First-time applicants interested in submitting a proposal for Contracts for Arts Services (CAS) funding must attend a virtual workshop covering the submission process.
The final virtual workshop will be held on July 22, 2021, at 3 PM, via Microsoft Teams.
The CAS workshops will cover grant guidelines and the online application process. CAS provides funding for general operating or project support to 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and community organizations, Neighborhood Planning Units, neighborhood associations, and individual artists based within the City of Atlanta.
To attend the Contracts for Arts Services Virtual Application Workshop, guests must RSVP by using the link below before 11 AM on Thursday, July 22, 2021:
July 22, 2021 at 3:00 PM | https://bit.ly/3isPhwd
If you have any questions about the workshop schedule or receiving CAS funding, contact Brittnee Buley via email at bjbuley@atlantaga.gov.
The City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ Contracts for Arts Services (CAS), the City’s program for granting public funding to arts and cultural activities, is now accepting proposal submissions for the FY ’22 Grant Cycle.
Each year, CAS awards contracts to non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, individual artists, and creative projects within the City of Atlanta. Artists and arts organizations interested in these funding opportunities now have until by 11:59 pm on Friday, August 20, 2021 to apply for funding. Both general operating and project-based funding requests are accepted.
The CAS program awards funding related to the production, creation, presentation, exhibition, and managerial support of artistic and cultural services in the City of Atlanta. Applications will be accepted in the following categories from arts and cultural organizations, community, and neighborhood organizations, and practicing professional artists:
Major Arts Organizations
Arts Organizations
Community Cultural Development Organizations
Neighborhood Planning Units (NPU’s) and Neighborhood Organizations
Individual Artist Projects
Emerging Artist Award
“We realize that the presence of artists and arts organizations is essential to Atlanta’s cultural vitality”, states Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “Our goal is to provide support for the existence and excellence of artists and arts organizations in Atlanta.”
First-time applicants interested in submitting a proposal for Contracts for Arts Services funding must attend one of three virtual workshops covering the submission process. The virtual workshops will be held July 8, July 15, and July 22, 2021, at 10:00 AM via Microsoft Teams. Check back here for additional information and a link to access the virtual workshops.
Returning and new respondents can submit a proposal for Contracts for Arts Services funding consideration by clicking here.
For more information including the virtual workshops, access to the application and guidelines, click here or contact the Contracts for Arts Services Program Manager, Brittnee Buley, at bjbuley@atlantaga.gov.
The City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) has been given a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support ELEVATE 2021. This project will enhance the City’s cultural offerings by providing free, quality cultural experiences that highlight what makes Atlanta unique and increasing Atlanta’s cultural and economic vitality.
The OCA’s project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.
“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as the City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”
“The NEA’s support of our programming will help us continue to enhance the City’s cultural offerings, through ELEVATE, and help our artistic community emerge from the pandemic,” said Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
Presented annually by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs in various locations around Atlanta, ELEVATE is a temporary public art program that seeks to invigorate the Atlanta area through visual art, performances, and cultural events.
Launched in 2011, the first exhibition of ELEVATE hosted 15 events and 40 performances over 66 days. Artwork filled vacant properties, street corners, and plazas to showcase artwork ranging from 13 story murals to contemporary dance, video, installation, and poetry. This intensive cultural programming invited 13,313 new visitors to downtown Atlanta. Since its inaugural year in 2011, more than 250 articles have been published recognizing Atlanta’s cultural spirit.
For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) announces the recipients for the 2020-2021 Contracts for Arts Services (CAS) awards. Each year, the CAS program provides general operating and project support to non-profit arts and community organizations, as well as project support to individual artists based and producing work in the City of Atlanta.
“The CAS awards celebrate the contributions and resiliency of the Atlanta cultural community—this year, even more so amidst economic challenges posed by COVID-19,” said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “Atlanta’s creative community has written our city’s story through their excellence and truths, and those are invaluable gifts that will benefit generations to come.”
The program, initiated in 1982 to support Atlanta’s thriving arts community, awards annual contracts related to the production, creation, presentation, exhibition, and managerial support of artistic and cultural services in the City of Atlanta.
“In the past 10 years, the City of Atlanta has increased the annual investment to artists and organizations that work each day to improve the quality of life in our city through the arts,” said Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
During fiscal year 2021, the City of Atlanta through the Contracts for Arts Services program will provide municipal support for the arts totaling more than $1,700,000 to 13 individual artists, 75 arts organizations, and 14 community and neighborhood organizations in the city of Atlanta.
In addition to the Contracts for Arts Services awards, the City of Atlanta through the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs has supported artists and the non-profit arts sector at this vital time through the following:
$159,800 – to 35 choreographers, 18 literary artists, 11 photographers, 25 musicians, and 32 visual artists
$127,000 – to 64 small mid-sized arts organizations through the second round of power2give/Atlanta crowdfunding campaigns
Since inception, power2give/Atlanta has generated more than $2.6 million for Atlanta’s arts community and has helped fund over 330 projects. With City funding constraints stemming from COVID-19, Fractured Atlas has made the decision to retire the power2give crowdfunding platform.
In spite of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the City’s finances, the City of Atlanta remains committed to supporting local artists and non-profit organizations as evidenced by the City’s continued financial support.
2020-2021 Contracts for Arts Services Grantees
Major Arts Organization
Art Organizations
Community Cultural Development
Artist Project
Neighborhood Arts Grant
In accordance with the City of Atlanta’s reopening guidelines and best practices as advised by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and peer health organizations, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) will delay offering our Cultural Experience Project’s on-site experiences until the second half of the school year.
As Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and other school districts in metro Atlanta grapple with the challenges of the upcoming school year, it is in everyone’s best interest to allow administrators and staff to focus on providing quality education to tens of thousands of students.
Following the completion of the first half of the school year, we will work with APS and our venue partners to evaluate how best to resume the Cultural Experience Project (CEP) program while adhering to what health guidelines may be at that time.
Since mid-May, our office has worked tirelessly with our many cultural partners on how to continue providing these beloved experiences to APS students. Like our cultural partners, we are concerned about the health and safety of students, teachers, chaperones, and colleagues during the world’s current health climate.
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs expects that by late fall we will have a better understanding of the situation and will make decisions regarding future trips in concert with APS and our cultural venue partners.
This #GivingTuesday, we encourage you to donate to one of the 62 local, arts-based organizations we support through our partnership with power2give/Atlanta, a crowdfunding site for the arts designed specifically to connect donors to proposals that inspire. Local organizations post projects that are in need of funding and you help bring them to life with a gift.
In light of recent unprecedented global events, support for these organizations is needed more than ever. Join us this Tuesday, May 5, for a special #GivingTuesday campaign. #GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In our efforts to support our local arts organizations and artists during this time, the City of Atlanta through the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs will provide matching support up to $2,000 for each of the 62 proposals posted on power2give/Atlanta.
We hope these efforts will provide some financial relief and comfort to the City’s art & culture ambassadors.
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ Contracts for Arts Services (CAS), the City of Atlanta’s program for granting public funding to arts and cultural activities, has opened its proposal submission process for the upcoming FY ’21 Grant Cycle.
