Renowned spine surgeon and philanthropist, James L. Chappuis, MD, FACS, founder of SpineCenterAtlanta (SCA), and the Westside Cultural Arts Center (WCAC) believes in the power of community, diversity, and culture.
While hosting international apparel and sports shoe magnet, Nike, Inc., for Super Bowl LII, Dr. Chappuis faced a dilemma: Nike requested to paint the exterior of his arts center to create a full illusion of their “Studio of Dreams” theme. To support this engagement and, ultimately, give back to the community through this opportunity, the decision was made to paint over the original, beloved graffiti art.
In response to public demand for its lost iconic art, to provide a long-term artistic visual for the local community, and to achieve a visually artistic experience before even walking through the Westside’s doors, a dynamic redesign is currently underway by the original, celebrated artist: Alex Brewer, known as HENSE (www.hensethename.com).
HENSE, a world-renowned graffiti artist known for his bold, vivid, and colorful abstract pieces, was brought to Dr. Chappuis’ attention by iconic Atlanta art curator Fay Gold. Fay was instrumental in bringing abstract contemporary art to Atlanta 30 years ago and now collaborates closely with Dr. Chappuis with her own collections at the center.
“With their being so much adversity today in America, art is a vehicle to provide a common denominator and bring people with different views together under a common theme: the enjoyment of the arts,” says Dr. Chappuis.
Completion of this highly anticipated graffiti art is expected over the next couple of months with no set deadline on this cutting-edge canvas as HENSE continues his work on the entirety of the establishment’s exterior between projects in Spain and France.
For more information about the WCAC, SCA, or this project, please contact Savannah Frank via email at
or via phone at 404-804-4968.
