SHUT IT DOWN!!!

It’s the final few days of December, and the end of the year signifies a time for family, friends, and yields an opportunity to examine where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going.

This past year, A.A.C. has continued to build upon its list of accomplishments and further its mission to empower those with a passion for the Arts and Social Justice. We’ve also noticed that everyone seems post a list of remarkable accomplishments from the past year, and A.A.C. would like to share a few of ours.

7. Bad Mamma Jamma Slam

A.A.C. has hosted a series of Poetry Jamz at Blackbird Coffee for the past 3 years. This year we added a little extra spice with the Bad Mamma Jam Slam, A.A.C’s first legit Poetry Slam. It was legit, because it was the first time we used National Slam Rules with a few modifications. The B.L.A.C.K. Poets from Macon, GA. graced the stage, as well as GCSU Poets, April Bivins, Jordan Budnick, and Sal Taluto. This crew along with A.A.C.’s finest Natalie Sharp and Jerome German delivered an amazing evening of Voice and Art to A.A.C./Blackbird’s audience.

The Bad Mamma Jamma Slam also marked the first evening of Haiku Slam for Milledgeville GA., as Tommy Hughey and Deandre Beck lit the crowd with a few clever and witty scribbles from their inner comedic psyches. The evening culminated with the crowning of Natalie Sharp as the champion of the Bad Mamma Jamma Slam, Jerome German earned 2^nd place and, Virge Owens placed third. A.A.C. will definitely bring this Bad Mamma Jamma back to Milledgeville in 2012.

6. The Shutdown Magazine Debuts

The Shutdown Magazine is the first in a series of Magz that A.A.C. will publish annually. The goal of the magazine is to tell the story of writers, artists, musicians, and other individuals who are making strides for social justice in small communities and may not see coverage from large news networks or in national print media. A.A.C. has never been interested in waiting for someone else to tell the our story movement, so we’re always on the lookout for your stories of triumph, as we move art to the center of the movement to create a better world.

5. A.A.C. Youth Poetry Collectives

This past fall, A.A.C. has created two brand, spanking, new Youth Poetry Collectives (YPCs) in Middle, Ga. For folks who are from rural communities, they know opportunities with the arts are sometimes few and far in between, but with advocates who aim to provide opportunities and exposure to ground-breaking movements like the Slam Poetry Movement in local high schools, we grow ever closer to filling the gaps in education and connecting our youth to positive life changing programs that cultivate stronger readers, speakers, and thinkers.

4. A.A.C. Orgz

This program has been a long time in the making, but finally it’s off the ground and coming to a community near you. A.A.C. has sought the ideal way to empower others to create solution based programming through the arts in their communities, and A.A.C. Orgz is the vehicle that gives any grass-roots, arts organizer effective strategies to implement any arts based program in their community. With our new A.A.C. Orgz Program, we will lay the framework and help support you on your journey to creating a positive social impact in your community.

3. The D.N.S.T.P. (Do Not Stop the Progress) A.A.C. Org

Our first Affiliate Org is up and running at Georgia College and State University. The founding members, Deandre Beck, Tommy Hughey, Natalie Sharp, and Simone Williams have made significant strides in continuing the A.A.C. tradition at Georgia College. As our very first Org, they’ve met a significant challenge and A.A.C. is proud to have this young and energetic team furthering the mission to educate, inspire, and entertain.

2. A.A.C. Shutdown.org goes live!

Well… what can we say? After a year in the making, we finally got a website. You can check it out at right HERE!

1. YOU!

It’s been an amazing year, for A.A.C., and we’d like to hear your stories about social uplift through the Arts. Tell us a little about your story in the comment section below. We’re always on the lookout for artist using their talents to better the world.

P.SSSST! We like to write articles about other people using art for social justice. Post your story and if it sounds compelling, more than likely, we’ll contact you for an interview. We’re revamping our blog and the addition of your stories will make things infinitely more interesting. Have a stellar New Year and keep SHUTTIN’ IT DOWN!