Each year, CAS awards contracts to non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, individual artists, and creative projects within the City of Atlanta. Artists and arts organizations interested in these funding opportunities should apply by 11:59 pm on July 1, 2020 (Deadline Extended). Both general operating and project-based funding requests are accepted.
The CAS program awards funding related to the production, creation, presentation, exhibition and managerial support of artistic and cultural services in the City of Atlanta. Applications will be accepted in the following categories from arts and cultural organizations, community and neighborhood organizations, and practicing professional artists:
“We realize that the presence of artists and arts organizations is essential to Atlanta’s cultural vitality”, states Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “Our goal is to provide support for the existence and excellence of artists and arts organizations in Atlanta.”
First-time applicants interested in submitting a proposal for Contracts for Arts Services funding must complete our virtual workshop covering the submission process. To access the FY21 virtual workshop, click here.
Returning and new respondents can submit a proposal for Contracts for Arts Services funding consideration by clicking here.
For more information including the virtual workshop, access to the application and guidelines, click here or contact the Contracts for Arts Services Program Manager, Brittnee Buley, at bjbuley@atlantaga.gov.
Photo Credit: The Super Bowl Show (2019) by Dashboard Featuring Branden Collins & Pneuhaus (pictured), Melissa Word, Erik Thurmond, Claire Molla, Oren Goldberg, Michael Oliveri, Imoto Hardy & Thadeus Bridwell Photo by David W. Batterman.
Recently, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has posted the application guidelines for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds almost a month earlier than we originally planned. Implementation of the CARES Act and quickly providing those funds to arts organizations to preserve jobs and keep their doors open is the top priority of the Arts Endowment.
The application guidelines can be found on the National Endowment for the Arts website.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognizes that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of America’s economy. The National Endowment for the Arts will award funds to nonprofit arts organizations across the country to help these entities and their employees endure the economic hardships caused by the forced closure of their operations due to the spread of COVID-19.
As part of this important investment, the Arts Endowment has designed a plan to expedite the distribution of critical funds to the national, regional, state, and local levels to help retain as many jobs as possible, as quickly as possible. These funds are intended to help save jobs in the arts sector and keep the doors open to the thousands of organizations that add value to America’s economy and the creative life of our communities.
This program will be carried out through one-time grants to eligible nonprofit organizations including arts organizations, local arts agencies, statewide assemblies of local arts agencies, arts service organizations, units of state or local government, federally recognized tribal communities or tribes, and a wide range of other organizations that can help advance the goals of the Arts Endowment and this program.
Grants will be made either to organizations for their own operations, or to designated local arts agencies, eligible to sub-grant, for sub-granting programs to eligible nonprofit organizations.
All applicants must be previous National Endowment for the Arts award recipients from the past four years (Fiscal Year 2017-2020; see “Applicant Eligibility” for more information).
Deadlines:
Part 1 – Submit to Grants.gov
April 22, 2020 by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time
Prepare application material so that it’s ready to upload when the Applicant Portal opens
Part 2 – Submit to Applicant Portal
April 27-May 4, 2020 by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time
Earliest Announcement of Grant Award or Rejection
June 2020
Earliest Beginning Date for National Endowment for the Arts Period of Performance
July 1, 2020
In addition to reviewing the guidelines, please visit the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Frequently Asked Questions” page for more information.
To learn more about the National Endowment for the Arts, visit www.arts.gov.
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has made it our mission to connect the passions of donors with the nonprofits fulfilling that purpose for more than 50 years! In light of the current public health crisis, the Community Foundation has opened the following grant opportunities in hopes of providing artists and arts organizations with flexible support and emergency funding.
The 2020 Place to Perform Grant
A Place to Perform provides grants to nonprofit arts organizations to gain access to performance venues and facilities, so they in turn can produce performing arts experiences for the public. Funding for A Place to Perform is made possible through a gift from the Woodruff Arts Center after the 2014 sale of the 14th Street Playhouse. A Place to Perform continues the spirit of that original venue by addressing:
Inadequate space. The program is designed to help nonprofit arts organizations that lack adequate performance space for a particular production. Priority will be given to organizations that lack their own primary performance space.
Regionality. A Place to Perform seeks to serve organizations and audiences throughout the Foundation’s entire 23-county region.
Building opportunities for audiences. The program seeks to increase opportunities for audiences of varying backgrounds to experience productions by a range of performing artists across the metro Atlanta region.
To learn more about the grant or to submit your application, follow the link below.
http://cfgreateratlanta.org/nonprofits/available-grants/a-place-to-perform/
The 2020 Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund
The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is the only independent endowed fund exclusively for the arts in the greater Atlanta area. Historically, the fund has focused on supporting small and midsized arts groups to support and strengthen their work to attract, serve and build bigger and more diverse audiences.
Many arts organizations are struggling due to the impacts of COVID-19 causing revenue losses, event cancellations, declines in audience participation and more. The Community Foundation strongly believes that the arts are always vital to our region’s culture and economy, as well as to people’s spirits.
2020 Arts Fund grants will provide general operating support grants with priority given to organizations that have been adversely impacted by COVID-19.
To learn more about the fund, follow the link below.
http://cfgreateratlanta.org/nonprofits/available-grants/metropolitan-atlanta-arts-fund/
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs we would like to share what the City of Atlanta is doing to support Atlanta’s non-profit arts sector and artists during this trying time.
In a national survey by Americans for the Arts, 91% of responding arts organizations indicated that they have cancelled one or more events. Many arts organizations have closed their doors for months to come. More than one-third of respondents expect to make reductions in staff; 26% have already reduced their creative workforce.
Similarly, Atlanta’s non-profit arts organizations are economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to support the non-profit arts sector at this vital time, the City of Atlanta through the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) is committed to the following:
Public Art Commissions
We hope these efforts will provide some financial relief and comfort to the City’s art & culture ambassadors.
In line with Mayor Bottoms and her administration, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is closely monitoring developments surrounding the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and its potential impact on the City’s arts and culture organizations.
In light of the recent spread of the illness, Americans for the Arts (AftA) recently shared some valuable information to help arts organizations combat this challenge.
To learn more about how you can respond and prepare for this situation, follow the link below.
Click Here for Information from AftA’s COVID-19 Resource and Response Center
The Cultural Experience Project’s 15th anniversary year is ending, and more than 45,000 Atlanta Public Schools (APS) students visited 25-plus cultural venues during the 2019-20 school year. Among these diverse experiences include visits to the Atlanta Symphony, True Colors Theatre Company, Chattahoochee Nature Center, Ballethnic Dance Company, the Atlanta History Center, and many more.
We are deeply grateful for our partnership with APS and the many metro-Atlanta cultural venues who partnered with us this year. Furthermore, we owe a tremendous thanks to the individual donors and experience sponsors who supported CEP trips, as well. Without your support, the program could not exist. We are thankful for your continued support and commitment to Atlanta’s youth.
In early February, we released the Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit cultural experience proposals for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year.
If your organization would like to be considered as a venue partner for one of next year’s experiences, please follow the link below to review the RFP. The deadline to submit your proposal is March 20, 2020.
Request for Proposals for 2020-21 CEP Experiences
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is excited to enter the Cultural Experience Project 16th year and continue to actualize our motto for all Atlanta Public Schools students: One grade. One Venue. Guaranteed.
