June 2003: Vol. 82, No. 3

Carmon chameleon

Printmaker and professor, artist and administrator . . . in Carmon Colangelo's hands, everything is an art form

by Joel Gibson

armon Colangelo awoke at 3:30 this morning, the victim of an ill-timed cup of Cafe Olé during a Mardi Gras party with colleagues from the school of art.

"I told him not to," says his wife Susan, as the two watch the morning news and peruse the paper at 6:30.

"She did," says Colangelo, who has lots of catching up to do before heading to campus. On a normal day, the art department head sifts through 30-60 e-mail and phone messages. Today, he needs to plow through 200 that have piled up after a week during which he traveled to New York twice. Hurrying out the door to walk his youngest child to the bus, he is back moments later to look for his car keys, which go into hiding every morning about this time.

A gifted teacher, respected administrator, and successful artist, Colangelo is also an expert delegator and juggler, knowing when to hand off a project or toss it into his own eclectic mix of duties. He oversees 60 professors and 1,000 students, and yet over the years his artwork—largely printmaking—has been showcased in 13 different solo exhibitions, 90 group exhibitions, and is featured in 24 collections at museums and universities.

In addition, as director of UGA's Lamar Dodd School of Art, he faces the task of unifying the school's seven locations on campus—a task that will become easier when a new $35 million facility is built on East Campus. The 200,000-square-foot building is an addition to the Performing and Visual Arts Complex, currently comprised of the Georgia Museum of Art, the Performing Arts Center, and the School of Music. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2004.

Colangelo teaches a graduate-level printmaking class. The last time he taught it, the class met in the basement of the Wildlife Health Center, which is one of the seven art school locations that are necessary due to lack of space in the main building on North Campus—which was built in '62. On this day in a room at the center of the hallway, Colangelo's students are meeting for their first group critique. As they enter the room, they tack art to the walls and ask Colangelo about his trip to England, where his work was showcased at the Liverpool School of Art and Design.

"So, how was your trip, Mr. Euroman?" says Erin Hoffman, whose comment solicits laughter from the other students.

Colangelo's students don't call him Doctor or Professor. To them, he's Carmon. He's not only a teacher—he's a peer, a fellow artist. While Colangelo encourages this type of familiarity with his students, at this point in a very busy day he hasn't fully removed his attention from other concerns.

"I'm always moving and trying to shift gears," he says. "The hard part is the transition, when I'm looking for that precious five minutes, but once I get into something I forget everything else."

"Let's get started," he says to the class. "I'm notorious for going long on critiques."

You expect him to carry the discussion, but he doesn't. He starts with the first group of prints on the wall and advises the student who created the art to lead the others into what they want to discuss about their work. With those instructions, he sits back to listen, while jotting occasional notes. It's apparent he has a definitive opinion that carries considerable weight with the group, but any student can challenge him to further discussion.

"He has a very pragmatic teaching style and he's very aware of individual student's needs," says Kate Ross, a second-year graduate student in the printmaking program. "He's kind of chilled out, yet very shrewd on how to push people. He has high standards for himself and he expects other people to work hard."

olangelo was born in Toronto to working class parents who immigrated to Canada from Italy. The second of four boys, he recalls his father, a barber, working hard with the intent of sending his sons to college. Colangelo always knew where he was headed:

"I remember drawing as the mainstay of my childhood—other than sports. It was the thing that sort of kept everything together. In fact, I can't even remember a time when I didn't say overtly that I wanted to be an artist—not necessarily knowing what that meant."

He attended the University of Canada, Windsor, Ontario, majoring in printmaking and painting. He got involved in printmaking because he found the chemistry and technological aspects compelling. He felt like he should be learning a new technique, something more involved than drawing or painting.

Colangelo entered the graduate program at Louisiana State, which was expanding its program. LSU offered him a graduate assistantship to teach printmaking—an inviting prospect because he needed the extra money to continue his education. He also felt compelled to travel somewhere new to experience a different culture and found himself drawn to the warmer climate and the Cajun influence in Louisiana. Colangelo met his wife Susan at LSU. A printmaker herself, she supports art in public schools through special projects and programs as a volunteer.

Colangelo describes his art as an integration of different cultural values and issues. He explores issues of travel, which involve national cultural identity. As he creates, he edits through multiple images from historical and iconographic sources. He often includes references to other works that are easily recognized by those who have studied art.

"He's always open to new techniques and technologies almost spinning and manipulating his own style," says Shelley Zuraw, associate director of the School of Art and an associate professor who teaches Renaissance and Baroque art. "The solid center is a human vision. There are a lot of contemporary artists who seem to be leaving behind the human narrative or connection with the audience."

"He's indefatigable and I mean that in every way—people, the day, art don't tire him out," says Zuraw. "He has tremendous energy and doesn't let people get him down."

Travel also plays a large role in Colangelo's life. As an artist, he takes opportunities to guest lecture and to act as a visiting artist at other schools. He spent four days in November touring other art facilities across the country with the architects working on the new art building. The tour took him to Boston, Detroit and Minneapolis to view various architectural elements and designs.

"I guess lunch is out the door again," Colangelo says.

