MEET CABBAGETOWN’S
MISS BERTHA WISE

mobile device:
TRAILER (1:14)

mobile device:
PREVIEW (2:53)

LEARN ABOUT OUR CAMPAIGN TO FIX MISS BERTHA’S PORCH!
donorbox.org/miss-bertha

FULL INTERVIEW (36:10) - See video description for chapter titles & credits


KROG TUNNEL

Krog Tunnel is Cabbagetown’s extradimensional parturient wormhole, weaving myriad millennia. Behold, the mystic portal awaits..

Cabbagetown is dedicated to preserving an uninterrupted, all-hours, all-access pedestrian and bike route through Krog at all times. Cabbagetown champions free speech inside the tunnel, and curates creative expression on the Wylie Street side via our ongoing mural programming, Forward Warrior (by invitation) & Stack Squares (open application)

KROG STORM BASIN PROJECT: PHASE ONE

KROG MURAL: Ashley Dopson / Miss Bertha, “Fish are Jumping”

KROG NEWS: 97 Estoria Bar & Grill


Artist Lela Brunet @lelabrunetart / Photo by Bruce Halliburton

About the Krog SE Entrance Mural & Artist Ashley Dopson


KROG STORMWATER BASIN CONSTRUCTION

PHASE ONE: Autumn 2022 - February 2023

Exploratory night digging and engineering surveys on Dekalb Ave side of Krog Tunnel.

NO VEHICLE ACCESS 7pm SUNDAY-THURSDAY (until 6am next day)

PEDESTRIAN ACCESS *should* remain open. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for most recent updates.

PHASE TWO: Spring 2023

We appreciate your patience as we update this page with accurate information and the latest details. Here is the official Watershed Management “fact sheet”


BUSINESSES ARE OPEN!

MAP

 


Alternate routes:

1 - Pedestrian/Bike bridge at Inman Park - Reynoldstown MARTA
ADA Accessible & FREE (you do not need to pass thru fare gate to cross the tracks)

2- Dekalb Avenue to Moreland Ave, take Wylie Street or Memorial Drive
Busy traffic, but decent sidewalks and crosswalks

3 - Dekalb Avenue to Krog Street, go one block north to Edgewood Avenue. Edgewood to Boulevard SE
Pedestrians may find the Dekalb to Boulevard stairwell somewhere difficult to access and poorly maintained.

(route map coming soon)

LOCAL BUSINESSES IN CABBAGETOWN:
97 Estoria - Little’s Food Store - Milltown Tavern - Jen Chan’s - Petit Chou - Carroll Street Cafe
Future Perfect Massage - Mary Todd’s - Terminus Chiropractic - Flora Fauna - Sweet Cheats

Also: Krog Street Market

** Thank you for your patience while we update this section of the webpage to assist our small businesses with the ongoing Krog Tunnel construction project


“FISH ARE JUMPING..”
QUICK LINKS:
Ashley Dopson - “…And the Cotton is High” - Site History
Mural Process - FAQ

L-R: Project Manager John Dirga, Muse Miss Bertha Wise Jr, Bertha Wise Sr, Artist Ashley Dopson, Councilmember Natalyn Archibong

L-R: Project Manager John Dirga, Muse Miss Bertha Wise Jr, Bertha Wise Sr, Artist Ashley Dopson, Councilmember Natalyn Archibong

FISH ARE JUMPING & THE COTTON IS HIGH

2020 Site Improvement Credits:
Mural Artist - Ashley Dopson

Fence Design - Carver Iron

Landscaping - Lawn Order (special thanks to Trees Atlanta & Boutte Tree)

Waste Management Upgrades -
Department of Public Works
(special thanks to Councilmember Natalyn Archibong)

Project Manager -
John Dirga

Special thanks: The Patchworks Art & History Center

Miss Bertha: Long-time Cabbagetown Resident, Artist’s Muse, & Total Badass

Miss Bertha: Long-time Cabbagetown Resident, Artist’s Muse, & Total Badass


12/20/20

Thank you for your patience, Atlanta! It was a long process with volunteers and public outreach, and after the artist’s installation, it took a while for the weather to cooperate while we added UV Mural Shield and Protective Coating. With so many first time visitors to the Tunnel Free Wall, we felt it was important to take some extra measures to account for the more exuberant OTP tourists on their maiden aerosol safaris to the other side of the tracks.

It was truly a pleasure to hear kind words from the serious style writers during the process! We love what you do all over the city, and closer to home - keepin’ it real at mile marker 8.5 & up high. Hopefully the less savvy visitors that pop over to hit us up for the first time will get the hint that their creativity is welcome inside the tunnel anytime.

