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THE TEMPORARY ART CENTER

The Temporary Art Center (TAC) is a curatorial project founded in 2018 by Atlanta-based artist Scott Ingram. TAC is truly temporary, existing only as project-based initiatives. Til The Lights Go Out, the first iteration of the Temporary, took place in 2018 and was the final exhibition at Hathaway Contemporary Gallery, in Atlanta, Georgia. The building was slated to be torn down to make way for a new multi-use development. Inspired by the work of Gordon Matta-Clark, the exhibition featured commissioned site-specific and traditionally installed artworks by local artists all of which were destroyed when the building was demolished. 

The second iteration of The Temporary entitled PROJECT, took place in 2019 at the Conklin Metal Building, a 66,000-sf industrial space in Atlanta that was scheduled for demolition. The exhibition featured the work of 28 artists, both artists working in Atlanta and former Atlanta-based artists. The concept for PROJECT — as in “a project” or, more importantly, “to project” — came from the 1988 Freeze exhibition organized by Damien Hirst in London, an event that launched the careers of many of the Young British Artists. The curatorial goal of PROJECT was to raise awareness about the number of artists who begin their careers in Atlanta but migrate elsewhere for better opportunities, and to produce a group show that would inspire a new model for how Atlanta invests in and supports artists. 

The 3rd iteration of TAC ran October 3 - November 3, 2024. Entitled …an Atlanta Biennial… the exhibition is sited in a 6,000sf ground floor retail space in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. As with other TAC projects, the exhibition title, ...an Atlanta Biennial…, has a double meaning. As an independent curatorial project, we are able to play with all of the trappings, expectations, and pitfalls of a biennial but without the constraints associated with being a formalized institution and being obligated to present a second biennial. 

The exhibition fills both a critical and curatorial void and will bring together the work of 30 of arguably the best artists living and working in Atlanta - those who are more established and the next generation of up-and-coming artistic talent. Curatorially, the exhibition will present the breadth and depth of talent currently working in Atlanta and will firmly place the work of Atlanta-based artists within the critical, curatorial, and artistic discourse happening both in and beyond Atlanta.

​...an Atlanta Biennial...  featured the work of approximately 35 Atlanta-based artists chosen by an Atlanta-based curatorial team that includes Dr. Fahamu Pecou, Melissa Messina, Antonio Darden, and Scott Ingram. All four curators were or are practicing artists.

TEMPORARY MONUMENT will be the first time TAC will be traveling. It has long been a goal to take the Temporary on the road and our friendships in Lexington Kentucky made it a perfect city for the pilot program. Pairing 8 Atlanta artists with 8 talented artists from Lexington created a conversation of ideas and material. Underlying currents are explored and challenges are presented. MONUMENT presents ideas of historic permanence, which becomes challenging with our temporary model.

Scott Ingram

  • Scott is an Atlanta-based artist with a diverse artistic practice that includes painting, drawing, sculpture, and screen-printing as well as the production of furniture and design products. Scott is also the founder of TAC.

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Melissa Messina

Melissa is a nationally recognized arts professional with two decades of curatorial experience and is the Curator of the Mildred Thompson Estate. Melissa assisted in co-curating ...an Atlanta Biennial...

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Dr. Fahamu Pecou

Dr. Pecou is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar whose works combine observations on hip-hop, fine art, and popular culture to address concerns around contemporary representations of Black men. Fahamu assisted in co-curating ...an Atlanta Biennial...

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Antonio Darden

Antonio is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist whose work is reflective of his multi-racial background. Antonio assisted in co-curating ...an Atlanta Biennial...

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Stuart Horodner

Stuart is the director of the UK Art Museum in Lexington Kentucky.  He was formerly the director of the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. He has been a curator at PICA in Portland Oregon, as well as founder of the Portland Art Fair. He is a Co-curaor for Temporary Monument

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Leah Kolb

Leah is currently the director and founder of 2nd Story, a non-profit art exhibition space in Lexington KY. She also works as a consultant with Shore Art Advisory. Prior to that she was the curator at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. She is a Co-curaor for Temporary Monument

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Saskia Benjamin

 TAC Project Manager, has 26 years of experience in the nonprofit sector with a background in arts administration and city planning. She served as the Executive Director of Art Papers Magazine for 11 years. Currently Saskia is the Executive Director of The Warehouse, a private collection in Atlanta.

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