Have you ever admired some art in a vacation rental and wished you could take it home with you? One gallery in Athens that doubles as a short-term rental space will let you do just that. Vivian Liddell founded Arts and Athletics in 2021, when she was craving community during the pandemic. The one-bedroom apartment offers quarterly rotating shows that feature small-scale works by local and regional artists.
All sales return 75 to 100 percent to the artist, with as much as 20 percent going to local causes, which have included Historic Athens and Nuci’s Space. Liddell spent her undergraduate years in Athens in the 90s, when she studied photography at the University of Georgia. She lived in a house known as 1060 that served as a crossroads for artists and musicians. These days, Liddell is an associate professor of painting and drawing at the University of North Georgia as well as a working artist in a variety of media.
She moved out of Athens to get master’s degrees in painting and in education, but she found her way back, like many of us do. Arts and Athletics, which gets its name from the inscription on the base of the statue of Athena in downtown Athens, is her effort to recreate some of the magic of 1060 and its “café je ne sais quoi” one-night art shows. Want to see an exhibition there? You can make an appointment at artsathletics.com or follow it on Instagram at arts underscore athletics to see what’s on view.