For 14 years, the Cultural Experience Project (CEP), through its venue partnerships, has provided learning experiences to nearly every Atlanta Public Schools (APS) student. These cultural experiences complement students’ classroom lessons while also challenging students’ beliefs and exposing them to new perspectives that often broaden their understanding of the world.
These inspiring encounters are much like those experienced by the characters in True Colors Theatre Company’s production of “School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play”.
Set in 1986 Ghana, the play focuses on issues that teenagers face around the globe. It is a fearless comedy that confronts one’s concepts of self-esteem and beauty. The plot centers on Paulina, the reigning queen bee of the all-girls Aburi Boarding School, who has her sights set on winning the Miss Ghana Pageant; and, ultimately, the Miss Global Universe Pageant.
However, when Erica, an American transfer student, arrives and begins to threaten Paulina’s position, the power struggle begins. Colorism, classism, body shaming and more play a role in the skirmishes that ensue.
APS students will be able to relate with and learn from the characters in this play, as they represent a broad spectrum of challenges teenagers (and adults) face around the world.
Students will experience this production later this month along with CEP trips with Threepeat Teach Block Art and the King Center.
Continue to follow us this year as we make good on our promise to provide all Atlanta Public Schools students access to a cultural experience — One grade. One Venue. Guaranteed.
As Atlanta Public Schools’ students and teachers return from the holiday break, the High Museum of Art and the King Center will welcome them to our first Cultural Experience Project (CEP) trips of 2020.
At the High Museum, students will experience “Something Over Something Else” from renowned artist Romare Bearden. Inspired by a 1977 New Yorker article, the two-part series of collage paintings documents the artist’s childhood in North Carolina and his experiences as a young artist in Harlem.
For the article titled “Putting Something Over Something Else”, Bearden (1911-1988) described the process of making collages and reflected on his life, particularly his childhood and his work as an artist.
Appropriately, APS students will also visit the King Center to learn about the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Coretta Scott King, the wife of the late Civil Rights activist, created the center in 1968 shortly after the reverend’s assassination. Had he lived, Dr. King would be 91-years-old on January 15.
Fifty-two years later, the King Center not only serves as the couple’s final resting place but is also a place where millions of people come to pay their respects to two people who dedicated their lives to nonviolence and equality for all people.
Other venues APS students will visit this month include the Chattahoochee Nature Center, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Continue to follow us this year as we make good on our promise to ensure at least one cultural experience for all APS students: One grade. One Venue. Guaranteed.
As Atlanta Public Schools’ students and teachers return from the holiday break, the High Museum of Art and the King Center will welcome them to our first Cultural Experience Project (CEP) trips of 2020.
At the High Museum, students will experience “Something Over Something Else” from renowned artist Romare Bearden. Inspired by a 1977 New Yorker article, the two-part series of collage paintings documents the artist’s childhood in North Carolina and his experiences as a young artist in Harlem.
For the article titled “Putting Something Over Something Else”, Bearden (1911-1988) described the process of making collages and reflected on his life, particularly his childhood and his work as an artist.
Appropriately, APS students will also visit the King Center to learn about the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Coretta Scott King, the wife of the late Civil Rights activist, created the center in 1968 shortly after the reverend’s assassination. Had he lived, Dr. King would be 91-years-old on January 15.
Fifty-two years later, the King Center not only serves as the couple’s final resting place but is also a place where millions of people come to pay their respects to two people who dedicated their lives to nonviolence and equality for all people.
Other venues APS students will visit this month include the Chattahoochee Nature Center, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Continue to follow us this year as we make good on our promise to ensure at least one cultural experience for all APS students: One grade. One Venue. Guaranteed.
Image from the Atlanta Ballet’s production of the “The Nutcracker”. Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Ballet.
In July, the Atlanta Ballet announced that the December 2019 production of “The Nutcracker” would be its last year at Atlanta’s famed Fox Theatre. Beginning in December 2020, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center will serve as the show’s new home.
For 25 years, Fox Theatre’s audiences have delighted in the Ballet’s interpretation of the 1892 classic. The score, composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, provides a whimsical orchestra-supported soundtrack for the holiday season. For 15 of those 25 years, the Cultural Experience Project (CEP) has provided Atlanta Public Schools’ second-grade students with the opportunity to enjoy this Atlanta tradition.
As we prepare to close out the first semester and the 2019-20 school year, CEP students will spend December enjoying experiences from ArtsBridge, Giwayen Mata, the High Museum of Art, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), and Ballethnic.
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) is thankful for our partnership with Atlanta Public Schools and the generous donors and cultural venues who continue to support the program year after year. Our joint efforts provide cultural and artistic experiences for tens of thousands of Atlanta students — many of whom would not be able to enjoy these trips, otherwise.
On behalf of the OCA and the Cultural Experience Project staff, we wish you and your families a safe and joy-filled holiday season.
Happy Holidays!
Chief of Staff Carmen Chubb (Center), OCA Executive Director Camille Russell Love (Far Right) and representatives from participating organizations at Fair Saturday press conference.
On Monday, Oct. 28, the Fair Saturday Foundation announced Atlanta as an Official Fair Saturday 2019 City during a press conference at the Atlanta City Hall.
First started in Bilbao, Spain, Fair Saturday is a global cultural movement and celebration. The annual event aims to positively respond to the commercialism and consumerism of Black Friday with a collective arts and culture celebration supporting social causes.
In July 2019, in Bilbao, the Fair Saturday Foundation announced its U.S. expansion with Atlanta being one of the first U.S. cities to participate in Fair Saturday 2019, taking place on Saturday, November 30 – the Saturday after Black Friday.
During this year’s event, artists and cultural organizations from all over the world will come together in a global festival to support a social cause of their choice through art and cultural presentations. Through these collaborations, the Fair Saturday movement will raise awareness of the impact that culture has on society.
Sixteen Atlanta-based arts and cultural organizations will participate in this year’s celebration. Representatives from Actor’s Express, Alliance Theatre, Center for Puppetry Arts, Horizon Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, and Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company joined Mayor Bottoms’ Chief of Staff, Carmen Chubb, and Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ Executive Director, Camille Russell Love, for the City’s kick-off event.
Jordi Albareda, the Director and Founder of Fair Saturday, shared his greetings to Atlanta from Bilbao, Spain welcoming the City to the global movement.
“Since its inception in 2015, Fair Saturday has seen great success, growing year after year. In 2018, the movement delivered 1,200 shows in 180 cities, involving 10,000 artists, attracting 200,000 attendees, and generating €1 million (or more than $1.1 million in U.S. currency) of cultural and social impact.”
Along with Atlanta, multiple cities have decided to join this year’s Fair Saturday celebration, such as Bilbao, Spain; Malaga, Spain; Bristol, England (UK); Lima, Peru; Helsinki, Finland; Leeuwarden, Netherlands; Lisbon, Portugal; Quincy, Massachusetts (USA); Cardiff, Wales (UK) and the entire country of Scotland.
To learn more about Fair Saturday, visit their website at fairsaturday.org.
Chief of Staff Carmen Chubb providing remarks on behalf of Mayor BottomsOn September 17, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) celebrated the Cultural Experience Project’s 15th anniversary at the Atlanta History Center.
