Go Georgia Arts now closed in downtown Ringgold

Go Georgia Arts owner John W. Christian officially taught his last art classes in downtown Ringgold Jan. 13.

“I moved back to the Atlanta area to be closer to family,” said Christian, who plans to continue creating mural work for cities. “I wanted to go another direction in my art career. I do artwork based on commission. I was not getting much commission work in Ringgold. I get it mostly from Atlanta. I could not find art teachers to help. I had an opportunity to get out of the lease and that’s what I chose to do.”

Go Georgia Arts was located in near the center of town since May 2014. However, it took seven months to officially open since he was working to get the inside ready for the classes as well as play productions.

Christian said he had trouble getting the word out about his art studio and plays at Go Georgia Arts and was told he had to rent space at the Ringgold Depot or at The Colonnade in order to put up fliers at those locations.

“It took me an entire year to get the word out, and now the word is out but I’m gone now,” he said. “I have received nine calls from people asking to reserve tickets for plays at the center, but it’s too little, too late. It’s our fourth play and numbers came out of the woodwork.”

Christian has decided to concentrate on his own personal artwork in his home studio.

“I’m focusing on myself as an artist,” he said. “I’ve been an artist my whole life professionally. I specialized in opening art centers. I produced 400 plays in my career at various art centers across the state.”

Now back in his hometown of Hapeville, Ga., close to his sister, son and grandson, Christian said he is working on mural projects for 11 cities. Some of those projects are in Warm Springs, Ga., Washington, Ga., and Blue Ridge, Ga.

“The Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia, is where President Roosevelt died,” he said. “They asked me to paint Roosevelt. It’s quite an honor to be able to paint presidents in the Little White House State Park. I’m painting Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter. It’s a mural on a wall of a building.”

To get in touch with Christian about creating a mural or teaching art classes, as he said he could use others’ studios to teach, find him on Facebook by searching “John W. Christian.”