The folks who make Macon a fascinating place to live

Macon is full of fascinating people creating interesting art, entertainment, music and related work. These people, and those like them who come to town, are why there’s always something going on worthy of attention in Macon and Middle Georgia.

There are equally remarkable people behind the scenes who may be may be the real stars making Macon’s cultural scene what it is.

The focus of this column in the days and weeks ahead will be on all these folks and what they’re up to. The places, the work, the events and, at times, the behind-the-scenes looks at those who’ve gained fame and those less noticed. All are here and staying the course for their art, their passion and their audiences.

And there’s wiggle room to follow what’s interesting or important. Maybe data showing the path ahead for the creative good of the city. Or unlikely lawyer-politicians who help accelerate the arts. Or even social actions that bring the city’s rich cultural life to the forefront.

And of course, there’s simply what’s cool to do for the week or weekend. There’s always that.

I’ll start this inaugural effort with a smidgeon of folks who are exemplify the range of Macon creators and a taste of what’s up with them.

Kevin “Scene” Lewis has been in local news this week, or at least his mural in Warner Robins of the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis was. Someone took their own can of spray paint to his work for some unauthorized, unwanted, illegal painting themselves.

Lewis is a well-known muralist with work across Macon including multiple works in the alleyway of The Woodward Hotel and its adjacent craft cocktail bar/outdoor patio, Quill. Lewis regularly travels across the country creating murals and is also a strikingly good fine art portraitist. He’s in demand at music events, festivals and spots like the Hip-Hop Museum in Washington D.C., where his work hangs.

I talked to Lewis after he learned of the damage – he was active in North Carolina when it happened – and went with him to see it when he got back. Lewis’s art background as a kid was in graffiti street art with its whole subculture of dos and don’ts and the payback for doing the don’ts.

“I immediately flashed back to when I was 17 and I wanted to hurt somebody and go after their art if there was any,” he said. “But my wife said come on, you’re not a kid anymore. Get over it, it’s not personal. And yeah, I calmed down. Really, it’s not so bad and a pretty easy fix. But still …”

In fact, Lewis fixed it by Monday starting work in the rain and finishing in sunshine. He did say the more he looked at it the more livid he got again, but those who know him know he’s a peaceable guy at heart. But maybe don’t poke the bear, right?

Lewis and his wife stayed in the area after she completed a tour at Robins Air Force Base and retired. He’d like to transition more to gallery shows but said he still loves all forms.

And he loves having settled here. Oddly, after coming here he discovered his grandfather was from here.

“I just feel like my grandfather, who I never knew, somehow had Macon reach out and open its arms to me,” he said. “Macon is home and wherever I travel I tell them Macon is a great place to be based out of. I never would have guessed half the good stuff that has happened to me here and feel the city has given me a lot of love across the board. I guess the bottom line is I’m grateful.”

Check out Lewis and his work at sceneism.com.

Rachel Forehand is clearly a Macon girl, one who’s benefitted from Macon’s musical heritage which runs deep in her own family. Born and raised here, The Allman Brothers Band, Southern Rock and other music was constantly playing as she grew up. Her dad, Dwayne Forehand, and uncle, Keith Forehand, were in bands, Rio Vin Dice and The Lifters respectively.

Forehand teaches first grade but still writes songs – good songs – and plays guitar and sings at shows, restaurants, gatherings and on the street during a lot of First Fridays. She plays in Macon, Athens and regional spots. Though she just moved south to take a Houston County teaching job, she said she will always be a proud Macon native.

Forehand has kept at her music even through discouragement. It’s an artist’s reality. When I first talked to her almost two years ago she was down because right before a gig her band pretty much flew the coop. Her dad helped fill in and today she’s still at it for audiences large and small.

“I have an EP out called ‘Six Strings and Daydreams’ I recorded in Athens and I’m working on what will probably turn into a whole album,” she said. “I got to work with Otis Redding III on a jingle for Meals on Wheels and that fueled me to want to keep music going in my family like he did. I’ve got a song I think will speak to families dealing with dementia and another having to do with Macon’s past, from Native American roots to its musical history. I hope to be able to call it ‘Where Soul Lives.’”

Her influences include what she heard growing up plus the likes of Johnny Cash and JJ Grey. A big goal is to play the Atrium Health Amphitheater.

“I’m just so thankful for Macon and the people who support me,” she said. “Macon is just blowing up. It is. And the amphitheater thing, I just have faith I’ll get there even to open for someone. It could happen. I’ll keep writing songs, performing and fine-tuning my personal stuff.”

For more on her music and directions to Forehand’s social media, go to rachelforehand.com.

Susan Welsh is executive director of the Museum of Arts and Sciences, 4182 Forsyth Rd. It’s never a bad idea to visit the museum.

“Not many cities have what we have here in Macon,” she said. “Many have science museums and art museums but rarely the combination. We have art galleries, science exhibits, a children’s museum, a zoo, trails, botanical features, a planetarium and much more. As we’ve grown in the last 10 years and expanded we’ve become unrivaled in the areas of astronomy, earth sciences and natural sciences all in one place. Visitors can celebrate their intersection as we present fine art and works from contemporary artists that emphasize using math and science in their art forms.”

The museum will present an exhibit from NASA beginning July 13 that features views from the Hubble Space Telescope and displays showing its components. Welsh said there’s a lot of competition to get the exhibit but the museum’s reputation helped bring it here and keep it for an extended period.

“It’s a high-quality, hands-on exhibit that will immerse visitors in the mysteries of the universe,” she said. “When it closes, we’ll end it in a big way by having NASA Astronaut Joan Higginbotham here for a reception and talk on Oct. 17.”

The museum’s reputation has grown in many ways, including its annual Fulldome Festival in the Mark Smith Planetarium in conjunction with the Macon Film Festival in August. Filmmakers worldwide making immersive, 360-degree films that fill the planetarium’s dome eagerly compete to be accepted. One aspect is that, true to its name, the festival shows only the best in both artistic and science-based works.

“People want to show here because we’ve earned the reputation of being very art-friendly toward fulldome filmmakers,” she said.

From simply having a picnic and walking trails to touring exhibits or enjoying kid-oriented activities, there’s always more than you might imagine going on at the museum. Track it at masmacon.org.

Julie Wilkerson of the Macon Arts Alliance has a good position to keep tabs on the city’s cultural world and a unique perspective of what’s important. She has no trouble talking about the quality of artists and art offerings across town as well as downtown and sees one thing very clearly: the health of Macon’s art scene in all its forms depends on people coming out to see and hear what’s going on.

“We’re back from COVID and artists and art organizations are going full throttle with Macon winning all kinds of awards,” she said. But it all depends on people being part of what creators are putting out there.”

To that end, Wilkerson stressed the importance of www.macon65.com, essentially a community cultural calendar. Submissions are moderated to fit the intent of the calendar but anyone can submit their event to let the community in on it. People submitting events and people using it to find events gives it its value. The site is a partnership between the alliance that manages it and Visit Macon. It’s also used as an integral part of The Macon Melody letting folks know more about their community. There’s more on the alliance itself at maconartsalliance.org.

There’s much more but that’s what the weeks ahead are for. Macon has a rich pool of creativity to draw from and I don’t claim to know everything. Worse, after writing for more than two decades about the people and a decade about the arts in Middle Georgia, I know I can’t cover everything. But I can’t cover what I don’t know so I welcome suggestions. Who knows? You might help me put a spotlight on something entirely new.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.