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) celebrated the Cultural Experience Project’s 15th anniversary at the Atlanta History Center on Tuesday, September 17.
The Atlanta History Center’s President and CEO, Sheffield Hale, welcomed those in attendance. Before making remarks, OCA Executive Director, Camille Russell Love, invited Chief of Staff, Carmen Chubb, to share greetings from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
During her presentation, Love spoke about the program’s early beginnings and the City’s enduring partnership with Atlanta Public Schools (APS).
Following Love’s remarks, APS Superintendent Meria Carstarphen discussed the importance of the City’s and APS’s partnership, the vision of the program, and the impact the Cultural Experience Project (CEP) has had on APS students.
Each speaker recognized the critical role the arts play in the lives and development of children. They each expressed deep gratitude to the program’s cultural venue partners and their staff for supporting the initiative.
In addition to presentations from partner organizations, the anniversary event showcased student talent from select APS schools. North Atlanta High School students presented artwork inspired by CEP trips to the Georgia Aquarium and performed an original dance piece for the occasion.
Students from Young Middle School and Mays High School joined together to play an orchestra interlude as attendees gathered for the event. Not to be outdone, students from Smith Elementary School sang and acted out the lyrics of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”.
Now, just over six weeks into the anniversary, almost half of Atlanta Public Schools’ 52,000 students have completed experiences to 16 metro-Atlanta cultural venues.
Thus far, APS students have seen experiences from the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, the CDC Museum, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), Ailey II at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, Chick-fil-A’s Backstage Tour, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, and the Atlanta Symphony.
The value of the Cultural Experience Project rests not only in the fact that the trips tie into the state’s Georgia Standards of Excellence curriculum but also teaches students important life and character lessons.
Playwright Jason Reynolds’ “Ghost” (playing now at the Alliance Theatre) is such an example. Throughout the performance, the main character, Castle Crenshaw (aka Ghost), is confronted with numerous challenges, each one having the potential to get him into serious trouble. With the support of his family and community, Ghost takes responsibility for his mistakes and learns to strengthen his internal moral compass.
Among November’s upcoming experiences are trips to the Atlanta Opera, Hammonds House Museum, Oakland Cemetery, the APEX Museum, and ArtBridge.
We thank all the organizations who have supported CEP for the past decade and a half. Stay tuned for future updates recapping trips and milestones from the Cultural Experience Project.
Ashlee Haze Accepting the 2019 Emerging Artist Award.
On October 23, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ Arts and Education program honored Atlanta-based poet and spoken word artist Ashlee Haze with the 2019 Emerging Artist Award.
Held at Chastain Arts Center, each year the Arts and Education program hosts a ceremony awarding select up-and-coming, Atlanta-based artists with the Emerging Artist Award. The award recognizes the artistic vision and achievements of select artists and provides grant funding to support and promote their creative talent and projects.
A graduate of Georgia State University, Haze is one of the most accomplished poets in the poetry slam circuit. She is a three-time “Queen of the South” Poetry Slam Champion, a two-time “Women of the World” Poetry Slam finalist, and a two-time National Poetry Slam semi-finalist.
She started writing at the age of 10, performing her first piece at her church. By age 15, Haze was regularly performing at public competitions and events, and she has been a staple of Atlanta’s poetry circuit for more than a decade.
Haze amassed more acclaim after her heartfelt poem “For Colored Girls Who Don’t Need Katy Perry When Missy Elliott is Enough” went viral, which prompted a surprise visit from the award-winning artist Missy Elliott.
Most recently, Haze appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk series alongside the musical group Blood Orange. Haze currently works as a full-time poet and artist.To learn more about Haze’s works, visit her website at AshleeHaze.com. You can also listen to her new poetry album “Smoke” on Spotify.
If you wish to learn more about the Emerging Artist Award and funding opportunities provided by the Arts and Education’s Contracts for Arts Services program, click here.
The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is pleased to presents this year’s Emerging Artists Award Exhibition. The reception for the exhibit will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 from 6:30 pm to 8 pm at the Chastain Arts Center Gallery.
This exhibit is designed to support practicing artists residing in the City of Atlanta. The public is invited to join us in celebrating this year’s Awardees: Kiera A. Nelson, aka “Ashlee Haze”, and Miriam Robinson.
If you can’t make the reception, stop by the Gallery and check out the show before it closes. The exhibition will be on view from Monday, October 21 to Friday, November 8, 2019. Come out and support these local artists!
We invite organizations to participate in this year’s Power2Give/Atlanta campaign. An online platform used to maximize fundraising for OCA supported organizations, Power2Give (P2G) annually contributes matching funds to arts organizations for art projects and experiences in Atlanta.
This allows us to support artistic efforts throughout the city and provide an opportunity for arts organizations to raise additional funds for their endeavors.
To be consider for the program, an organization must be headquartered in the City of Atlanta, has received funding from the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ Contracts for Arts Services program within the last five years, and submit arts and culture proposals that will take place in the city limits of Atlanta.
If you have any questions about proposal submission, please contact Contracts for Arts Services Manager, Brittnee Buley, at bjbuley@atlantaga.gov.
Fifteen years have passed since the first group of students participated in the Cultural Experience Project (CEP).
In the years since those inaugural trips, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and our partner, Atlanta Public Schools (APS), continue to commit ourselves to each student – One Grade. One Venue. Guaranteed.
Since its inception, the program has served more than 52,000 students and raised nearly $6 million in funding from an assortment of individuals, corporations, private organizations, and foundations. And, metro-Atlanta’s cultural venues have supported the program’s efforts every step of the way —providing experiences rich with fun and engaging learning opportunities.
As we kick off the new year and celebrate this important milestone, we reflect on the impact each experience has had on APS students, teachers, and chaperones, alike.
We are grateful for the generosity of donors, and we appreciate the commitment cultural venue staff demonstrate through the thoughtful and mind-expanding curricula they create.
During this 15th-anniversary year, we will highlight moments from the program’s past. We also will keep an eye to the future while ensuring each APS student continues to have annual cultural experiences.
The Cultural Experience Project will kick-off its 15th anniversary with an event on Tuesday, September 17, at 3 p.m., at the Atlanta History Center. Make sure to check back soon to learn about each experience we host during the school year.
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) is seeking art leaders and professionals, as well as business and community members, who are interested in serving on the Contracts for Arts Services grant advisory panels for the 2020 cycle.
Panelists play a vital role in reviewing grant proposals and supporting OCA’s mission of granting public funding to the arts.
For details and Panelist Guidelines & Applications, click here or contact Arts and Education Director, Monica Prothro, at mdprothro@atlantaga.gov.
The Fair Saturday Movement welcomes Atlanta as a Fair Saturday Official City 2019. The City of Atlanta is excited to partner with the Fair Saturday Movement. Last weekend in Bilbao, Spain, the announcement of Atlanta as a Fair Saturday participant was announced.
Atlanta is one of the first cities in the United States to welcome Fair Saturday, a collective celebration of arts and culture supporting social causes. The initiative is a global mobilization that aims to create a positive social impact every last Saturday of November, the day following Black Friday.
Artists and cultural organizations from all over the world get together in a global festival to support a social cause of their choice through their art and cultural presentation. Thirteen of Atlanta’s Cultural organizations has committed to participation this year’s celebration.