Keep an eye on artist Ashley Dopson, y’all! She’s been doing lots of new work lately, and we’re excited to see where she goes next. DM @cabbagetownusa on IG for autographed posters and long sleeve Bertha shirts (while supplies last!).

“Fish Are Jumping and the Cotton is High” Mural Ribbon Cutting with Cabbagetown neighbors and special guest, Councilmember Natalyn Archibong.

“Fish Are Jumping and the Cotton is High” Mural Ribbon Cutting with Cabbagetown neighbors and special guest, Councilmember Natalyn Archibong.

Looking for an in-depth analysis of “Summertime” and the historical context of Porgy & Bess? It’s a complicated sad story with memorable music and plot problems. Strikingly, the unfortunate baby McGuffin on the receiving end of that legendary lullaby gets passed around the theatre in a manner not completely un-metaphorically mirroring the checkered history of that troubling production. Learn more here

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ANNOUNCING:

dopson_IG2020.jpg

Ashley Danielle Thomas

FROM THE ARTIST:

2020 has been a quite a year and I am honored to have been chosen to paint a mural in Cabbagetown. My mural, while beautiful and lively has many influences and is full of symbolism and nods to both the past and present. It is titled "Fish are Jumpin and the Cotton is High"

The lyrics are from a song* that is incredibly Southern and gives a nod to the cotton mill that sustained so many families from the very beginnings of Cabbagetown. I spoke with several residents, as I always do, and I was thrilled to meet Ms. Bertha! Absolutely one of my top moments of this crazy year.

Ms. Bertha is a long time resident of Cabbagetown and a beautiful spirit who had me laughing and smiling with joy as we spoke. I knew from our conversation that she was exactly the woman I'd like to feature, half-submerged in a koi pond. As we talked I thought to myself, "Let me be as well traveled (and have skin like this!) at her age, and collect as many friends and adventures as she in her array of stories!"

On the heels of so many tragic and unjust murders, and the continuous denials of equity and equality on so many fronts, I wanted to create a piece that would recognize the ambiguous and sometimes exhausting feeling of not being able to breathe but yet maintaining beauty, vitality, courage, and joy in the midst of the corrupt ecosystem that we live in.

I also wanted to give a nod to the first black women who were hired in the cotton mill, as seamstresses. Although their employment was short lived, it was absolutely integral to the mill's history.

Ms. Bertha and her mom both sew and are well spoken of within this community.

In an effort to convey these feelings, I designed a pond with koi fish jumping out swimming and sticking their heads out. The fish represent perseverance in the midst of adversity, but also the beauty found in their movement, jumping and swimming as they are attempting to get fresh air.

There is a lot more to it, but I am extremely honored to create an otherworldly piece that will highlight my feelings towards my new friend, and honor the Cabbagetown neighborhood. Plus so much more beneath the surface...

In preparing my Cabbagetown proposal about Ms. Bertha, I found out she was close with David Thayer and Rose Barron (@rosembarron), a phenomenal artist who works in many mediums but her photography really spoke to me in a moment when I and so many other women felt most vulnerable and unprotected by the systems of engagement in our very own country. Her photography reinstated a sense of femininity and strength. It was not a coincidence by any means that I'd had the pleasure of being in c4's Hatch with her, and she is a very good friend of Bertha's. I painted a piece at the High Rise Show called "They Tried to Drown Us But Didn't Know We Could Swim" with very similar sentiments.

I need to make sure that her art is recognized and honored the way it should and from one artist to another. Rose M Barron has definitely given me strength and the beauty I need to keep swimming.

Support Ashley Dopson & Wylie Street murals
by donating to Cabbagetown Initiative 501c3

Ashley Dopson Official Website:
AshleyDpaints.com

Support “Atlanta Celebrates 1000 Murals”
through our partner, PowerHaus Creative
(via c4)

Support Cabbagetown’s Stacks Squares Murals

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“Meet Ashley D!”

by John Dirga
info@cabbagetown.com

When I first spoke with Ashley, she was so excited to be considered a finalist for the 2020 Krog that I better prepared next time to hold the phone further from my ear as she expressed the joy that defines her personality. Having had the distinct pleasure to inform her our independent judging panel selected her for the commission, I’m now pleased to introduce her to Cabbagetown and the Krog-adjacent denizens of greater Atlanta metro. You’re gonna love her!

Her work is pretty fantastic as well. In the words of one panelist, the new piece is “a magical portrait.”

Inspired by a real Cabbagetown neighbor, and borrowing its title from “Summertime” lyrics, it features a mysterious and sublime black woman peacefully floating, as if on clouds, in a koi pond. (Think less of Ophelia, & more Talking Heads’ “And She Was”). The angelic figure stares back at the viewer with her mysteriously content expression; in my mind whispering a suggestion, “Shantih, y’all.”

“Fish are Jumping and the Cotton is High” - Design proposal sketch by Ashley Dopson

“Fish are Jumping and the Cotton is High” - Design proposal sketch by Ashley Dopson

Community outreach is an inseparable part of Dopson’s current artistic process, and after our initial conversation, Ashley was introduced to a handful of neighbors-in-the-know to jumpstart her journey of discovery. Among others, she spoke at length with the Patch Works Art & History Center’s Executive Director Jake Elsas about the history and struggles of early Cabbagetown, including early race relations on the factory floor. She also reached out to several more current residents who have been here for decades, and in turn, resonated deeply with the story of longtime Berean Avenue resident Bertha Wise and her artist friend, Rose Barron. Bertha moved here in 1978 (!) and now takes her place as the central character in our community-sponsored mural on the Southeast entrance of the Krog Tunnel.

Project Documentation

Videography: Jacob Elsas / The Patch Works Art & History Center thepatchworks.org

Still Photography:
Rose M Barron / rosembarron.com
Dane Sponberg / railartstudios.com

Additional photographs courtesy of Bertha Wise Jr, John Dirga, David Thayer, and Jacob Elsas


Bertha Wise (2011, photo by Dane Sponberg)

Bertha Wise (2011, photo by Dane Sponberg)

In the coming weeks, we invite you to learn more about Miss Bertha’s story through interviews and stories, but the painting itself won’t need an interpretative sign to communicate one of its primary themes: peace that surpasses understanding. Behind the veil, you may continue to explore difficult themes (“I can’t breathe”, the fraught imagery of cotton in the shadow of the Mill, and the pandemic mask-sewing which first caught Ashley’s eye), but there remains an uplifting sense such evils have been divinely conquered and effortlessly vanquished.

* * * * *

In a hundred ways, 2020 shares some sharp features with Krog Tunnel. We are navigating a chaotic & darkened journey. Voices are amplified. Emerging from beneath a rumbling ruckus, we find ourselves at a turbulent intersection, roaring engines and endlessly turning wheels. Gluttonous vanity lurks behind wonderous beauty. In one direction is a well-worn walkway, wrinkled with roots & rubble, another a monolithic, narrow flat express route to a yawning chasm (metaphorical apologies to the late Ormewood overpass). They’re both dangerous and unforgiving. The anguish overflows, and everything shuts down, often with little notice, and frankly, everything kinda stinks.

This nasty murderous year, and that old hole in the ground both spit out millions of risky decisions running a crowded gauntlet of immediacy, yet we will emerge, into a different world, choosing perhaps freer paths, opening skies, into a familiar space; a hardy home resilient to great spinning storms, impervious to floods, and resistant to fiery hail for another hundred years.

In this context, I think, the new mural will offer (to all who allow themselves the experience) a profound freedom of joyous abandon. May you find yourself welcomed into Cabbagetown as a dear child with fresh eyes every time you dive under Dekalb. Or, if you’re thirsty, there’s a bar to drown in.

* * * * *

2020 KROG MURAL
Selection Panel

JUDGES
Emily Fisher - Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Miranda Kyle - Art on the Beltline
Ash Nash - Powerhaus Creative
Antar Fierce - Steel Wheels
Chante LeGon - Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League

& Forward Warrior Advisory Board
REPRESENTATIVES
Erin Bassett
Barry Lee
Angie Jerez
Shanequa Gay

The members of our independent judging panel were not paid for their expertise. Cabbagetown encourages you to support their favorite charitable causes: Covenant House, ATL Survival, and Illuminatives.

covenanthouse.org & @covenanthousega
atlsurvival.org & @food4lifeatl
illuminatives.org & @_illuminatives

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* Summertime

The lyrical inspiration for Ashley Dopson’s piece is derived from the song “Summertime” of Porgy and Bess fame, via author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. The song, a Catfish Row lullaby, is repeated several times during the opera, sung by a variety of women for a single baby adrift amidst the chaotic tragedy, blending ironic melancholy with the otherwise hopeful imagery of the words. Visitors are encouraged to learn more about controversial stereotypes present in the 1925 novel, as well as the white composer’s use of African American dialect.

Throughout its production history, many have found the portrayal of poverty, drug use, and violence to be deeply offensive, among other problematic themes, and the mention of it may continue to upset sensibilities regarding ill-conceived depictions of the community. However, several artists have expressed an hesitant admiration for Gershwin’s perceived motives and small efforts at integration, or at least recognized other value within the source material despite (or in spite of) its original form, with notable performers taking it upon themselves to reclaim, reframe, and reinvent the themes.

There are several musical adaptations, but you may enjoy these widely varied interpretations:

“Summertime”
Ella Fitzgerald
Leontyne Price
Big Brother & the Holding Company
Willie Nelson

P&B Score
Original Cast
Miles Davis
Joo Yeon Sir (Violin) & Irina Andrievsky (Piano)
When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water

It may be interesting to note the fictional setting of Porgy & Bess is based on an actual area of Charleston, known as Cabbage Row.

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More Cabbage & Krog

Proud sentinel at the Mouth of Krog for over a hundred years, Cabbagetown fiercely defends our quirky free wall with all its anti-commercial expression, and faithfully supports the nearby murals that line a half mile of our northern landscape. But what to do on that raging shore between the immediacy and reflection?

First, the neighborhood organization is concentrating efforts to reinvigorate the pocket parks that greet our visitors, and working to facilitate shady respite from the bustle of Dekalb Ave. It’s an important place for people to safely meet, and we invite all to enjoy it. Second, we are improving wayfinding and landscaping so tourists get a better sense of where rowdy participation is encouraged (inside the tunnel), and where quiet observation is embraced (under the trees).

With an exceptionally selfless love, this decade Cabbagetown is entrusting the selection of its third long-term commission to an outside panel of leaders in the greater community: neighborhood activists, artists & art administrators, and street art advocates. Nobody from Cabbagetown is voting. We love y’all that much.

So, we’re cleaning up the little parks, and putting in a new mural. We are also building a cool looking fence so Woah Vicky doesn’t get confused again about where her faux-edgy tags go.

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FINALISTS ANNOUNCED:

See below for artist website links and social media.
You can also find details on: instagram.com/cabbagetownusa

Baker, George: GFBThree.com // instagram.com/GFB3

Barksdale, Corey: www.coreybarksdale.com // instagram.com/coreybarksdaleart

Dopson, Ashley: www.ashleydpaints.com // instagram.com/ashleydpaints

Faustina, Angela: angelafaustina.com // instagram.com/AngelaFaustina

Hurst, Alea: aleahurst.com // instagram.com/aleahurstart

Stevens, Faatimah: wescover.com/creator/dappher // instagram.com/thepainterbae


Cabbagetown Initiative, in partnership with Fulton County Arts &amp; Culture, Atlanta Department of City Planning, and ATL1000, presents an opportunity for local artists to honor &amp; celebrate Atlanta’s street art at an unique nexus between bedlam…

Cabbagetown Initiative, in partnership with Fulton County Arts & Culture, Atlanta Department of City Planning, and ATL1000, presents an opportunity for local artists to honor & celebrate Atlanta’s street art at an unique nexus between bedlam and collaboration: the intersection of the Krog tunnel Free Wall, and the half mile of Forward Warrior curated Wylie Street Murals.

Interested? Read more about the history of this corner, check out the background info, and view the slideshow.


Thank you to all the amazing artists who applied! Applications were accepted from July 3rd to August 10th and we are no longer reviewing new submissions. If you are interested in Cabbagetown mural opportunities, please consider applying for Stacks Squares Mural Project.

Curious about the Krog Tunnel installation? Stay in the loop: Sign-up for the Mailing List
or Frequently Asked Questions

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Thank you for your interest in the 2020 Krog Tunnel Mural.
Applications were accepted July 3rd to August 10th.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Cabbagetown first fought to stop the arrest of spray artists in Krog Tunnel almost twenty years ago!

Cabbagetown pushed for APD Zone 6 to deescalate and accept decriminalization of the Krog free wall, achieving capitulation in early 2002, and the neighborhood has curated murals at the tunnel entrance for over twenty years. When the Wylie Street Wall was built in 1987, Cabbagetown potter Esther Lefever fired red Georgia clay to help create 8 large mosaics, bring Atlanta the first large scale art to Wylie Street. The corner of Tennelle & Carroll (plus Powell @ Wylie) was the first mural location selected by Living Walls Conference in 2012, and since 2015 our yearly Forward Warrior Mural Project draws over 50 artists from Atlanta & beyond.

Cabbagetown neighborhood loves *all* sides of street art, and we’ve fought for decades to bring y’all a place for free expression, as well as a thoughtful large outdoor gallery space for serious talent.

BACKGROUND INFO

follow #krog2020 #atl1000

For more information, contact:
krogtunnelRFQ@gmail.com

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Site Conditions in 2017

Site Conditions in 2017

FAQ

Q HEY, I WANNA PAINT ON THAT WALL!
A
Simmer down. Click here.