Back in his office, Colangelo sits down to a makeshift meal of vending machine snacks. His morning has been dominated with meetings. One involved consulting with select faculty to hash out positioning of disciplines in the new building and to discuss placement of kilns and foundry stacks in a way that will not disrupt nearby buildings. The other was a tenure meeting scheduled for 12:15. He reserves this time slot for meetings he doesn't want to run too long. The faculty that have to teach classes function as a safety valve to prevent long winded discussion.

"My time's running out—that's the feeling I live with," he says, cleaning up architectural plans for the new East Campus building that are strewn across his office. "You envision these things going faster. Everything's equally urgent and important."

Susan's only criticism is the long hours her husband keeps. Arriving home at 7 p.m. makes it hard to spend time with his three daughters, but he finds time to take them on trips one at a time. "He's like a coach," she says. "He doesn't yell or get angry, but he guides you along, pointing out good things and what you can do better. That's just his style. He's doing that with the architects now. He's rallying everyone."

Colangelo sets aside time on Friday mornings to work on prints at his studio in the basement of the Wildlife Health Center. When not working on prints, he paints in his basement studio at home. He also finds time to be creative during stints as a visiting artist.

When Colangelo finds a project he loves, he attacks it with fervor. Chalk it up to his working class heritage. Like a print that must be perfected, which he'll print variations of over and over again until it's right, he pursues a project to its ultimate conclusion. For Colangelo, the fast pace he works at every day is a necessary evil. It's the best way for him to share his passion for art.

It's all happening at The Bottleworks

The old Coca-Cola bottling plant on Prince Avenue has been transformed into a mini-town center in downtown Athens

by Keri Wigginton

he year is 1927. The clanging of trolley cars is a familiar sound in downtown Athens, and people walking to work down Prince Avenue can peer through the plate glass windows of the Coca-Cola plant to see the world's most popular soft drink as it is bottled and sent down the processing line. Stacked on the syrup-stained floors located above the bottling line are barrels of Coke syrup used to sweeten the products.

Fast forward to 2002. The Athens trolley line is a thing of the distant past and the old Coke plant that closed its bottling line in the mid-1980s, becoming solely a warehouse for Coca-Cola until April 2002, now has another use. Thanks to a group of innovative UGA alums, the complex has been transformed into a mixed-use retail-housing development known as The Bottleworks on Prince.

Bound by Prince Avenue and Finley, Meigs, and Newton streets, the red-brick buildings that once belonged to the Coke plant are now occupied by condominium residents, law offices, restaurants and retail shops. The development is Athens' first mixed-use project, and the expansion is paving the way for future developments that mix retail, office, and residential space in the Classic City. The development invites members of the community to eat ice cream, grab a cup of coffee, or get a haircut—and all in one place. People who spend most of their day in the Prince Avenue area can drive or even walk to The Bottleworks on their lunch hour.

"I see people walking here from Athens Regional and the Navy school," says Pam Shirah NeSmith (BSHE '71), co-founder of The Bottleworks. "They come for lunch, and they don't even have to get in their car."

The Bottleworks, which won a Georgia Trust 2002 Historical Preservation award for excellence in historical rehabilitation, sits on the block adjacent to The Grit and across from Century 21 Ivey & Co., real estate agency. The mixed-use facility was constructed to utilize the old Coke plant, while preserving the history of the buildings. "I think it's a great idea," says Corky Sams, president of Sams Investment Inc., and grandson of Walter Sams, the first president of the Athens Bottling Plant. "Athens needs more developments like this, and The Bottleworks is in the forefront of it all."

The complex includes 13 residential units, 20,000 square feet of office space, and 22,000 square feet for potential retail and restaurants. Living spaces include six flats and seven townhouses, ranging from 982 to 2,300 square feet. Each unit has outdoor space, whether it is a balcony, screened porch, deck, or patio. As of April 2003, all but four condominiums had been sold.

In 2000, the buildings where Coke bottled and distributed products throughout northeast Georgia were acquired by Pam NeSmith and her husband Dink (ABJ '70), who is owner and president of Community Newspapers Inc., in partnership with Smith Wilson (BBA '72), owner of S&W Development Inc.

Although all three attended UGA at the same time, they never met while in school. Pam NeSmith lived in Brumby Hall, Wilson in Russell, and Dink off-campus. Wilson, who has been restoring property for 20 years, began eyeing the Coca-Cola property more than 10 years ago and was eager to take on the task of restoring the old structures.

"I saw the buildings for what they were," says Wilson. "I knew the opportunity was there."

When the Coca-Cola company purchased the bottling plant in 1985, they built a warehouse with its roof extending to connect most of the six buildings on the property. The first step toward renovation was to peel back the metal roof that covered these structures in order to make the buildings more open to the public.

"The last addition to the bottling plant covered everything to the right of the front door," says Sams. "We didn't care. We just wanted warehouse space. After Coke moved out, the warehouse was just a humongous building sitting there. When it was opened up, it gave it much more exposure and invited storefronts and parking."