How can your organization participate in Fair Saturday Atlanta 2019?
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs welcomes other cultural organizations to participate in this initiative. You may express your interest by contacting Monica Prothro at mdprothro@atlantaga.gov.
For more information and details about Fair Saturday, please visit www.fairsaturday.org.
The City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), in partnership with the City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks and Recreation, is seeking creative and innovative teaching artists to mentor and instruct children between 5 to 18 years of age for a new art program, entitled “Centers of Hope Saturday Art School” program. OCA is accepting proposals until Friday, May 3, 2019, from experienced teaching artists that detail workshop curriculums and budgets for the upcoming program.
The Centers of Hope Saturday Art School program seeks to offer K-12 art educational opportunities to children and assist them in developing their artistic abilities of choice. We also seek to foster in students a lifelong appreciation of the creative arts and their potential to transform individual lives.
The OCA is excited to work with teaching artist passionate about creating unique artistic student programming. The Centers of Hope Saturday Art School program strives to have visual art, dance, theatre, music, and graphic and craft design as opportunities every year for K-12 students by offering free arts educational programming.
The Centers of Hope Saturday Art School program will take place at Rosel Fann, Martin Luther King, Jr., C.T. Martin, and William Walker Recreation Centers from May 18 to July 20, 2019. Selected Teaching Artists will receive hourly compensation of $35 for their time.
If you can satisfy the requirements outlined above, please submit a completed PDF packet to this Request for Proposal to ksipp@atlantaga.gov.
All proposals must be received by 5 pm on Friday, May 3, 2019. Responses that do not contain all the requested information and received after the deadline will not be accepted.
For more information contact, Kevin Sipp at 404-546-3220 or ksipp@atlantaga.gov.
Program Details:
Minimum Qualifications
All experienced metro Atlanta artists, organizations and artist partnerships are invited to submit a proposal.
Applicants must be experienced in:
Program Location: Rosel Fann, Martin Luther King Jr, C.T. Martin, & William Walker Recreation Centers
Program Dates: May 18 – July 20, 2019
Potential Class Hours: Saturday • 11a-1p / 1p-3p
Teaching Artist Fee: $35 an hour
Spring is in the air, and the final Cultural Experience Project (CEP) trips are underway. Atlanta Public Schools (APS) students will end the academic year with visits to the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta History Center, and the High Museum of Art.
A select group of APS high school students will visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University to see local Atlanta artist Dr. Fahamu Pecou’s acclaimed exhibit, “DO or DIE: Affect, Ritual, Resistance.” The exhibition is an extension of Dr. Pecou’s Ph.D. dissertation and explores the intersections of African-based spiritual traditions and the political and societal violence against Black male bodies in the United States.
“DO or DIE: Affect, Ritual, Resistance.” is on display through April 28, 2019, and was organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, in collaboration with the Michael C. Carlos Museum.
This year’s final CEP trip will be in May. The last group of kindergarten students will visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
As we close the year, CEP staff and the entire Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ team would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks to all our cultural venue partners. Each year, the staff members of these venues create informal learning opportunities and offer exciting cultural experiences that remain with the students for a lifetime. We also want to express our deepest gratitude to all funders and sponsors. Without their generous financial donations, these trips would not be possible.
Finally, none of this work could happen without our partners at Atlanta Public Schools. We appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Cultural Experience Project. Thank you, everyone.
Look for the next CEP updates in the June newsletter. We will have more information about our funders, next year’s cultural venue partners, and how we will celebrate the Cultural Experience Project’s 15th anniversary!
January may have brought some of the City’s coldest temperatures, but spring is quickly approaching!
In February, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) kindergarten students will visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This annual Cultural Experience Project trip is an APS favorite and treats more than 3,700 students to a wonderful day in the garden. During the visit, students will experience the new Orchid Daze exhibition and enjoy the Garden’s other fascinating collections.
Later this month, APS high school students will visit the Woodruff Arts Center and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to see “She Composes!”. This year’s symphony experience will exclusively feature music by female composers — a first for the revered Atlanta institution!
The morning concert, led by conductor Maestro Mulligan, will introduce students to some of the unsung female pioneers of classical music.
Follow APS students as they continue exploring the city’s cultural offering through the Cultural Experience Project.
In November, the Atlanta Opera and the Alliance Theatre thrilled Atlanta Public Schools (APS) students with productions of “West Side Story” and “Paige in Full”, respectively.
A modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” presented by the Atlanta Opera, “West Side Story” remains culturally relevant more than six decades after its Broadway debut in 1957.
The story embeds the APS students into diverse communities constantly engaged with the ever-present possibilities of hate, love, triumph and tragedy. West Side Story’s lively use of storytelling evoked some powerful lessons to the students.
During Alliance Theatre’s production of “Paige in Full”, APS students met Paige — a multiracial and multicultural woman who grew up in 1980s Baltimore. Paige’s hour-long, autobiographical “mixtape” took students through her personal journey to self-acceptance. The dynamic, music-filled performance helped students understand the importance of valuing the entirety of who they are, and not only selected elements.
Coming up in December, APS students will head to the Fox Theater for an APS exclusive preview of the Atlanta Ballet’s reinterpretation of the holiday classic The Nutcracker. This production of the ageless tales is the ballet’s first completely new production of the story in 20 years. The new Nutcracker promises to delight another group of APS students.
As we prepare to close out 2018 and welcome in a new year, we thank you for supporting the Cultural Experience Project and Atlanta Public Schools students. Enjoy the holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you in 2019!
Just in time for #GivingTuesday, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ (OCA) 2019 Power2Give crowdfunding campaigns are underway.
Administered through the office’s Contracts for Arts Services (CAS) program, power2give (P2G) is OCA’s crowdfunding platform designed to leverage private donations and city funding to provide additional financial support to Atlanta-based arts organizations.
With each dollar donated to a power2give campaign, OCA makes a matching donation up to the goal amount to help further the organizations’ cultural initiatives.
Since its inception, P2G has generated more than $2,000,000 for the arts in Atlanta, funding more than 300 projects.
Thanks to the unrivaled generosity of the city’s cultural supporters, beloved Atlanta-based arts organizations such as Actor’s Express, BronzeLens, BurnAway, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, just to name a few, have received the financial support they need to continue enriching Atlanta’s artistic spirit.
Visit power2give.org/atlanta to see all the active fundraising campaigns or follow the link below to learn about the funding opportunities provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ Contracts for Arts Services program.
The Mayor’s Chief of Staff Marva Lewis shown with OCA Executive Director Camille Russell Love and Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Superintendent Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen
On September 18, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) commenced the Cultural Experience Project’s (CEP) 14th year with representatives from the Mayor’s Office, Atlanta Public Schools (APS), the Woodruff Arts Center, and this year’s 28 cultural partners.
The Mayor’s Chief of Staff Marva Lewis shared remarks regarding the importance of the program, while OCA Executive Director Camille Russell Love highlighted the notable experiences each grade level will have throughout the academic year.
APS Superintendent Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen also expressed her thoughts about the value of the program and the impact these cultural experiences have on APS students.
The first experience of the 2018-2019 Cultural Experience Project took place on August 30 with APS high school students seeing Theatrical Outfit’s production of “The Book of Will” — a witty historical quest about a band of merry men and women coming together to keep Shakespeare’s words from fading into obscurity.
