Across My Desk with Brenda Durant

Written by: Brenda Durant
June 2024

I always pause for a second when I type the words “across my desk’ as half the world graces the surface of my desk. My father loved paper and so do I. I make paper piles, then I unmake them by putting papers in file folders, and then I pile those up. I am not a fan of a file cabinet. Once I close the drawer of a file cabinet I am pretty much done with that file. If it’s active, it’s out and handy. Jay Morris in his article “Are you a Filer or a Piler” notes:
“Many people associate piling with messiness and chaos. Not so! A company called Pendaflex (sellers of office-organizer products) commissioned a study on “the psychology of stacking” and found that we pilers are pretty smart cookies. Pilers often know exactly which pile to find things in. They also tend to be “big-picture” people who don’t get lost in the details. According to Sharon Mann, an organizational expert who authored the study, pilers “adapt by either developing their own systems to handle the details, like piling, or surrounding themselves with people who can effectively implement details.”


Thank you, Jay Morris, kindred spirit!


The month of May was a series of great celebrations. Denise and I attended the Grand Opening of the Kroger at Eisenhower Crossing to unveil a mural created by local artist Karen Heid. The mural, paintings of Augusta landmarks, is situated in the front of the store over the shopping carts. It’s absolutely gorgeous. The store is amazing too. We loved working with the Kroger team, we hope they open many more new stores featuring local art!
The Arts Council hosted a ribbon-cutting for the Iris Sculpture at Reynolds and 5th, a beautiful welcome at the base of the 5th Street Murals leading to Riverwalk. It’s so pretty, in a garden with flowers and a bench to rest and think about our veterans and their families. Next up was the ribbon-cutting for the Pillars of the Golden Blocks on the Twiggs Circle Roundabout. What a

Caucasian woman standing in front of a sculpture. She is smiling, wearing sunglasses and a patchwork dress.
Brenda Durant at the Pillars of the Golden Blocks sculpture ribbon cutting celebration

tribute to the history of the Black Medical Professionals who lived and worked in the Laney Walker neighborhood. Ashley Gray did a stunning job on the sculpture. I think it’s the most inspirational sculpture in Augusta.

 

Last week I attended the ribbon-cutting of the renovated Bell Auditorium. It’s functional and really, really attractive. A great surprise was bathrooms on both sides of the hall – men’s and women’s. There is a VIP bar where you can see the stage while relaxing with a drink. I did not go backstage but I’d bet money that the ancient sandbag system for pulling the curtains is now all new. In the past the dressing rooms did not have an elevator or bathroom. Fixed. It was very exciting to tour a very familiar facility and see it all spruced up. I can’t wait to tour the new Arena.

 

Another Theatre in the news is the Imperial. The Board announced a capitol campaign, inspired by a large donation by Peter Knox, designed to finish off some renovations that will add to the Theatre experience while bringing it into ADA compliance. There is not a woman in Augusta, (who visits the Imperial) who will not cheer when the ladies’ restroom is all fixed up!

 

Please join us in June for our Annual Arts Awards and Meeting. This year we are at the Savanah Rapids Pavilion for dinner, music and awards. We also meet our new President and Board of Directors. Mark your calendar for June 20th. Invites going out soon or use our website www.augustaarts.com to RSVP.

 

Stay Cool,
Brenda