Meet the local artist behind our Atlanta yard sign
Artist Demetri Burke
Atlanta is our first city in the south and first on the east coast, so we’re extra-excited to celebrate our local launch. When we arrive somewhere new, we make a sign that local members can display in front of their homes to share that they’re wasting less. Atlanteans, get yours at your dashboard.
Demetri Burke was a natural choice to create our Atlanta yard sign. A graduate of Georgia State and an artist in residence with the Heart of the Arts program of Midtown Alliance, he’s always lived in the Greater Atlanta area and the south is a major influence on his work. We chatted with him to learn more about his work.
Always making art
Demetri started making art as a kid and recognized early on that drawing is more than marks on paper. He sees art as a way to tell stories.
“I was always drawing and just never stopped,” he says. “It’s a good way to connect to people and give yourself creative autonomy. You can make your own storytelling capability.”
Eventually, Demetri realized he wanted to pursue art in college and fully committed to it, receiving his BFA from Georgia State in 2020. Since graduating, he’s been working on commissions alongside his personal practice.
He says, “It’s definitely a privilege to do what I love and I’m figuring out the balance of having fun and recognizing the responsibility of it being my career.”
Asked what he would tell kids who have the same desire, he says, “If you want to draw, then you should pick up a pencil every day. That’s something I still tell myself.”
About Demetri’s work
He returns to painting frequently, calling it an approachable medium, but Demetri is interested in all forms of art. He chooses the materials project by project that will tell the story at hand. Photography and collage show up frequently in his work.
Throughout his work, themes recur. “There’s an aspect of community that I want to play around with. I want to showcase underrepresented stories. I also like to show aspects of everyday life,” he says.
He considers himself very much a southern artist, saying, “I draw on the experience of being southern and subtly open it up to where everybody can connect to my work in a more abstract way.”
His figurative work inspired by Atlanta became literally a part of Atlanta when he completed his mural “Come On and Find Me” in the spring of 2022.
Demetri describes creating a mural as a full-body experience.
He says, “You’re working directly with the community because people come up to you asking questions. If they choose to, they get to be a part of the work by taking pictures with it or just responding to what they see. Thinking about that really adds to the storytelling. The format opens up how an audience can engage with your art practice.”
Visit the mural at Midtown Cleaners and learn more about it here
The Atlanta Ridwell yard sign
Demetri wanted to depict Piedmont Park because it’s a natural space that’s centralized in Midtown, not too far from his studio.
“I wanted to use aspects of Atlanta nature and culture,” he says, “I wanted to include peaches because they’re a staple—even if you don’t like eating peaches, they’re part of the culture. I wanted a magnolia flower because they’re pretty consistent here in the south. And then I wanted people interacting, playing, having fun. The little dog was the last stage because the runner needed a buddy.”
When he thinks about Ridwell’s mission, Demetri sees a connection between sustainability and community that he wanted to reflect.
He says, “We’re looking towards a better future and everyone’s trying to pitch into that. Sometimes that’s through community engagement and sometimes it’s through sustainability. This artwork ties in the community with sustainability. That’s a conversation that is really valuable right now.”
We’re thrilled to share Demetri’s work and can’t wait to see it on display at our members’ homes.
Find Demetri at his website and connect on Instagram. He expects to welcome the community into his workspace through a studio activation this year.
If you’re an Atlanta member, request your sign from your dashboard.
New to Ridwell? Learn more >
