Art is Growing Roots in Old Town Lilburn

Old Town Lilburn is a historic area of Lilburn, Georgia, enjoying a renaissance. The city park has been undergoing renovations with a newly designed playground, expanded green space, and a new splash feature is being built. Alongside, Old Town you'll find the Camp Creek Greenway, a 4.2 mile multi-use trail that starts in Lilburn City Park and expands through neighborhoods and to more parks. Residential homes are going up, there's a distillery, main street dining, a local music store that hosts community events, and a vibrant scene for family-friendly entertainment. With all of this growth, a newcomer arrived in town in November 2020 and has been steadily putting down roots as an essential part of Old Town Lilburn. Citizen Exchange is an artist collective and it has taken off in a big way as a popular place for locals to buy gifts, attend classes, and showcase their work.

Citizen Exchange is the brainchild of Amy Valdez-Barker, Ph.D., who is a Lilburn native. After stopping by the art market, we had to interview her so we could get the word out about this exciting concept she brought to the town and Gwinnett county.

What is the concept of Citizen Exchange?

Citizen Exchange is an Art Collective.  The concept behind it is to bring inspiration, creativity, and hope to the community through the exchange of art, ideas, and more.  As Gerhard Richter, a famous painter, stated, “Art is the highest form of hope!”  We want to share that hope through the art that was created from the hearts and souls of our artists and community members.

At Poe in Wonderland, we are ALL about quotes. A very good description of art itself. Where did you find this quote?  

My brother is a professional photographer and videographer.  He is surrounded by art in everything he does and he had a book at his place that had this quote on the front page.  At that moment, I needed some hope and so I picked it up and found beautiful inspirational quotes and pieces that inspired me.  I held onto it and decided that I wanted to find ways to inspire others.

Community Events

Citizen Exchange opened its doors in November 2020 and has been making an impact in the community by not only introducing the gallery but also fun events.
Art classes
Live poetry events
Scavenger hunts
Private parties
Outdoor art markets

We are very open to finding ways to collaborate with the community.  If there are other ideas out there, we’d love to share them and support them, too.  As an educator, I’d love to also offer art exploration as a travel experience as well.  There are so many places in Gwinnett, Atlanta and a little beyond that are rich with history and art coming together.  Hoping we can highlight those as well.

The Collective

Handmade Textiles

Nine Thimbles Embroidered Hoops seem pretty popular with their pieces. Who is the artist behind Nine Thimbles? Will the sold out items be restocked?

Yes – Megan Dougherty is an amazing artist who was inspired by her grandmother to do this minimalist art.  Megan can make almost anything as a custom order and if someone asks, we have been able to get her to offer her beautiful masterpieces again. 

Glass jewelry

Gorgeous glass pendants by AFH. Photo credits: Jennifer Graham and Citizen Exchange. The far-right pendant was purchased by the writer.

Clothing and Textiles

Photo Credit: Citizen Exchange
Melange Mode Blazer and Apron

Pottery wonderful pottery

Artisan soaps

International Works

Art in the gallery is created by local artists, but you’ve also mentioned on your site that a few international artists have been included. Can you share what those pieces were and the artists’ names?

Telesflora is an artist who has made outstanding ornate lamps out of Cacao leaves.  He is in Baler, Philippines where my parents live.  My father found him and brought his pieces here to see if we could sell them.  All of the lamps sold out.  His vision is to help the farmers in these poor rural communities find ways to use the some of the discarded products to create something more.  He takes the Cacao leaves that are often just thrown away and puts them through a fossilizing process.  From there he can shape them into incredible lamps, sculptures and more.  I’ve already got several requests to bring bigger lamps, so we are hoping we’ll be able to get larger ones made and shipped.  I love that it’s another creative way to make “Eco-Art.”

We also have contacts in Africa and Latin America who are ready for us to start selling their work.  Again, most of these partners are trying to find ways to put some of the people on the margins of society who are barely making it to work in creative and productive ways.  That, too, is an inspirational story of hope that we want shared with others.

Upcoming Events

What are some upcoming classes? Dates?

April 22^nd will be our next Lilburn Live! Poetry night.

What does your live poetry event consist of in terms of participants? One featured poet or can people apply to read their work? When will your next event be and where?

Right now, Megan Flowers is coordinating this vision.  At the last event, we had some poets from the community just come and read their poetry.  We’ll hold the next one at the Apothecary Room again and people just need to reach out to Megan to let them know they are interested in coming and interested in reading their work. 

Due to the pandemic, you mentioned online that private parties can be booked with 5-8 people. What do the parties include?

Art Fun nights will include the material and if an art instructor is requested, we can provide one as well.  But, it’s more about being in a space that is inspirational and fun with other people who want to be creative as well.  So, if it’s painting, beading, jewelry-making, or something else, we’ll work with you to create a space that is fun and inviting.

These events have passed but more will be upcoming so check their Facebook page for details.

Inspirations

You’ve traveled around the world and seen art in many forms. What are 3 things that awed you and still inspire you to this day?

1. Architecture that is unique and miraculous – seeing the Burj Kalifa in Dubai, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Bahai Temple in Evanston, IL are all incredible works of art that inspire people around the world.
2. Natural wonders which are pieces of Divine Art also inspire me.  I love the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and breathtaking mountains.  There is always something in nature that captivates curiosity and wonder.
3. Street Art also captures my imagination.  People who don’t seek attention, but just want to say something or share something on the side of a building, a wall, or even a train make me see that there is a creative gene in all of us, trying to find ways to offer hope in the world. 

Amy does an amazing job balancing the creativity flowing through the art collective and her desire to spread the joy of art to the outside world, and Lilburn is lucky to have her. You can stop by the collective or shop the website and Instagram to find items for yourself or as gifts. More pieces come in every day so check back often. Our interview wraps up with the video below that shows how her vision ties together.

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