Portrait of Clifford Jones by artist Dwayne Mitchell, one of a series of portraits that will be apart of the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits collection.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) announces the exhibition of the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, opening Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 3:30 p.m.
“This Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits exhibit at Hartsfield-Jackson, one of the busiest airports in the world, will honor these kids and be of great comfort to many of the families and residents of Atlanta,” said Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Selected from a competition of over 100 regional visual art professionals, artist Dwayne Mitchell was commissioned to create 30 portraits memorializing each victim of the Atlanta Child Murders.
The OCA will exhibit Mitchell’s completed portraits at Hartsfield-Jackson in the Domestic Terminal atrium with a companion catalog. After the exhibit, the artwork will transition into the City’s Public Art Collection.
The Atlanta Child Murders were a series of killings committed between 1979 and 1981. At least 30 African Americans—mostly children and adolescents—were targeted.
“I want to thank Mayor Bottoms, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, The Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce, and our award-winning art program for honoring the lives that were lost during this horrific time with the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits at Hartsfield-Jackson,” said Airport General Manager Balram “B” Bheodari.
In 2019, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an administrative order to establish the Mayor’s Advisory Committee: Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce. The Taskforce, comprised of mayoral appointees from the community, was charged with determining an appropriate acknowledgment of the lives cut short during the Atlanta Child Murders. The Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits was one of two projects determined by the taskforce to acknowledge the memory of the lives lost. The second project, the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Eternal Flame, is currently under review and will reside on the grounds of Atlanta City Hall once complete.
The City of Atlanta thanks artist Dwayne Mitchell for sharing his artistic vision with us as we work to memorialize
the lives lost during one of the City’s darkest hours. To learn more about Dwayne Mitchell and his art, visit www.dartportraits.com.