Creative Arts Guild

Here's your Arts & Entertainment guide for this lovely first weekend of June! It's the first week of the Off the Rails Concert Series and there's also Music Man Jr, Dear Evan Hansen, and lots more! Get out there and enjoy it - and let us know if we missed anything!

🚂🎶 Off the Rails kicks off the 2026 season in a big way tomorrow night with The Dirty Guv'Nahs, Le Gato, and Joe Vidalez! Don't miss a great night of FREE music in Burr Park.

6:30pm - Joe Vidalez
Joe Vidalez is a man of few words—but he enjoys cats, spending time with his fiancé, McChickens, and making (and drinking) good beer at Dalton Brewing Company. Though classically trained on trumpet with a Bachelor’s degree in music, he gravitated towards the guitar in his later years. Because of this, his Spotify playlists are an annoying mix of acoustic tunes, smooth jazz, what some would call “angry screaming music”, and a lot of Taylor Swift.

7:30pm - Le Gato
Le Gato, hailing from Chattanooga, TN, is a dynamic quintet that brings a fusion
of funk, jazz, and progressive rock to life. The band's tight rhythms, soulful melodies, and intuitive compositions will keep you hooked all night long!

8:30pm - The Dirty Guv'Nahs
Hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, and celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, this six-piece Southern rock powerhouse has earned a reputation as one of the Southeast's most dynamic live acts. Blending soulful vocals, soaring guitar work, rich harmonies, and heartfelt songwriting, The Dirty Guv'nahs create music that is equal parts rock and roll, Americana, and soul.

The band has appeared at major festivals including Bonnaroo, Moon River, SXSW, Wakarusa, shared stages with artists like Wilco, Zac Brown Band, NEEDTOBREATHE, Train, and The Black Crowes, and had their music featured on multiple network television programs.

Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering them for the first time, don't miss the chance to experience the energy, musicianship, and connection that have made The Dirty Guv'nahs a fan favorite across the Southeast.

We're so glad it's June! Here's a look at what's coming up this month.

Highlights:
June 5, 5:30-7pm - Gallery Opening Reception for new exhibits by Grace Kisa and Helmet & Hammer

June 5, 6:30pm - First week of the Off the Rails Summer Concert Series featuring The Dirty Guv'nahs, Le Gato, and Joe Vidalez

Part two of our rich history with Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man!”

Check out Amanda Brown (Amaryllis 1993) and Hannah Safley (Amaryllis 2026). Emily Burgess also played the lovable young piano student in our ACT2 2004 production of “The Music Man Jr.”

Amanda’s children Arden, Georgia, and Asher can all be seen on stage alongside Hannah this weekend and next in “The Music Man Jr.”

Tickets are available now on our website, by calling our office at 706-278-4796, and by clicking the link below!

https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=330423

It's the Summer of Sculpture here at the Guild! We've got some exciting opportunities for you and your family to experience sculpture in many forms this summer:

🗿Sculptural exhibits by Grace Kisa and Helmet & Hammer will be in our galleries during the month of June, starting with our Opening Reception Friday night! If you can't make it to the reception, our galleries are open to all with free admission during our operating hours. It's a great family activity for a rainy day or to beat the heat!

🗿There's a new tour posted on Bloomberg Connects called Art in Bloom!
Spend the summer exploring art outdoors with Art in Bloom: A Summer Sculpture Garden Tour. Discover sculptures inspired by nature, movement, and imagination while enjoying guided conversation, family activities, and fresh ways of seeing the collection. Scan the QR codes in the garden or download the Bloomberg Connects app and search for Creative Arts Guild to get started!

🗿Kids can explore the world of ceramics in our pottery camps! We have camps July 13-16 for 8-12 year olds and teens 13+. Adults can explore sculpture and other mediums in our Exploring Art Mediums class on Thursdays at 6pm. Get full details on these and register at bit.ly/CAGRegister

Our next Gallery Opening Reception is THIS FRIDAY, June 5, from 5:30-7pm here at the Creative Arts Guild. We're celebrating the opening of two new sculptural exhibits by artists Grace Kisa and Helmet and Hammer (Chris Beck & Matthew Gunn). Stop by to meet the artists, see their work, and hang out with other art lovers before heading to Burr Park for Off the Rails! Gallery Opening Receptions are open to all with FREE ADMISSION - a cash bar, light refreshments, and an arts activity for kids will be available.

Grace Kisa (b. Kenya) is an Atlanta based multi disciplinary artist whose work explores identity, migration, and the interwoven stories of global cultures. Raised across Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States, Kisa brings a “third culture” perspective to her practice, creating works that reflect the fluidity of home and belonging. Working primarily in mixed media sculpture she moves between installation, painting, printmaking and photography. Kisa transforms found and recycled objects into symbolic forms that merge ancestral memory with contemporary experience. Her pieces often draw on African astronomy, cosmology, and the histories embedded in everyday objects, resulting in imaginative worlds that bridge the past, present, and future.

Helmet and Hammer are Chris Beck and Matthew Gunn, Dalton metal sculptors who work with a variety of reclaimed material. Inspired by artists like Ron Lockett and Charlie Lucas, Helmet and Hammer pulls beauty from the scrapyard. Their exhibit, “Light My Fire,” seeks to highlight this very thing in light of loss through their recent workshop fire.

Here's your last Arts & Entertainment Guide for May! Get out there and support these businesses bringing music, dance, and theatre to the community - and don't forget, the Off the Rails concert series starts NEXT FRIDAY, June 5, with The Dirty Guv'Nahs, Le Gato, and Joe Vidalez!

SAVE THE DATE: In just a little over a month we'll all be together in Burr Park under the stars to celebrate America's 250th! Mark your calendars for Friday, July 3 at 6:30pm for the Creative Arts Guild's annual Pops in Burr Park celebration featuring the Creative Arts Guild Chamber Orchestra - open to all with FREE ADMISSION! More details to come!