Arts, artists find a place to flourish with WonderRoot

New space 12 times larger than current one to help propel mission.

Artists are storytellers, Chris Appleton says. Although he no longer practices his art, Appleton has quite a story to tell. He is co-founder and executive director of WonderRoot, an arts organization that he and two friends started in college 15 years ago with the lofty goal of improving Atlanta’s cultural and social landscape. At the ground level, WonderRoot offers artists studio space and is preparing to move from a 4,500-square-foot building to a 54,000-square-foot former school in Reynoldstown. WonderRoot also partners with community groups, nonprofits and local governments to incorporate the arts in their work. “The arts have the power to heal and bring people together,” Appleton says. “That is needed now as much as any other time in my life.”

Where does the name “WonderRoot” come from?

When we were getting started, we really believed in this notion that change happens at tension points. The name WonderRoot embodies this tension of having big dreams and aspirations and goals while being rooted and grounded in the work that has to be done. You define art with a big A? Painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, music, literary arts, film, dance, theater, all of the above. WonderRoot very much wants to embrace any and all people interested in a creative For more on WonderRoot: www.wonderroot.org.

What’s an example of a community partnership you’ve been involved with?

We have been working with MARTA to enhance the ridership experience by providing public art at stations as well as helping engage residents who live around stations. When MARTA is visioning for the redevelopment of stations and the land around them, it wants to increase the public’s input. The King Memorial station in Grant Park is an example of a project we wrapped up this past summer. People will see a massive mural reflecting a year of conversation about the issues and hopes that residents have for themselves and their community.

Characterize Atlanta as an arts town?

Aspirational. Atlanta has a very, very rich past and present artistic community. Atlanta is challenged in the public funding for the arts.

Why do you think WonderRoot caught on?

The amazing volunteers, artists, staff, board members and donors who jumped on board and helped craft the vision and carry it forward. At the time we were getting off the ground, people were really hungry for change in their communities, as they are today. How do you think WonderRoot has changed Atlanta? Perhaps that is for someone else to say. I can say how I hope it has changed or contributed to Atlanta’s growth. When we were getting started, Atlanta was the place that artists and activists and young people left to go to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the Bay Area. In 2017, Atlanta is a place where not only do our native artists stay, but it attracts artists from all over the country and the world. I think WonderRoot, along with a great number of other organizations, has contributed to an improved ecosystem for artists to build and sustain careers in Atlanta. The other way I hope WonderRoot has contributed to Atlanta’s evolution is by increasing the engagement between artists and underserved communities.

What is WonderRoot’s biggest accomplishment?

We have provided an inclusive, affordable, safe space for artists, students, activists and families to come together and envision and activate ways that the arts are a part of making Atlanta a more thriving, equitable place for all people. The new facility will be a larger, more expansive version of what we have been doing. Are you an artist? There was a time I was actively and aspirationally creating work, primarily as a fiction writer and poet. As WonderRoot has taken over my life, in a very good way, I have learned that what I have to contribute to the world is facilitating relationships between artists and community members.

Businessman buys historic store building

The old historic Peskin Department store building at 21 E. Athens St. in downtown Winder has been vacant for more than two decades and fallen into disrepair. Local businessman, Daniel Diaz, has purchased the 1940 structure from the city and will be renovating the building.

Winder received ownership of the property June 2015 in an attempt to preserve or repurpose the deteriorating structure. Winder contracted with Garbutt Construction to perform an analysis of the building in 2016 that indicated reconstruction and rehabilitation of the building would cost about $1.9 million.

In December, the Winder City Council held a public meeting and voted to accept the proposal from Diaz to transform approximately 25 percent of the building for restaurant use, with the remaining 75 percent to be used as commercial, office and retail space. Diaz hopes to have the project completed by June 2018.

Contracts OK’d to widen Abbotts Bridge Road

The Johns Creek City Council has approved a contract with the state to purchase rights-ofway and easements to widen 1.4 miles of Abbotts Bridge Road (Ga. 120) from Parsons to Medlock Bridge roads.

The contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation will have the state reimburse up to $3.1 million of costs, with Johns Creek responsible for $33,330. Professional services, such as appraisals, legal fees and consultant fees, are the city’s responsibility, estimated to be $600,000 and currently budgeted.

Abbotts Bridge is to get an 8to 10-foot enhanced sidewalk on both sides of the road, along with culvert extensions, intersection improvements, and improvements to substandard horizontal and vertical curves, according to a staff report. Construction costs are estimated at $13 million, with 80 percent to be federally funded.