As an ongoing effort to revive the former Standard-Coosa-Thatcher textile mill in Chattanooga (now known as Coosa Mill), Collier Construction + The Pop-Up Project have renewed a creative partnership in Mill Town.

In case you missed it, Mill Town is one of the Scenic City’s newer neighborhood developments with a modernized take on the historic “mill town” concept.

Last year, Collier Construction teamed up with The Pop-Up Project to "bring history alive," reactivating + reanimating the former mill through performances, workshops, and events. The main performance "If These Walls Could Talk..." brought thousands of folks to Coosa Mills.

After its success in 2022, The Pop-Up Project has been named Mill Town's artist-in-residence for 2023. Here’s what you can expect from this year’s partnership:

Community involvement

Keep an eye out for dance classes + workshops on The Pop-Up Project’s website. These classes will be available to community members + some will also be open for the kiddos.

Efforts to offer educational programming to the students of East Side Elementary School (on the northern edge of the Mill Town neighborhood) is also a priority within the partnership. The program teaches young dancers problem-solving skills while making creative and artistic choices.

Dozens of performers will take to the abandoned mill for the events. | Photo by Kelly Lacy

The main performance

This year’s original performance is titled “Until the Sun Rises” and was written + produced by Downum and Jeri Eduave. The performance will open more spaces within Coosa Mills, “inviting guests to explore, experience, and interact with dozens of local artists.”

The performances will take place over five evenings, with opening night on Friday, Nov. 3. Bonus: There is a very limited presale opportunity for the opening night performance, so grab your tickets now.

Tickets for the additional performances will go on sale to the public on Monday, Sept. 18 (and are expected to sell out quickly). Be the first to get your tickets by signing up for pre-sale notifications online.