General

General

Historic Jail

History

Pickens County has a very rich history that offers so many interesting facets into our mountain communities. Without the love and appreciation of Pickens County history, our culture would not thrive as it has since the county was created when it was formed from portions of the southern part of Cherokee and the northern part of Gilmer Counties in 1853. Pickens County is renowned for its exceptionally pure marble. The deposit is five to seven miles long, one/half wide and as deep as 2,000 feet. This marble was known and used by the Indians as early as 800 AD. Henry Fitzsimmons, came to America from Ireland c1819. He was the first man to introduce the sale of Georgia Marble on the present site of the Southern Company(Now Georgia Marble) and established the first marble quarries and the first marble mill in the 1830’s. The Georgia Marble Company was organized in 1884 and leased all of the Tate Marble lands. The coming of Marietta & North Georgia Railroad into Pickens County in 1883 opened outside markets for Georgia marble.

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Art

Art

The Pickens Arts and Cultural Alliance is the only organization that joins art lovers like you with arts organizations, artists and art professionals to support culture in our area. Through arts advocacy, education and community outreach, the Alliance takes on challenges that no single organization or artist can face alone. If you are an artist of music, photography, dance, paintings or any other specialty, we celebrate you! For fifteen years the Pickens Arts & Cultural Alliance has been a source for arts and culture. The Alliance is committed to not only advocating and supporting all arts and culture, but seeks ways to connect artists, performing arts organizations, and cultural organizations with the business community, each other and most importantly our community.   Performing Arts Like theater? Be sure to check out the Tater Patch Players Theater! Tater Patch Players is a community theater group founded in 1977. They are a registered 501(c)3 organization.   ART FOR SALE To purchase the items shown in this gallery, contact Larry Wilson at (770) 893-8141.       Stanley Ferguson John Sperry Steve Turpin Steve Turpin Jason Smith Chris Hubbard Robin Bird Smith Mike Williamson Mike Williamson Mary & Dan DeFoor Geraldine Smith Christy Buchanan

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Photo by Barry Edelman

Culture

The Pickens Arts & Cultural Alliance is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect the arts to our communities throughout Pickens County. Established in 2007 and housed in the one of the oldest buildings in Jasper, the Pickens Progress Newspaper building, PACA provides accessibility for talented artists to gather and perform and continues to find innovative ways to expose children and seniors to the arts. PACA regularly sponsors a variety of music and theatre performances, art and music classes, and educational workshops to help enrich the lives of the citizens of Jasper and the surrounding communities. Photo credit: Barry Edelman

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Concert Series

ASO PRINCIPAL HARPIST PERFORMS ON CASUAL CLASSICS SERIES Elisabeth Remy Johnson, principal harpist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, will perform on the Monday November 7, 2022 concert of the Casual Classics Concert Series. The concert is at 7 pm at Fellowship Presbyterian Church, 389 Bent Tree Drive, Jasper GA. There will be an opportunity to mingle over coffee and other beverages provided by Red Bean Coffee before the concert from 6:15 pm, and during intermission. Principal harpist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1995, Elisabeth Remy Johnson performs nationally and internationally in solo and chamber music recitals. An avid recording artist, her recent solo album, “Quest,” spotlights works by women past and present, and has been acclaimed internationally, Gramophone calling it “an exquisite demonstration of the harpist’s art laid out in virtuoso swirls of colour, pearls of elegant nuance and audiophile sound.” She performs as principal harpist with the Grand Teton Music Festival, and teaches at Emory University, Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University. Ms. Remy Johnson is a graduate of Harvard University, Phi Beta Kappa, where she majored in Music and French. Winner of first-place awards in competitions of the American Harp Society and the American String Teachers Association, she was an NFAA/ARTS awardee. In 2018, she founded The Merian Ensemble, a chamber group dedicated to performing and commissioning chamber music composed by women. The Merian Ensemble has received a travel grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation USArtists International; commissions have been funded by grants from the American Harp Society, the PRS Foundation, and Agnes Scott College’s Kirk Fund. Ms. Remy Johnson recently published two volumes of transcriptions of works by female composers; additional transcriptions of works by Mel Bonis are published by Éditions Billaudot. Ms. Remy Johnson was co-founder and artistic director (2000-2010) of the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble, serving students from the Atlanta Public Schools. She has received Atlanta’s Channel Eleven Community Service Award, the TBS Pathfinder’s Award, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Up & Comers Award.” She is a 2022 awardee of New Music USA’s Creator Development Fund for her project Estrelas with composer Clarice Assad and visual artist Xuan, exploring the roles of women in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. In 2022, she was elected Governor for the Recording Academy’s Atlanta Chapter. She serves locally as co-chair for the Education Committee and nationally as a member of the Classical Membership Committee. There is no charge for admission, although contributions are gratefully received; donations from the series’ patrons cover the expenses of these concerts. Donations can also be mailed to Casual Classics Concert Series, P O Box 67, Marble Hill GA 30148. Casual Classics was established in 2007 by Suzanne Shull, then a resident of Bent Tree and member of Fellowship Presbyterian Church. Over the years, the series has featured many soloists and ensembles associated with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, faculty at Kennesaw State University, and emerging artists. With Suzanne’s move to Atlanta, Calvert Johnson stepped up to be the new Concert Manager, beginning with the 2018-19 season. Members of the Board of Directors include Kelly Lohman, Lloyd McDonald, Marc Unger, Richard White, and Suzanne Shull as past director. The next concert will be Monday March 27, 2023, featuring the Eurasia Piano Trio. For additional information, contact Concert Manager Calvert Johnson at calvertjohnson@gmail.com or 404-373-0748.  

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2022 Summer Art Program

This summer, PACA brought art to different parts of the community in Pickens for a seven-week art program. The summer program team was consisted of Rome High School Art Teacher, Cole Miller, PACA vice president, Debby Helton, and UNG Art Education Student, Megan Stancil. The program worked closely with the local Boys and Girls of North Georgia. Summer camp students in grades K-5 participated in various crafts including collage, painting, clay pinch pots and more. Teen students in grades 6-9 proposed their own art projects and worked under the guidance and assistance of our summer program team. PACA also partnered with the local Pickens Senior Center. Senior citizens created original watercolor works, acrylic paintings, greeting cards, and decorative bricks and rocks. Additionally, PACA provided free art this summer at the Second Saturday Event held on Main Street.

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