown-themed, interactive projects that help the students learn local art and history.
For more information, email Marcy Breffle, or visit the Young Historians Homeschool Program website.
The Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association (CNIA) needs your help to keep Cabbagetown running! Find out about a variety of volunteer opportunities and talk to existing board members about life as a CNIA leader, as a CI board member, or as a Patch Works volunteer.
This event will function similar to a “speed-dating” social style meetup. Potential volunteers will get time to chat with current volunteers and board members in a casual environment.
Mhmm, yep, you read that event title correctly. On January 27th, from 12:30 to 2:30pm, Guac Y Margys is serving up ALL YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST TACOS + ALL YOU CAN DRINK MIMOSAS AND BLOODY MARIAS for just $30.
And $5 of that goes directly to The Patch Works — just a mile away from GyM — dedicated to preserving the unique history of Atlanta’s Cabbagetown.
For those hungry/thirsty ones on a budget, now’s your chance to try their amazing breakfast tacos and bloody maria bar. Or fill up on some Vitamin C with several mimosas
On January 19th, it was another great “Unplugged” music event at The Patch Works!
“Slow Parade is Atlanta based psych-folk collective headed up by tune smith Matthew Pendrick. After nearly a decade spent soaking up the city’s rich blues and roots music scene, Slow Parade was formed out of the need for a new extension…”
BAND MEMBERS: Matthew Pendrick – Guitar Vocals Andrea DeMarcus – Bass Vocals Paul Stevens – Drums Keys Vocals
As for Chickens and Pigs, The Patch Works had the pleasure of hearing Jeff Evans play a short, impromptu set a couple months ago, and begged him to come back again!!! This guy’s legendary…
Chicken and Pigs for this gig was Jeff Evans, nobly accompanied by Mark Johnson from Delta Moon!
On January 17th, The Patch Works was filled with alumni from past Pecha Kucha Atlanta events. Amanda Plumb, the brains behind the local PK chapter, wanted to thank alumni for taking the time to create and deliver a presentation for Pecha Kucha Atlanta.
Past participants got to meet other PK presenters (a fascinating crowd), have a drink (or two), and check out the Patch Works Art & History Center. Party-goers also got to hear the themes for PK 2019.
On January 13th, The Jon Bekoff Project for the Advancement of Georgia Oldtime Music presented musician Max Godfrey, who lead a workshop in local Georgia tunes.
Jon Bekoff was a great Oldtime fiddler in Western MA who loved GA music and encouraged folks to play it (as a result, more players in Vermont and MA play GA oldtime music than in GA!!). Jon died young in 2015 and this JB project is an attempt to keep his GA oldtime missionary spirit alive.
The goal of these free workshops is to promote by-ear learning of oldtime music native to Georgia, with the hope that in the future, participants will go forth and jam these tunes with others.
1-2 new tunes were introduced and tunes from previous sessions were reviewed. The JB Project likes geeky participants who take the time to listen to the original tunes and practice between workshops, who are sincere about learning at least some of what is covered.
Stringed instruments only (no spoons, concertinas, penny whistles). Musicians are invited by Moonshineand need to RSVP by EMAIL to confirm a spot. Preference is given to intermediate musicians with leadership potential/who are committed to learning the local GA Oldtime repertoire. Please email fiddlerhiker if you want to propose another attendee, do not invite them yourself, please.
On Tuesday, December 18th, Eventide Brewing generously hosted a Totes Tuesday for The Patch Works!! Here’s their remarkably simple yet effective fundraising concept: You drink beer. Eventide gives back! All you have to do is drink beer! EASY! Each week Eventide has a different non-profit organization on site. On this night, The Patch Works received 10% of Eventide’s nightly sales AND cash donations collected in the tote bags at the end of the bar!!!
On December 15th, we hosted another awesome “Unplugged” musical performance at the center! The Porch Bottom Boys — performed two amazing sets!!!!
From their website: “The Porch Bottom Boys play bluegrass, newgrass, and other styles seasoned with the diverse backgrounds of their members…
“…They have also appeared in many nearby festivals, including the Decatur BBQ Blues and Bluegrass Festival, the Decatur Arts Festival, the Oakhurst Arts Festival, and Stomp and Chomp in Cabbagetown. Committed to the Decatur community, they frequently play for local fundraisers and other programs.”