All but one of the seven buildings were originally used by the bottling plant. The central and main buildings were constructed in the 1920s. However, some of the buildings date back to the 19th century. The seventh building, which was added by Wilson and Pam NeSmith, is three stories with 15,000 square feet. Featuring retail space on the first floor and townhouses on the second and third, it is located on the corner of Finley Street and Prince Avenue. Since The Bottleworks sits on the western edge of Athens' central business district, Wilson says it was important that the design fit with the architectural style of "downtown."

Besides being located in the central business district, The Bottleworks also sits near the Cobbham neighborhood. Developed in the 1800s, it is considered Athens' first real suburb. John English, president of the Cobbham Heritage Foundation, says Wilson and the NeSmiths did a good job of preserving the historical value of the bottling plant while turning it into something that fits in with the businesses and restaurants that surround the complex.

"When Coke decided to pull out, it was going to leave a pretty big empty space," says English. "It was a difficult task to figure out what to do with it, but The Bottleworks fits nicely with the shifting notion of the western edge of downtown."

Many businesses and residents with UGA ties have moved into the complex since its April 2000 opening. Toni Tibble and Theresa Grams (AB '88) have opened their restaurant, T 'Cakes, and Lee Dove and Kelli Nash (BSEd '88) have opened a maternity clothing store called She's Having a Baby. Dink NeSmith's company's home office, which is housed in the original bottling plant building, was among the first to move into the new complex.

Other tenants in the original building include the All Aboard travel agency, owned by Vicki Epps (BSHE '74) and law offices for Bill Bushnell (JD '70), Michael Crain (BBA '89, JD '92), and Steve Smith (AB '91). Other businesses owned or operated by alumni include Radar Multimedia Productions (Theo Radford/BBA '91 and Jason Martin/ABJ '95) and Advanced Massage Therapies (Amy Bramblett/BS '90 and AB '90).

Ryon Shehee, the 24-year-old owner-manager of Quizno's Subs, chose the not-quite-downtown location for its atmosphere.

"I wanted to open a business here because it's so authentic," says Shehee. "It's not a strip mall."

Some of Athens' residents choose to eat at Quizno's in The Bottleworks instead of a downtown restaurant because of its location, parking, and service.

"We love to come here," says Carol Huff, an employee at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. "It's easy access and the service is fast. We know it's good here."

One of The Bottleworks' newest additions is Parrot's Hair Salon. Owner Richard Floyd moved his business from its Baxter Street location near Clarke Central to Prince Avenue in July 2002.

"Business is good," says Floyd with a smile. "The atmosphere is a lot better, and our drop-in business has certainly improved."

If you come to Parrot's, or any other business at The Bottleworks, you don't have to worry about parking. With pull-in garages, residents needn't worry either.

Being able to custom-design one's home is another perk for anyone who decides to purchase a living space at The Bottleworks. Everyone who buys a residential unit is provided with architectural services to assist in the design of the condominium.

Al (JD '69) and Betty Bowers, a retired couple, lived in one of the residential units while Wilson's construction company remodeled their other home on University Drive. The Bowers bought their condo in April 2000 primarily as an investment, but like it so much they have decided to keep it.

"We were planning on staying here just while Wilson remodeled our home," explains Betty Bowers. "But we just love it. It's so convenient to everything. You can just walk out your door and get coffee."

The Bowers' 1,800-square-foot unit—which they have now rented—has two bedrooms, two baths, and a screened-in porch. Betty and her husband were used to living in a house, but she says the condominium offers plenty of space and security. She adds that the historical significance of The Bottleworks also convinced them to keep the unit:

"It's historic, has beautiful pine floors, and plenty of security. You just pull into the garage, shut the door and you're home."

The Bottleworks offers one-stop shopping for people in need of coffee, a fashionable cut, quick-and-tasty food—even maternity clothing.

lthough many people are familiar with The Bottleworks, others are not as aware of the new development. Some of the Bowers' friends had a hard time finding their apartment because they either weren't familiar with the Coke plant or didn't know it had been transformed into a retail-residential complex. Pam NeSmith attributes this lack of awareness to Coke covering and fencing off the buildings from 1985 to April 2000, but she hopes the renovations will help the complex once again become something the community can embrace.

"It's hard for people to realize there were buildings under there," says Pam. "But we took down the fence, and opened it back up to the community."

The partners hope the development will create a kind of neighborhood center for those living near the complex, enabling them to utilize The Bottleworks for shopping, eating, or various other services it provides instead of having to drive downtown or to other parts of the Athens community that may not be as convenient.

"Our vision was to build a town center for the Cobbham, Boulevard, and Barrow Street neighborhoods," says Pam. "These neighborhoods have never had a town center like those over in Five Points."

The Bottleworks project has many desirable elements, but the partners feel that what is most important is that the historic significance of many of The Bottleworks structures will be maintained.

"Our main goal was to preserve the bottling plant," says Pam. "There's a lot of history in these three-and-a-half acres."

Although The Bottleworks is relatively new and still needs a few more businesses and residents in order to be completely occupied, the partners are very excited about the future of the development. Pam refers to the complex as a "destination" and she believes that very soon everyone in the Athens community will know about The Bottleworks on Prince.

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