Join curator Chad Dawkins, Ph.D., and student artists at Atlanta Contemporary for a guided gallery tour of Rejoice, