MACON – Mercer University’s McEachern Art Center (the MAC) is gearing up to open a new exhibition during downtown Macon’s First Friday. Evoking the feelings of summer and the excitement of sports tournaments, The New Macon Open is an un-juried, and unprecedented, exhibition of Macon artists.
Named after a local 1970s tennis tournament, The New Macon Open is an all-inclusive show featuring artwork by 50-plus Macon residents. Artwork is for sale directly by the exhibiting artists, and no commission is taken from the proceeds. This means everyone can show their art, and keep all of the money from any sales.
Due to social distancing guidelines and in the interest of public health, the exhibition will begin with a hybrid digital/physical presence. Five artists each week will be featured in the MAC’s newsletter and on social media in high-quality documentation of what the art looks like installed in the gallery. Meanwhile, visitors will be able to walk by the gallery and view some of the featured pieces for the week in the windows of the Second Street façade.
The MAC hopes to open the doors to the public to view The New Macon Open in its entirety sometime in July. “It will open as soon as it can, but we’re trying to bring attention to the artists and support them now as much as possible,” notes director Ben Dunn. “We’re trying to continue to bring fine art programming into people’s lives, whether it’s when you pass by on the street or in your inbox.”
The MAC is located at 332 2nd Street, Macon, and more information can be found at www.macmacon.com. To sign up for the newsletter to receive news of the featured artists, click here.
