The Big Green House invites Atlanta to make friends, feel something

Cabbagetown dudes open their home to showcase art and foster community with regular Art Parties.

Athens’ closely integrated arts community became a warm bathtub for Ethan and Asher Payne, who played in dream pop band Easter Island together. When the brothers made the leap to “the big city” of Atlanta in May 2014, they felt confident the move would be a good one, but they worried about building a good friend community. After settling into a Cabbagetown home, which would later become colloquially known as the Big Green House, the Paynes — alongside third roommate Jake Adams — decided to throw a party. But not just your typical porch-bound PBR-pounding fest.

The dudes wanted the vibe to attract a certain tribe. So they invited photographer Jimmy Rowalt to hang large-format black-and-white photos in the hallway. Adams pulled strings at Wild Heaven Craft Beers, where he then and still currently works as Head Brewer, to secure a certain caliber libation. And with that, in November 2015, the Big Green House hosted its first-ever Art Party. (Note: Although similar in name — if not capitalization — Cabbagetown’s Art Parties are not related to Atlanta Contemporary’s annual ART PARTY.)

“For us, it’s all about building community,” Ethan says, noting the parties have been successful in fostering lots of new friendships, for himself and just attendees in general. “There’s so much talent in this city and we want to see all of it and make sure everyone else sees it, too.”

Since Rowalt’s show, eight Art Parties have come and gone. The series channels the spirit of an underground house show, but subs sweaty musicians with sweaty visual artists (though some of the former are usually also on hand). The past few times a DJ has helped create audio ambiance, too. It’s essentially a conscious house party — again, with better beer.

As far as the art on display goes, Ethan calls the curation process lax, adding that sometimes Art Party-goers themselves often go from attendee to showing artist. Other times, the Big Green House will simply transfer pre-existing shows — like Sarah Lawrence’s NSFW SHIT SHOW — from original venues to a blank canvas hallway.

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A ninth Art Party is slated for Sat., June 30, featuring work from painter and soft sculptor Tori Tinsley. Pieces set to appear span a stretch of time but are mostly culled from her Hugs series Tinsley started around 2009 as a means to chronicle and cope with her mother’s fronto-temporal dementia diagnosis. “Attendees can expect to be blown away by the art and hopefully make some friends and get connected,” Ethan says to prep and Art Party virgins hoping to change that last part.

Although the residents of the Big Green House clearly exalt human interaction and relationships, it seems the true incentive to keep the Art Party alive is much more primal. “It’s like when you find a band or artist who absolutely blows you away and you want to immediately call every person you know and scream at them until they check out the artist,” Ethan says. “In the moment of discovery, nothing else matters except that everyone in the world experiences what you experience when you listen to that song or look at that photograph. Maybe these parties are just us screaming at the world: Look at this thing that someone made!”

Maybe.

[https://www.facebook.com/events/1092289187487087/|Art Party No. 9: On Hold by Tori Tinsley. Free. 8 p.m. Sat., July 30. Email ethanpayne at gmail.com for The Big Green House’s address.]