“Pursuit”
Artist: Peter Ferrari

“Pursuit” is a mural by Atlanta-based artist Peter Ferrari, created with assistance from student volunteers. The mural represents the pursuit of knowledge and combines representational imagery of extended hands with more abstract designs. The mural features a colorful, expressionist background overlaid with a white outline. The design is meant to communicate the pursuit of knowledge, the passing of the torch, teacher to student, one generation to the next, as well as the diversity of our campus.

Peter Ferrari is a self-taught artist living and working in Atlanta, Georgia. His unique aesthetic is influenced by street art, graffiti, indigenous art forms, contemporary graphic design, tattoos and urban landscapes. He is primarily known for his large-scale murals which can be found throughout the city. His current body of work attempts to depict the subconscious through symbolic comparisons and archetypal imagery. As a part of the Living Walls Conference on two occasions and the founder of Forward Warrior, a live painting event in Atlanta, Peter Ferrari’s work is part of our regional art history and the dramatic transformation of greater Atlanta’s public art scene.

"Pursuit" can be found in Building A near room 1240 on the southeast corner of the building.

 

“Leaving Space for Dreaming”
Artist: Erin McIntosh

The organically sprawling network of geometric strands are derived from previous paintings the artist has made. These forms were initially inspired by both the microscopic biological world of cells, specifically the idea that cells are always growing, changing, dying and for a time, re-growing. This vast world of flux that lies beneath our unaided realm of vision is a fascinating place and one that both provides perspective and inspires imagination. The artist’s use of these structures and forms are abstract and poetic in nature because while there are scientific explanations to describe cellular behavior unraveled through scientific process and discovery, there still remains a sense of mystery to how and why cells behave the way they do. For someone not formally trained in science, there is much left up to the imagination. This creative ability to visualize, that we as human beings possess, helps to inform the artist’s own understanding of the complexities and interconnectedness of the biological world. This ability to construct an image in the mind and imagine also contributes to scientific discovery and knowledge building.

Erin McIntosh works as both an artist and educator in Athens, Georgia. She studied fine art at The University of Georgia holding both B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in Studio Art with an emphasis in Drawing and Painting as well as a B.F.A. in Art Education. Erin’s paintings have been published in New American Paintings and exhibited widely including at The Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Currently, Erin teaches in the Art Department of The University of North Georgia and has taught in Cortona, Italy with The University of Georgia. She has experience teaching art in public schools in the U.S., Ireland, and Italy, and for public art programs in Atlanta. Erin’s research focuses in abstraction and non-objective visual language containing biomorphic and geometric forms. Her works are based in aqueous media including acrylics, inks, watercolor, and gouache. Her paintings have been exhibited and collected both regionally and nationally and are represented by Gregg Irby Fine Art in Atlanta, GA and OAC Gallery, an online gallery based in New Mexico.

"Leaving Space for Dreaming" can be found in Building H on the north end, visible on the left when you enter through the west lobby door.

“Community”
Artist: Nate Nardi

Over the past ten years, GGC has grown from a handful of students and educators to a rich and diverse community of learners. GGC prides itself on being an educational home for students from around the world and for students from diverse racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. This sculpture in glass was created in collaboration with community partner Nate Nardi of Decatur Glassblowing. This work embodies the power of collaboration through a dynamic diversity of forms and gives participants a rare opportunity to shape molten glass from individual pieces into a unified whole, just as we shape our institution.
An Atlanta native, Nate Nardi graduated from Jacksonville University in 2004 with a BFA in glass art, receiving an Excellence in Art award from the Dean. In 2009, he graduated with a MFA from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, supplementing his training with workshops at craft schools around the country, including the Pilchuck School of Glass.

Nardi has received commissions to make glass objets d’art for several prominent artists including Kiki Smith and has assisted with numerous large-scale public installation works such as Jon Christie’s and Caroline Madden’s Lyrical Light, held at the Times Union Center in Jacksonville, Florida.
From 2009 to 2011, Nardi worked as a glassblowing assistant to renowned glass artist, Richard Jolley, in Knoxville, TN. In 2011, Nardi returned to Atlanta to pursue his dream of making unique hand-blown glass art. He is owner and operator of Decatur Glassblowing, located on the east side of Atlanta. His primary artistic expression is the abstraction of natural form, which can be seen in all of his work, whether sculptural, decorative, or functional.

"Community" can be found in the south lobby of Building C. 

 

“Four Pillars”
Design by Jonny Warren, carved and printed by GGC students

Along with the four pillars that encompass the mission of GGC, Jonny Warren wanted to bring in other symbolic elements that make up the school, most notably the grizzly bear mascot and contemporary architecture juxtaposed with nature. The four leaves are from trees native to Georgia, mirroring the four pillars that ground the school.

Jonny Warren is a seeker of strong visual aesthetics who specializes in concept-driven, detail-oriented art and web development. He also enjoys exploring innovation and finding inspiration in anything he can get his hands and eyes on. Whether he is communicating with the viewer through visual art or the user through web development, his goal is to always create a captivating experience. Along with his love for exploring new web technology, he strives to find creative solutions to problems to create innovative products that users will enjoy for years to come. Jonny’s work has been exhibited in multiple Atlanta galleries as well as featured in the Forward Warrior street art event.

 


"Print Big GGC"
Design by student Lydia Howard, carved and printed by GGC students

Lydia Howard is a student at GGC. She grew up in a family of artists, so she and her siblings would have various “friendly” art competitions against each other. Since she was little, her parents always encouraged her to experiment with different mediums in art and to be as creative as she wanted. From building and painting props to doing large paintings in her garage, she’s continued to enjoy making the imagined become tangible in different art forms.

The two Print Big GGC pieces are in the H building in the southeast lobby and in the north/south hallway on the west side of the building.