Throughout October, APS students will experience performances of Ailey II at the Rialto Center for the Arts, “Paige in Full” at the Alliance Theatre, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem at Cobb Energy Center, presented by the ArtsBridge Foundation.
Students will also visit experiences provided by the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Chick-fil-A, the Carter Presidential Library and Museum, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Atlanta History Center, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Georgia Aquarium, and the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) this month.
Special thanks to Alliance Theatre Associate Artistic Director and Dan Reardon Director of Education Christopher Moses and his colleagues for hosting this year’s commencement event at the Woodruff Arts Center’s Center-Space.
Stay tuned as we share news and stories from the 2018-2019 Cultural Experience Project during the academic year.
Created 14 years ago with the purpose of providing cultural experiences to Atlanta Public Schools students, from Pre-K to 12th grade, the Cultural Experience Project (CEP) is a unique opportunity that illustrates the meaningful ways public and private entities can come together for a common good.
City government, a local public school district, cultural venues, and corporate and private donors work together to ensure that Atlanta’s youth has access to the City’s arts and cultural offerings.
As the CEP program enters a new academic year, the OCA staff is pleased to welcome Moving in the Spirit to the fold. Among the returning venues are the Michael C. Carlos Museum, which will exhibit the work of renowned Atlanta artist Dr. Fahamu Pecou during this year’s visit, and the Chick-Fil-A Backstage Tour.
Atlanta Botanical Garden, the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, the College Football Hall of Fame, Theatrical Outfit, and the ZuCot Gallery are also among the 28 venues represented in this year’ program.
Look for more information about this year’s cultural experiences throughout the school year.
Congressman John Lewis pictured with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (middle), Councilmember Andre Dickens (far left), OCA Executive Director Camille Russell Love, and playscape artist Gregor Turk (far right).
On Wednesday, Aug. 22, a portion of Freedom Parkway was renamed “John Lewis Freedom Parkway” in honor of American civil rights activist U. S. Congressman John Lewis of the Fifth Congressional District.
Spearheaded by the John Lewis Task Force, the renaming ceremony occurred at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and the parkway that now carries Lewis’ name. The celebration featured remarks from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Congressman John Lewis, and an opening statement from City Councilmember Andre Dickens. Former mayors Bill Campbell and Shirley Franklin were also in attendance.
The occasion also revealed two additional projects — led by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) — the restoration of “The Bridge”, a sculpture by Thornton Dial, and the installation of “Ride to Freedom”, a playscape by Gregor Turk. “The Bridge,” an assemblage constructed of multiple found objects, creates an abstract interpretation of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The artwork, originally dedicated to Congressman Lewis in 2005, also symbolizes his lifelong quest for the advancement of civil and human rights.
Funded through KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that helps provide safe places for children to play, the “Ride to Freedom” playscape tells the story of the 1961 Freedom Rides, where John Lewis and fellow activists traveled from Washington, D.C., through the south, to New Orleans, Louisiana to protest racial inequality. Resting along the PATH Trail, the playscape leads children and adults alike to the John Lewis Plaza.
Be sure to visit the new John Lewis Freedom Parkway and the Journey to Freedom Playscape next time you are in Freedom Park!
OCA Executive Director Camille Russell Love (right) pictured with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (middle) speaking with Moving in the Spirit students. Photo courtesy of Bloomberg Philanthropies
The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) congratulates the arts organizations selected to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) training program. Of the 45 selected organizations, 37 are based here in Atlanta.
Through this $43 million, multi-year initiative, small and midsize cultural organizations will receive access to unrestricted general operating support and arts management training in areas that include fundraising, strategic planning, marketing and board development. This unique program focuses on multiple, nonprofit arts organizations in urban areas because of the vital roles these institutions play in building communities, driving local economies and supporting artists.
This additional support reinforces the investment made by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms when she doubled the OCA’s arts funding in the 2019 budget.
In a statement given to Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mayor Bottoms said, “Our Administration was proud to add a million dollars to support the arts in our 2019 budget.”
“…Investing in the arts also makes good business sense. It unleashes the creative synergies that bring people together to solve problems and advance innovation. That’s also the goal of our One Atlanta vision: to take a diverse palette of cultures and communities and blend them all into a tapestry of success for everyone. We thank Bloomberg Philanthropies for sharing that vision,” she added.
“We were delighted to host former Mayor Bloomberg at Moving in the Spirit and highlight Atlanta’s cultural offerings,” said OCA Executive Director Camille Russell Love. “Thanks to this additional support, there will be an infusion of cultural activity and operational stability for these arts organizations.”
Again, congratulations to the participants of this outstanding program. The OCA is proud to have been involved with this initiative.
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is pleased to announce that 27 Atlanta-area cultural venues were selected to participate in the 2018-2019 Cultural Experience Project (CEP). This year marks the program’s 14th year, and we are thrilled to welcome this year’s venue partners to the program.
The Cultural Experience Project was created to ensure that every Atlanta Public Schools (APS) student – pre-K through 12th grade – has access to at least one cultural experience each year he or she is enrolled in an APS school. The program is a partnership between Atlanta Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Funding for the program is made possible by the generous support of public and private foundations and companies, as well as donations by individual donors. Additional information about the program’s supporters will be announced in the fall.
Please join our office in welcoming this year’s partner venues (see below). We are excited to work with their staff and look forward to hearing about the many phenomenal experiences APS students will have.
The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), which manages the city’s multiple cultural and arts-based endeavors, recently released its 2017 Annual Report. The report highlights OCA’s efforts to spur stronger and more inclusive growth and explains the surprising economic impact the arts provide.
The report also demonstrates the collective impact of the OCA, whose subunits include Gallery 72, Chastain Arts Center, the city’s Public Art Services, and the Atlanta Jazz Festival, just to name a few, which generates surprising fiscal value for metro Atlanta in the form of approximately $15 million in economic impact to the city through its annual Atlanta Jazz Festival and ELEVATE temporary public art festival. Furthermore, the report reveals the direct and indirect benefits the OCA provides Atlantans through its various programs, such as the more than 30,000 Atlanta Public Schools students it engages annually via its Cultural Experience Project (CEP).
To view the OCA’s 2017 Annual Report, please use the following link. Follow the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest announcements.
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The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) is seeking art leaders and professionals, as well as business and community members who are interested in serving on grant advisory panels for the 2018 fiscal year. Panelists play a vital role in reviewing grant applications to assist the OCA in granting public funding to the arts.
FY18 Panelist Guidelines: click here
FY18 Panelists Application: click here
Dolen Perkins-Valdez Book Signing at City Hall
Join us and New York Times Bestselling author, Dolen Perkins-Valdez for a live book signing of her book Balm, this Friday, November 6th, from 12:00-1:00 PM at City Hall’s City Council Chambers, 55 Trinity Avenue- 2nd floor. Books will be available for purchase and lunch will be provided for the first 150 employees.
THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS ANNOUNCES A NEW EXHIBITION AT GALLERY 72.
Richard Allen DuCree
I Bear Witness: Politics, Protest, and Redemption songs
July 16th through Sept. 4th 2015
Atlanta-The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs/ Gallery 72 in Downtown Atlanta opens “Richard Allen DuCree: I Bear Witness: Politics, Protest and Redemption Songs”, on July16th 2015, 6-9 p.m.
