Speaking of creativity, change, and interdependence, a cotton mill factory turned artillery manufacturer turned sheet metal factory is now home to 350 artists, musicians, and craftspeople in residence. Located on 12 acres in Atlanta, Georgia, and known as the “Goat Farm” for the goats that were unleashed on the property to eat away the tenacious kudzu vines, new owners Anthony Harper and Chris Melhouse are taking a stand to both support the arts and help those artists live financially sustainable lives. Check out this complex’s dedication to creativity…
Just don’t use the words “hippie” or “commune” when describing it. Harper and Melhouse insist they are in business to make money. If they can help the Atlanta artists’ community in the process, then they see it as a win/win situation.
“While we do support the arts, and this space is a way to do that, we want artists to learn how to market themselves and create sustainable lives,” said Harper. “These residents aren’t slackers; they’ve got rent to pay and businesses to run.”
What Atlanta artist and musician David Baerwalde likes most about the Goat Farm is that he forgets that right outside the compound is a bustling city.
“Except for an errant chicken or two that land on my windowsill, I can stay in my studio and work in peace and quiet for days,” said Baerwalde, whose current project incorporates found objects from the property’s abandoned warehouses. “Of course, I don’t always want to do that because there are so many cool people out there, and something’s always going on.”
For the full article and more on the project, click here.