🤺 SCAD's Olympic fencer (2024)

Full moon Friday

June 21 —The Atlanta Contemporary’s annual Art Party is tomorrow night.More details and tickets arehere.

🌞 Sunny and 93° today. The weekend is looking mostly sunny and hot.

💊U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Atlanta on Thursday to announce efforts tocombat fentanyl trafficking.

🚲 Agroundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on theBeltLine Northwest Trailwill be held June 24 at 10:30 a.m. The Beltline also approveda $172 million budget,its largest ever.

⚖️ Iron Hill Brewery has been ordered by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission topay a former employee $115,000after he was fired in retaliation for whistleblowing.

🔎 A man walked intoan Israeli-owned bakeryin Emory Village and left a copy of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” on the counter this week. The FBI was called in to investigate.

🗣️ The GDOT will host four open houses next month on a plan toadd toll lanesalong the top end of Interstate 285 and Georgia 400.

🏊The Marcus Jewish Community Center is hosting a community party for the grand opening ofthe Zalik Outdoor Aquatic Centeron Sun., June 23 at 11 a.m.

🎭 The Horizon Theatre’s co-artistic director paid tribute to playwright and novelistShay Youngbloodwho died from ovarian cancer on June 11.

📁 The Fox Theatre will host its third annualArchives Dayon Sunday, giving attendees a chance to see some of the Midtown landmark’s treasures.

ELSEWHERE

🎗️Iconic actorDonald Sutherland– star of “M.A.S.H.,” “Klute,” “Don’t Look Now,” and “Ordinary People” – died Wednesday at 88.

🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• SCAD foil fencer Olympian
• Atlanta Center for Photography expands
• Film review: ‘The Bikeriders’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week

Don’t forget thestrawberry moon!
Collin & Sammie

👩‍💻 The Atlanta Hawks’She Leads Women’s Empowerment Programwrapped up its final session atGeorgia Powerin a day focused on financial wellness. This year-long development program supports the advancement and growth of early-career women in Atlanta, focusing on Business, Sports & Entertainment, STEAM, and Entrepreneurship.

SPONSOR MESSAGE

1. SCAD student becomes first male Taiwanese foil fencer in Olympics in 36 years

🤺 Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) student Antonio Chen (Yi-Tung Chen) spends most of his day in graphic design classes. But what sets Chen apart is how he spends the rest of his day: in fencing practice. And in May, his dream came true as Chen became just the sixth male Taiwanese foil fencer – and the first in 36 years – to qualify for the Olympics.

Chen began fencing in the third grade after he tried the sport at a summer camp in Taiwan and fell in love. He advanced quickly, making the national team at just 13 years old.

“I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped me along this remarkable journey and can’t wait to be in Paris this summer,” Chen said via email to Rough Draft.

🗡️Learn more about Chen’s story here.

Help Your Dog Stay Calm This Fourth of July

SPONSORED BY SCENTHOUND

🎆 Fireworks look pretty but the loud noises and bright lights can cause panic for our pups. Their sensitive hearing and heightened senses can create fear, stress, and anxiety causing excessive panting and drooling, shaking, hiding, and restlessness.

To help keep your pup calm this Fourth of July

• Set up a spot where your dog can find comfort with their bed and toys
• Close doors, windows, and curtains to reduce the noise and lights
• Consider natural remedies likeHoundswell’s Hemp Calming Aid

🐕Learn more hereand discover theScenthounddifference at ourBuckhead,Dunwoody, andTuckerlocations.

2. Atlanta Center for Photography to expand its footprint on Edgewood

📸 In just a few short weeks,Atlanta Center for Photography(ACP) will have cause for celebration.

On July 1, the Center will take over the entire building at 546 Edgewood Ave. Since it was founded under the name Atlanta Celebrates Photography in 1998, this artist-run organization has championed lens-based artists working in the American South.

In October 2023, as ACP celebrated its 25th anniversary, the organization announced a rebrand as Atlanta Center for Photography while keeping the same acronym, ACP. That same month they established their first permanent physical location on Edgewood.Now, less than a year later, ACP is growing again.
🖼️Read more on this story here.

3. ‘The Bikeriders’ and role-play versus reality

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL

🥃 At the beginning of “The Bikeriders,” there’s a shot of Benny (Austin Butler) sitting in a bar. It’s a quintessential sort of antihero shot – he’s framed from behind under the dirty bar lights with a cigarette, beer, and whiskey in hand. He’s got a leather motorcycle jacket on, and his hair is greased to oily perfection. The camera slowly pushes in on him, giving him an air of importance. Then two men approach. “You can’t have those colors on in here,” one of them says.

The man is talking about Benny’s club jacket, representing the Chicago motorcycle club he calls family, the Vandals. Benny rather dramatically responds to this by saying: “You’d have to kill me to get this jacket off.” The men take him up on this challenge, and a bloody fight ensues. Right as Benny is about to take a shovel to the back of the head, the frame freezes. Kathy (Jodie Comer), Benny’s wife, cuts in to explain to the audience what’s going on.

It’s a bit jarring, cutting from the crude bluntness of the bar fight to Kathy’s impossibly thick Midwestern accent. But this dichotomy is what Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” is all about. Being in the Vandals is not about authenticity, at least not when it comes to anything outside of the friendships that form. It’s about image-making. The leather, the tattoos, the slicked-back hair – it’s all a performance.

🏍️Click here to read Sammie’s full review.

🍿Stay in the picture withScene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry.Subscribe for free.

4. Argentina beats Canada; Dream face Clark and the Fever

⚽Lionel Messi assisted both goals asArgentina beat Canada 2-0in the opening match of Copa América last night in Atlanta.

🪩Experience Real Atlanta at theAtlanta ContemporaryART PARTY! Join us on Sat., June 22 from 6 p.m. to midnight for special performances, Open Studios, and more. Enjoy co*cktails, music, and new exhibitions. Support local artists and celebrate Atlanta’s creative spirit!Get your tickets here.

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5. Top Stories of the Week

A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website.

①Taqueria del Sol in Decatur became a family tradition for Saturday regular Lee Fidler(pictured)

②Indulge in laidback luxury at these Western North Carolina inns

③Demolition of North DeKalb Mall begins June 26 to make way for Lulah Hills

④Cochran-Johnson becomes first Black woman to lead DeKalb County

⑤Brookhaven residents complain about Google Fiber installation work

💭 Test your knowledge of the week’s news in tomorrow’s News Quiz. Keep an eye out for our email at 8 a.m.or bookmark this page!

📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.