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ATLANTA CELEBRATES PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHTS RENOWNED CABBAGETOWN PHOTOGRAPHER: ORAIEN CATLEDGE

ATLANTA– Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) and the Artist Resource Council of Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia ( MOCA GA) present Oraien Catledge as the next speaker in the Spotlight Series. This series “spotlights” Atlanta-based artists and those in arts related fields who are highly regarded and demonstrate dynamic talent in their field. The artist talk will be held at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, May 2, at MOCA GA. Preceding the lecture, a reception will be held for Catledge at 6:30 pm. Both events are free and open to the public.

Catledge, a Mississippi native, earned acclaim for his “Cabbagetown” series. Cabbagetown is a historical neighborhood in downtown Atlanta that emerged around an old mill. Catledge was drawn to this area in 1980 after learning its inhabitants were in dispute with developers, who would eventually turn the old mill into lofts. Over the next 15 years, Catledge immersed himself in the neighborhood and its culture and became to them: “picture man”. Most of his over 25,000 negatives taken gave an accurate, unpretentious portrayal of the community. His close relationship and dedication to his subjects evokes Dorothea Lange in his images. Due to a significant decline in his vision, Catledge would shoot with an emphasis on emotion and not a reliance on technical focus. Children were often the focus of his work and Catledge ensured that every child had a photo of his or her portrait.
Cabbagetown , a collection of photographs from this period, was published in 1985 by the University of Texas Press. Catledge’s work can be found in the collection of the High Museum of Art and he is represented by Jackson Fine Art Gallery.

Anne Dennington, Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s Executive Director, comments, “Oraien Catledge is a great example of an artist who first and foremost did the work. He created an amazing group of photographs that is now being recognized by galleries, museums, and collectors. His story shows that budding artistic careers can happen at any age.”