Q Why this mural?
A
Cabbagetown began planning this project in December 2019, as a means of re-creating the meaningful link between our beloved tunnel and the beginning of the curated section. The plan includes new art & landscaping with enhanced wayfinding infrastructure & rails that provide an intuitive shift to mitigate increased traffic impact.

Q Who is sponsoring this?
A
Cabbagetown Initiative 501c3 Community Development Corporation, the neighborhood non-profit that maintains our parks, community center, and public spaces.

Q Where is the money coming from?
A
Grants & donations. There are grants from Fulton County Arts & Culture, and City of Atlanta Department of City Planning / NPU-N. Additional grants have been submitted, but not yet awarded. CI also accepts private donations, including a sponsorship with ATL1000. Grant makers and sponsors do not have seats on the Artist Selection Panel.

Q Who is ATL1000?
A
ATL1000 is a non-commercial awareness campaign created by StreetArtMap.org, honoring the artists and mural organizations who have created 1000 murals in Atlanta. Street Art Map offers maps and self-guided walking tours; They don’t monetize their appreciation of the hardworking creatives and social justice advocates that make our city beautiful and thoughtful. This sponsor is not on the Artist Selection Panel.

ATL1000 is currently promoting Atlanta artists in South Downtown through a partnership with Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID). ATL1000 is also sponsoring a project by PowerHaus Creative empowering black women artists, called Goddess Glow. You can support the amazing work of PowerHaus with tax deductible donations through their fiscal agent, c4Atlanta using this donation portal.

Q Is this the 1000th mural?
A
No, Black Lives Matter & Atlanta’s activist artist community surpassed that number during the social justice protests following the murder of George Floyd. It is important to understand, in addition to Atlanta’s decorative or commercial advertisement murals, a large portion of the city’s public art is dedicated to marginalized communities or inspirational causes. There is also a firmly established culture of non-commissioned work in under-utilized spaces. We’re proud to live in a city with so many present & courageous creators who speak truth to power through their outdoor work.

Q Is the mural part of Forward Warrior?
A
No, this is a commission by Cabbagetown Initiative. CI sponsors murals, as well as other neighborhood projects, including Cabbagetown Community Garden, Chomp & Stomp Chili Cook-Off, and the Brookshire Concert Series, and the Krog Tunnel entrance is a separate pocket park installation that has been funded since 2003. Previous artists who were paid by CI to install work in the Krog pocket parks include: David Thayer / Wonderfalls, Neal Carver / Carver Iron, Samuel Tovarisch Parker & Peter Ferrari, Erin Bassett, and Totem.

Q Is Forward Warrior involved in this project?
A
4 out of 10 seats on the Selection Panel are artists who have participated for several years in the adjacent mural project. We think their unique perspective as painters on Wylie Street (and all over the the city) is a valuable contribution to the process. The curator of Forward Warrior is not on the Selection Panel.

Q Who is on the Selection Panel?
A
The autonomous Selection Panel represents a diverse group of arts administrators, artists, and community voices. There are no representatives of Cabbagetown Initiative, Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association, Stacks Condo Association, or ATL1000 on the Selection Panel. It was created to get balanced, unbiased opinions on the best artist for the Krog Tunnel entrance. On behalf of the neighborhood, we are grateful for those artists who climb our walls and hit the tunnel, and we hope this group of dedicated panelists can fairly choose a well-rounded candidate for this unique space.

? Send additional questions via email: krogtunnelRFQ@gmail.com

Q HEY, I WANNA PAINT ON THAT WALL!
A
*Inside* the tunnel is a free wall. We built that space for you.

We pick up the trash sometimes, but otherwise, we’re pretty hands off unless surf’s up.

We will continue to defend public access to the free wall, and keep faith with our commitment to chaos.

Go for it. Don’t be a jerk, though.

Outside the tunnel is different. We put lots and lots of time, effort, and money into those walls. The giant retaining wall south of the tunnel is maintained by an agreement between CSX & Cabbagetown Initiative; because we’ve been staring at the thing for 30+ years. The Pocket Parks at Krog are paid commissions by Cabbagetown with public grant money. The horizontal length of Wylie Street proper is invitational; curated yearly by Peter Ferrari of Forward Warrior. There is an open project on the ten architectural squares at Tennelle & Carroll Street, with an open application process: Stacks Squares is curated by Austin Blue.

I don’t know what the rules are for style writing on the corrugated metal fence further east into Reynoldstown. There’s a hierarchy, and I’m sure you’ll regret messing with it if you don’t understand proper etiquette; don’t FAAFO. - JD

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