The art and music show Art, Beats + Lyrics is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a brand new documentary.
The film, simply called “Art, Beats + Lyrics,” tells the story of the show from its inception in 2004 as a local urban art show in Atlanta to its status as a music and art tour that travels all across the country. As an art show, Art, Beats + Lyrics aims to bring together people of all cultures, ages, and ethnicities through the lens of music and art.
The film uses the lens of the show’s founder Jabari Graham and curator Dwayne “Dubelyoo” Wright to tell the story, as well as the preparation for the 20th anniversary tour, starting in Miami. Director Bill Horace said before he was approached to pitch for the film, he hadn’t heard of Art, Beats + Lyrics. The fact that he didn’t know much about it is what drew him to the project. He had always been a fan of counter culture documentaries, citing 1983’s “Style Wars” as an inspiration for this film.
“I was kind of like, why haven’t I heard of this? It was just right up my alley, right up all my friends’, my circle’s alley,” Horace said about Art, Beats + Lyrics. “It was one of the things where I was like, this is a niche, but underground and really popular thing. And those are the types of documentaries I like to watch.”
After seeing Horace’s pitch for the film, Wright said he was “heads and shoulders” above the rest.
“He had a vision that aligned with what we were trying to do, and it looked great,” Wright said.
The documentary features history about the art scene in Atlanta and the South, particularly the connection between the Civil Rights movement and the rise of Black art. Horace interlocks those historical threads with the perspectives of three artists who participated in the show.
The film might be framed by those three artists – Shawn Stewart, Sydney James and Lisette Correa – but the heart always links back to…
Read the full article here