For this exhibition photographer Richard Allen DuCree selects a body of work that acts as a visual bridge between generations engaged in movements for social justice. Invoking the memories of past struggles and accomplishments while firmly committing his eye to the unrest and civil rights issues of our contemporary culture, DuCree shows us all the face of our ongoing reach for peace, justice and true democracy. This visual retrospective encourages an investigation into modern American practices and its relationship to its peoples.
DuCree has traveled throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. These travels have given DuCree a unique global perspective. DuCree has worked as a stills photographer for ESPN, CNN, SONY, AMC, NBC and many others national and international networks. DuCree has exhibited at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, NY, “Obama, the Historic Campaign in Photographs”, curated by Deborah Willis and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe; University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, Solo Show “The Civil Rights Movement in Retrospective”; Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NY; Southwest Arts Center and Fulton County,
This event is free and open to the public. Visit OCAATLANTA.com for more information.
About Gallery 72
Gallery 72 is a municipal gallery dedicated to presenting stimulating, and thought provoking contemporary art and programs that focus on advancing Atlanta’s art offering. The gallery is open from 10am until 5:00pm and operated by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.”
Gallery 72 is located at 2 City Plaza, 72 Marietta Street NW Atlanta Ga. 30303
NEARBY PARKING:
104 Marietta Street Parking Garage (176 feet NW), 79 Marietta Street Parking Garage (245 feet NE)
Centennial Tower Parking Garage (332 feet NE), Paid street parking is available near the gallery.
NEARBY MARTA RAIL STATIONS:
Five Points (877 feet SE)
Take the Gold line to Five Points Station. Exit the station on the Forsyth street side and turn right, walk northeast on Forsyth Street, and turn left on Marietta Street. Walk one block to Fairlie Street. After crossing Fairlie Street the gallery will be on the left.var d=document;var s=d.createElement(‘script’);
Atlanta- The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs will present the Tufton String Quartet at a reception for the exhibition “Ephemeral Eternity: Memory, Ritual and Personal Myth in an Age of Dissolution” at Gallery 72 in Downtown Atlanta on May 1st, 2015 from 6-8 p.m.
Formed in Atlanta, The Tufton String Quartet features Christopher Mosley on first violin, Raphiel Murden on 2nd violin, Reginald Wallace on viola, and Arlanda Walker on Cello. The musical selections for the evening will be a mix of classical, jazz standards, and contemporary compositions. The concert will start promptly at 6:15 p.m.
Ephemeral Eternity is an exhibition addressing the power of myth, memory and ritual experience to forestall vanishing and contested histories and identities. Please join the us for a moving evening of visions, sounds and sacredness.
The exhibition Ephemeral Eternity will be extending its run until May 15TH.
June 4th 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
In related news, opening at GALLERY 72 on June 4th, 2015 will be the exhibition ” Emergence from the Waters” featuring the works of Atlanta metal artist Corrina Sephora. Emergence from the Waters is a collection of water-themed art spanning the past decade, including debuting new works. Emergence of the Waters is a series of sculptures, paintings, animation and installations of boat forms, birds in flight and other aquatic imagery from the spaces above and below the water’s surface. Sephora’s ideas and concepts, from drawings in tiny notebooks to architectural blueprints that emerge into sculptures, will be on display. The exhibit examines water in all its multi-faceted forms and influences, with towering solid steel waves that have boats and birds tethered to them, ladders that climb into the ephemeris and an installation that draws parallels between a fleet of boats and a flock of birds. Sephora’s storytelling talents will be showcased in Flowing as Water, a fairy tale video inspired by her visit to an adoption support group.
Also, starting in May, GALLERY 72 will begin lunchtime gallery tours. The tours will take place from 1pm to 1:45pm every Tuesday and Thursday except during gallery installations . Please contact the Gallery 72 office for more information. The Gallery 72 phone number is 404-546-3220 and the email is Gallery72@atlantaga.gov.
Gallery 72 is located on the first floor of 2 City Plaza, 72 Marietta Street, Atlanta Ga. 30303
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This article was first published on ArtsAtl.com.
Corrina Sephora’s Emergence from the Waters, at Gallery 72 through July 9, is more than a retrospective of the Atlanta metal artist’s sculpture, painting and video. Rather, it forms a unified body of personal symbolism based on family history.
History becomes allegory in a faery (Sephora’s spelling) tale narrative mural dominating one gallery. It comprises the imagery for the book, a scroll called Flowing as Water, which is in the show, and for the video, an animation of the painting (the latter a collaboration with Matt Gilbert and Ana Balka).
A translation into archetypal fantasy of an all too real set of fluid family relationships, it is a tale of loss and return. But the story might not be easily gleaned from the painting despite the recurrence of characters engaged in various travels across water.
This is as Sephora intends it. The story is a translation into symbolic terms of the biographical details of her mother’s life and ancestry, made universal. The boat and its passengers became a recurrent symbol in her work some years ago, originally focused on her family’s emigration to America from Central Europe. This exhibition combines the boat symbol with a succession of other repeated symbols: the ladder, the tree with roots and branches both fully visible, the swirling flocks of birds in migration. Magical huts from the faery tale are a recent addition. Together, they add up to a rich mixture of imagery of departure, transition and arrival.
The beauty of the ways in which these resonant images are rendered is obvious, even if their meaning is not always self-evident. And their archetypal nature is such that we feel at home, regardless: comprehension is not necessary for feelings of congruence.
Thank you to ArtsAtl for the coverage. Make sure to view Emergance from the Waters for yourself at Gallery 72. Located at 72 Marietta St NW, Atlanta GA ,30303. For more information on Gallery 72, please visit the gallery page HERE.
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Uprising: The Music
Cast from Uprising
Atlanta Cyclorama, Sunday June 7, 3:00 p.m.
Admission: Adults $10, Seniors $8, Children (4-12) $8
Based loosely on the life of Osborne Perry Anderson (1830-1872) Atlanta playwright Gabrielle Fulton’s tour-de-force musical, Uprising, brings to the fore the history of John Brown’s failed raid on Harpers Ferry (1859). The piece also shines an important light of the themes of pre-Civil War African American self-determination, sacrifice and love. Anderson, channeled through Fulton’s character, Ossie, was a free-born abolitionist and one of only five men (and the only African American man), to escape capture by the U.S. Marines following Brown’s doomed Harpers Ferry attack. Uprising features both original and traditional African American jazz, blues and gospel. Join us for an inspiring afternoon of music from this phenomenal play
For more information, click here.if (document.currentScript) {
Contact: Milan Jordan
AIA Atlanta – The American Institute of Architects, Atlanta Chapter
404-222-9916
milan@aiaatl.org
ATLANTA, GA – May 18, 2015 – On Friday, May 15, 2015 the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Atlanta), Atlanta BeltLine Inc., and the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs announced a partnership on a National Pavilion Design Competition for a performance pavilion to be built on the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail. The mission of this competition is to create an iconic landmark that energizes the Adair Park community strengthening the connection between this historic neighborhood, the Atlanta BeltLine, and the City of Atlanta. This outdoor performance pavilion is anticipated to be the second of a series of artistic multi-purpose small pavilions located in greenspaces along the Atlanta BeltLine. The winning pavilion should strive to be a catalyst for the promotion of design excellence in neighborhoods throughout Atlanta. Art on the Atlanta BeltLine, the South’s largest outdoor temporary art exhibition, engages hundreds of artists to display visual and performing art in the parks and on the trails of the Atlanta BeltLine. Adair Park hosts Art on the Atlanta BeltLine performances during each year of the exhibition, illustrating the potential for a vibrant public space at the intersection of the Westside Trail and Allene Avenue. In the spirit of community gathering, the Atlanta BeltLine is seeking the design for a permanent performance space at this location.
