No art in Freedom Park in ‘06

Also ShedSpace, Andre 3000 in a cartoon, Sharky’s Machine remake

• Organizers of Art in Freedom Park have canceled this year’s exhibition, originally scheduled to open in May. As reported in the March 9 issue of Creative Loafing, organizers postponed the May opening to the fall to raise alternate funding when an expected $50,000 grant from the Fulton County Arts Council fell through. Art in Freedom Park spokeswoman Diana Mulhall announced that the exhibition will continue in 2007 if it can secure a major sponsor.

• Art in Freedom Park’s cancellation leaves other arts organizations to find ways to bring art out into the public sphere. Atlanta Celebrates Photography has already incorporated public art into its annual October event. For its 2006 Public Art Program, curator Joey Orr — founder of the backyard art project ShedSpace — has selected Atlanta-based photographer Matt Haffner. Haffner will wheat-paste his life-size and larger photo-based works onto buildings in some 20 locations from Castleberry Hill to Decatur for the month of October.

• Andre 3000 of OutKast will serve as executive producer, music director and star of “Class of 3000,” the Cartoon Network’s upcoming prime-time animated series. Set to debut in November, “Class of 3000” will depict a group of musically gifted kids attending a prestigious Atlanta performing arts school. Andre 3000 will provide the voice of Sunny Bridges, the children’s mentor.

• Director Phil Joanou, best known for the U2 concert film Rattle and Hum, has signed on to remake Sharky’s Machine, the Atlanta-set police thriller originally directed by and starring Burt Reynolds in 1981.