Rush Hour Fest

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Andrew Blooms is a Taiwanese American visual artist and tattoo apprentice. Blooms received a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia before deciding to settle down in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Since Blooms’ return, he has joined an arts community at Peters Street Station, an art gallery (@hiddengallery333), and a collaborative studio event space in Castleberry Hill.

“It was a complete culture shock for me,” says Blooms. “I was leaving white christianity and having this whole different experience. It made me think of the movie (Rush Hour), the hilarious relationship between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, but also what that relationship really represented; the sharing of cultures and creating spaces and events to allow a deeper conversation to happen through art.”

It was through lived experiences and his relationships at Peters Street that led Blooms to create Rush Hour Fest and apply for the Arts and Entertainment Atlanta Grant program. As one of the 18 grant recipients, Blooms plans to use his platform to delve into the thoughts and opinions of Black and Asian artists, through a two-day art and music festival alongside co-curator Brittany Geurin.

“My intent is to leverage the power of fine art and original music to open up a deeper conversation about life, society, and our unique experiences as Americans of color,” Blooms says.

Blooms and his team came up with 20 prompts for artists to choose from for inspiration for their visual submissions. The prompts are meant to open up deeper conversations about psychology, family, sexuality, toxic masculinity, mental health, and more. Artists submitted pieces to be sorted under these prompts. 

“How My Parents Said I Love You” is about the nuance of being an immigrant or first generation child and the different ways parents show love without saying those three words. “Men Can Cry, Too” is meant to dig into normalizing emotion and mental health in all communities. “We Need Each Other” is about bridging the gaps among communities and coming to a mutual understanding of our experiences as humans. 

“When I was a kid, I had zero examples of an American person from an immigrant family who chose [to do] art and talk about this stuff,” Blooms says. “Almost no one has a way to talk about it. I know they can’t be with their parents. Who’s gonna do it?”

This completely free fest will not only feature 25 artists in the show, but also two nights of local music, clothing vendors, and live tattooing. Bloom hopes, “...that everyone who attends this weekend leaves with a deeper understanding and appreciation of themselves and those around them and that everyone is inspired to tell their story with a new degree of courage and power.”