MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — A new outdoor exhibition in Macon is celebrating the city’s vibrant culture, community, and rich history.

Bright City: Fanning the Flames is the fifth rendition of the Bright City initiative and features a captivating display of illuminated photographs that reflect on shared values and culture around food, healing, individual expression, education, fashion, family, and passion.

The exhibition is a collaborative effort between Muscogee artists Victoria Tiger and Harmony Apel, and local Macon photographers Mike Young, Diana Davenport, Sarah Lemon, and Matthew Odom and is curated by Tracie Revis, a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen and Director of Advocacy for the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative.

“This project was an experiment in social change and public art,” Revis said. “The participating photographers were asked to visit with their Muscogee mentor to capture an image that portrays what this past year of the indigenous history has meant to Macon.”

The photographers were forced to think outside the box and think more about the celebration of modern indigenous life rather than the stereotypical image of a posed portrait in front of the Ocmulgee Mounds.

“Some realized that they did not know enough about the Indigenous people to know how to capture what was significant or how they could relate,” she said. “However, seeing them beyond the landscape produced a more intimate experience. The final product was that we are more alike than different.”

Fanning the Flames is free and open to the public and will remain on view day and night from October 6, 2023 through September 26, 2024. It is located on Second Street Lane, the alley between Poplar Street and Cherry Street.