Playful Monopoly-inspired public art coming to Downtown

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Staff Report
Brookwood's Foundations of Innovation class collaborates with Thomasville Center for the Arts to create a larger-than-life public art exhibition for FLAUNT 2022, running March 3- April 14 in Thomasville's creative district. 
Darlene Crosby Taylor has been sprinkling art around downtown Thomasville for nearly a decade. An architect by formal training, Taylor made a career pivot 12 years ago and took a visual art teaching position with Thomasville Center for the Arts. Today, she’s the Center’s public art director and the mastermind behind FLAUNT.

“FLAUNT is my baby,” says Taylor. “It’s something I’m so passionate about — bringing fun, joyful art to the streets. And it’s free, so it’s something everyone can experience just by driving down Jackson Street or strolling through the amphitheater.”

Conceived 10 years ago to connect generations, inspire community, and expose visitors to new ways of thinking and seeing, FLAUNT is a temporary public art explosion that inks the walls, windows, and alleyways of downtown Thomasville. Fueled by the imaginations of local and regional artists, each FLAUNT exhibition takes on a new persona, and in turn, brings fresh new life to historic facades. 

Visitors to FLAUNT 2022, running March 3 – April 14 in Thomasville’s creative district, will enjoy exploring downtown’s nooks and crannies to find playful art in public spaces.

Inspired and Larger-Than-Life
The overarching theme for FLAUNT 2022 is “Let’s Play!,” a larger-than-life public art experience created by the artists, makers, and designers of the region. 

The idea for the 2022 focus came last year when the Center for the Arts began creating THOMOPOLY, Thomasville’s very own version of the popular board game, Monopoly.

“Our game is about the goodness of a small town,” says Thomasville Center for the Arts executive director Michele Arwood. “It was designed by the passionate spirits who work together every day to creatively connect our community.”

THOMOPLOY promotes the local resources – small businesses, nonprofits, corporations, and leaders – who contribute to Thomasville’s economic and cultural vitality. 

“It showcases the energy and ideas brewing in our neighborhoods, brings awareness to our good works, and encourages the player to dream, make themselves at home in Thomasville, and make a difference in our community,” says Arwood.

To build upon the game, the Center wanted to visually move the themes of play and community onto a larger canvas, and that’s where FLAUNT came in. Featuring juried public art exhibitions in eight Monopoly-inspired categories scattered throughout the creative district, FLAUNT 2022 includes interactive game stations, playful photo opportunities, prizes for winning artists, and the official unveiling of THOMOPOLY.

“When our team at the Center was brainstorming the exhibition design for FLAUNT 2022, we kept asking ourselves ‘what’s happening inside those little green houses and red hotels on the Monopoly gameboard?’,” explains Taylor. “’Who’s inside, what are they doing, and what does it look like in there?’ That’s how the structures you’ll see in the exhibition were dreamed up.”

The structures Taylor is referring to are custom-built life-sized houses and hotels similar to those you might find on a Monopoly gameboard, each with multiple viewing windows for visitors to sneak a peek into artist-imagined life inside the game. They’ll reside in Thomasville’s creative district for a month and a half, inviting curious eyes to take a look.

Unexpected Artists
Over 100 local and regional artists will exhibit during FLAUNT 2022. For Dr. Arsalan Wares, this type of public art experience is new.

“I displayed my photographs in an art exhibition several years ago in Valdosta,” said Wares, “but I haven’t done anything quite like FLAUNT before.”

Wares is a mathematics professor at Valdosta State University with a research interest in how paper-folding can be used in classrooms to teach basic concepts of geometry, algebra, and calculus. Alluding to the money used in a game of Monopoly, Wares was challenged to use his paper-folding techniques and his deep understanding of math to create an origami display using money as his medium. 

“The challenge that I faced was more linked to thinking outside the box. I can do origami all day,” Wares said. “That wasn’t challenging. However, the presentation part made me think.” 

Wares incorporates the art of paper folding into his math classes to make learning more accessible and enjoyable for his students.

“When we explore the connection between art and mathematics, it allows students to see a facet of mathematics that is not stereotypical. Stereotypically, most people view mathematics as a cold, austere, monolithic discipline that involves a heavy dose of number crunching. The truth is far from it. Mathematics is beautiful, dynamic, artistic, and malleable,” Wares said.

Local business owner Johnny Barnes will explore another unique medium as part of the exhibition. Barnes operates j.b. crumbs, a catering and prepared dinner provider on East Jackson Street. His installation will use bread as the foundation for his art, and visitors can see his fresh baked creation through one of the homes’ windows, as well.

“I haven’t done anything like this before,” Barnes said. “It is challenging to me because it is so detailed and tedious, and I am used to working on large scale projects. But I love being creative, and it’s a chance to be a part of a community project and hopefully stir creativity and excitement for our lovely city.”

Marlo Ransdale’s Studio D class at Florida State University is creating furniture miniatures for the exhibit.

“We began working with Thomasville Center for the Arts in 2018,” says Ransdale. “This partnership allowed students over the past four years to display their undergraduate and graduate level furniture designs in various locations throughout Thomasville. Our FLAUNT installation highlights student research and their creative process and gives our students an opportunity to interact with history, culture, and art in a place that they are not familiar with.”

These are exactly the type of platforms the Center aims to create for emerging artists.

“What’s always so neat to see in exhibitions like FLAUNT is that art is everywhere,” says Arwood. “FLAUNT showcases traditional artists, but also makes space for unexpected artists – people who may not even think of themselves as artists until they get in there and challenge their own creativity. The resulting work is a testament to the human spirit and the revelation that we are all artists in our own way.”

Building Community
The end goal for FLAUNT2022, and all public art experiences put on by Thomasville Center for the Arts, is to connect community through the wonder and beauty of art. 

“We hold a fantastic opportunity in our hands every time art is exhibited locally,” says Joanne Thomas, development director at the Center. “We are building up artists, opening the eyes and minds of residents, attracting visitors, and bringing people together in collaboration. And we don’t do it alone. Over 85 businesses and organizations have come together to make FLAUNT and THOMOPOLY possible. It’s a true community effort.”

Ashley HomeStore / 1915 South is presenting FLAUNT 2022 alongside the Center for the Arts. Russell Turner, CEO of 1915 South, recognizes that experiences like FLAUNT are what makes Thomasville special.

“It’s what people see and feel when they arrive to our town, things like public art, that makes Thomasville special,” Turner said. “And it hits us most when we travel away from Thomasville — we can see and feel a difference. Here, we have community, and not everyone has that.” 

For more information about FLAUNT’s opening celebration on March 3 and a map of all “Let’s Play” exhibitions, visit www.thomasvillearts.org. THOMOPOLY games can also be purchased on the Center’s website and will be ready for pick-up at the celebration.

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Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.