Atlanta - October 20, 2009

Book Nook

Shop at the Contemporary Opens

Okay, class. It’s activities hour!

Get your sit-upons and circle up for center time at Shop, the Contemporary’s cozy new gift boutique.

Settle down, there’s room for everyone — even a few clear resin chairs where well-behaved, culture-loving kids can stay a while.

Search the shelves for out-of-print Nexus Press art goodies and locally produced work like 45-inch copies of the first human voice recording, courtesy of Atlanta-based archival geeks Dust-to-Digital. Look up! Framed, oversize merit badge art is by SCAD instructor Larry Jens Anderson. Mechanical depictions make social statements about boy parts and girl parts. (Timmy, don’t put your finger there.)

Keep hands busy with a ’96 Olympics-era pop-up flag book by Fernando Lopes and picture tomes by Whitney Museum-featured performance artist Corin Hewitt (take a field trip past the welcome desk to view his current gallery show, Seed Stage).

It’s a small art world, after all.

Shop at Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, 535 Means Street, West Midtown (404-688-1970).

Photo: Courtesy of Atlanta Contemporary Art Center