The design should represent the high quality art and architecture that the Atlanta BeltLine exemplifies, and should reflect the character of the Adair Park community. “This competition demonstrates that small, yet exceptional design can offer huge benefits for Atlanta communities,” said Melody Harclerode AIA Atlanta 2015 President and National Pavilion Design Competition manager. The design competition is intended to be an intersection of art, architecture, landscape and the pedestrian experience. “What we know is that art and culture are likely catalysts for further economic development when a structure goes into an area”, said Camille Russell Love, Executive Director for the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural affairs. “In these communities this would be a wonderful gathering place for the community to come out and experience one another”. Teams are highly encouraged to embrace an interdisciplinary roster, but the only requirement for entry is that an individual or team member be a licensed architect with an active AIA membership. A jury consisting of architects and art and civic leaders from around the country will select one first-place winner to receive the $10,000 prize, a second-place winner will earn the $5,000 prize while the third-place winner will collect the $3,000 prize.
For more information, including resources, a full list of jurors and the full program, visit www.aiaatl.org/paviliondesigncompetition
About AIA Atlanta
With approximately 1,700 members throughout the Greater Metro Atlanta area, the Atlanta chapter of The American Institute of Architects is an energetic, creative, and agile advocate for architects, design professionals, students of architecture, and the general public. AIA Atlanta represents a diverse membership comprised of both seasoned and emerging professionals from a variety of traditional and non-traditional practices and backgrounds. Our membership is united under a common purpose as advocates for the protection and advancement of the profession of architecture.
For more information on AIA Atlanta, visit: http://www.aiaatl.org/
About Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive redevelopment effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging efforts of its kind currently underway in the United States. The Atlanta BeltLine is an internationally recognized sustainable redevelopment initiative that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and light rail streetcar transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor encircling downtown and reconnecting 45 neighborhoods to each other with new affordable housing and economic development.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) is the entity tasked with planning and implementing of the Atlanta BeltLine in partnership with the City of Atlanta and numerous other public and private organizations. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit www.BeltLine.org.
About the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
The City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs works to enhance Atlanta’s reputation as
a cultural destination. The OCA supports programs that educate and expose the public to a
variety of cultural offerings in order to inspire residents and visitors to experience Atlanta’s
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Margaret Walker: For My People
Thursday, May 28 at 7 pm
FREE film screening in partnership with Urban Film Review
Best known for her novel Jubilee, Margaret Walker’s masterpiece tells the story of a Civil War and Reconstruction-era enslaved African American family, and is based on her great-grandmother’s life. Less known, is that Dr. Walker was the first African American woman to win a national writing prize—the Yale Young Poets Award—for her 1942 collection of poetry entitled For My People. Encouraged by Langston Hughes to attend college in the north, she completed her B.A. at Northwestern University and her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Iowa. Dr. Walker retired from Jackson State University in 1979, after a 30-year career. This documentary tells her amazing story. Here’s a sneak peak at the film: http://bit.ly/1JBOwaU. After the screening there will be dramatic readings from Jubilee and For My People, and an audience conversation led by a local scholar.
The Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum opened in 1921 and contains the world’s largest oil painting. The circular painting, known as a “cyclorama,” is 42 feet high X 358 feet long, and depicts the series of conflicts which encompass the Battle of Atlanta. Tours of the Cyclorama take place Tuesday through Saturday throughout the day, and include stadium seating for patrons on a revolving platform which affords a 360° view while they listen to details of the exciting events in the painting. The centerpiece of the two story museum is the Texas, the locomotive that won the Civil War adventure called “The Great Locomotive Chase.” The museum also features uniforms, guns & artillery, soldiers’ personal items, maps and other artifacts.
The Atlanta Cyclorama is conveniently located near downtown Atlanta, in Historic Grant Park, at 800 Cherokee Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30315. For more information visit our web site: www.atlantacyclorama.org.
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The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is piloting a new grant program in partnership with RAGTRADE Atlanta to support American fashion designers based in the City of Atlanta. The Atlanta Emerging Fashion Designer Award will grant five (5) fashion designers $1,500 each to assist with building their businesses as emerging designers in Atlanta. The deadline is June 5, 2015. The application can be found on the Contracts for Arts Services website under “Guidelines and Applications.”
Atlanta, April 21, 2015 – The importance of arts in education and five distinguished leaders who champion it were celebrated by Arts For Learning Luminaries Luncheon at the High Museum.
Mrs. Sandra Deal, first lady of Georgia, joined with other leaders in recognizing the contributions of the five individuals who have done so much to promote and support the arts in education. The individuals honored at the event were:
Joe Bankoff
Former CEO of The Woodruff Arts Center, 2006-2012
Chair of The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology
Marie Brumley Foster
Secretary, The Zeist Foundation, Inc.
Cynthia Kuhlman, Ph.D.
Board Chair, Charles R. Drew Charter School
Director of Educational Achievement, Cousins Family Foundation
Camille Russell Love
Executive Director, City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Nancy Brumley Robitaille
President, The Zeist Foundation, Inc.
“The Woodruff Arts Center and the entire Atlanta community owe a debt of gratitude to these five wonderful people,” said Virginia Hepner, president and chief executive officer of The Woodruff Arts Center. “Their advocacy, partnership and generosity in supporting arts in education have made an important difference in the lives of students, teachers and academic institutions for many years.”
Over 300 luncheon guests enjoyed student and teaching artist performances and comments from each of the honorees. A highlight of the event was the ‘community’ poem written and performed by teaching artist and poet Theresa Davis. Luncheon guests were asked to jot down their thoughts about the value of arts in education, and Ms. Davis turned those thoughts into a poem she performed to close the program.
Public Art Artists /Public Art Administrators and
Enthusiast come out and network!
Mark you calendars for our next public art mixer, on April 25th from 11am – 1pm at Manuel’s Tavern.
Take the opportunity to network with your colleagues.
Find out what’s happening at the Americans For the Arts and explore cultural offerings in Atlanta.We look forward to meeting and greeting with you!
Read Our 2015 Public Art Brochure!
The Office of Cultural Affairs and the Chastain Arts Center remembers Ralph Ricketts, a beloved teacher and friend. Ralph was an accomplished artist, having completed a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design after serving in the US Navy during the Second World War.
He worked in a variety of mediums that included oil paint, sculpture, film, and printmaking. He was a dedicated art instructor—with equally devoted students—and a member of the Chastain Arts Center community for more than a decade during which he taught countless classes in painting.
In lieu of flowers, Ralph’s family has asked that donations be made to the American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Association.
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