THE PLAYERS Steve Gorbatkin – guitar Jim Thompson – fiddle Charlie O’Neill – banjo Joel Glogowski – bass Patrick Jackson – mandolin Denis Gainty – in memoriam
Click on the above image to hear an online version of our lecture…
On December 9, Pecha Kucha Atlanta held a really cool event called “Atlanta: Past, Present and Future.” Along with several other presenters, The Patch Works was selected to give one of Pecha Kucha’s signature “20 x 20” lectures: each speaker shows 20 slides and gets 20 seconds per slide to address the topic. We called our topic Cabbagetown: Changing Atlanta by Preserving History.
There was a big turnout at Brother Moto, which kindly hosted the event. (Thank you, Brother Moto!)
On Saturday, December 8th, Evan Kinney recently led an intermediate Georgia Oldtime Jam at The Patch Works. Being our first time hosting a music workshop, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. Suffice it to say, it was AMAZINGLY FUN! Watch this VIDEO (and remember: this group was learning the song on-the-fly and by ear).
A NEW Grant Award, MORE Scholars, and MORE Music! Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta awards us with a grant, and our third (and last) GA Humanities lecture is this month. Plus, another great lineup for our November Unplugged music event!!!
On Sunday, November 18th, join us as Rebecca Page, Ashley Cheyemi McNeil, and Brennan Collins from GSU’s Student Innovation Fellowship program speak about their mapping collaboration with The Patch Works on ATLmaps.org. They have brought together historical maps of Cabbagetown and stacked them with present-day interviews of long-time residents to uncover the original water sources that sustained the livelihood of the community.
There is no cost to attend.
TITLE: Re-Surfacing Cabbagetown: Mapping the Emergence of Waterways and Stories
PRESENTERS: Rebecca Page, Ashley Cheyemi McNeil, and Brennan Collins
INTERVIEWEES: Ronnie Edwards, Marshall Edwards, Sarah Knight, Margaret Long, and Leon Little.
This project is supported by Georgia Humanities, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, through funding from the Georgia General Assembly.
The Patch Works is honored to have received another grant award: Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta’s Neighborhood Fund grant! Winning the award puts us one (big) step closer to fulfilling our mission of maintaining Cabbagetown as a strong, cohesive community that is dedicated to preserving its history.
In 2019, the Cabbagetown neighborhood wishes to present R. Cary Bynum’s play Cabbagetown: 3 Women, which the playwright based on the 1976 publication Cabbagetown Families, Cabbagetown Food (a “cookbook” that documented the lives of mill-working families in the community). The neighborhood will mount the play in The Joyce Brookshire Amphitheatre, which, in March 2018, Councilmember Natalyn Archibong formally dedicated to the legendary, Cabbagetown musician Joyce Brookshire (who passed away in 2017). This production will use community-based elements: the amphitheatre (located in Cabbagetown Park), as well as local artists (musicians, actors, stage hands, etc.). In addition, the playwright has given the community his blessing to present the play, which he had previously removed from theatrical circulation. This event will promote community participation, as well as historical education. Three organizations — CICDC, CNIA, and The Patch Works — will be supporting the effort.
Join us on Saturday, November 17th for our “Unplugged” concert series. The event will open with Takiya Mason, a solo Atlanta artist. She will perform from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm. Following her will be local band, Auction House Letters, playing from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm.
Takiya’s artistic path begin in Jacksonville, NC at the age of 5 singing in her uncle’s church choir “The Sunshine Band”. Inspired by the greats before her from Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Etta James, Ray Charles, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder and so many more; Takiya Mason represents the next wave of artist inspired and motivated to push good music forward.
Auction House Letters play songs in the following keys: C, G, D, A, E, F, and Bb.
Band Members:
Jeff Holt– guitar and vocals Susannah Wallace– violin and vocals Chris Poma– bass guitar Erik Kaszynski– drums Michael Goldman– lap, steel, and mandolin
To close out the event, we’ll be having a “Hootenanny” jam session till 6 pm, so feel free to bring your own instruments!
For more information Follow our instagram @thepatchworkscabbagetown
We just had our second lecture sponsored by Georgia Humanities. Dr. Erich Nunn (Auburn University) and Dr. Regina Bradley (Kennesaw State University) spoke about how Cabbagetown’s musical roots relate to the evolving tastes and trends of modern day Atlanta.
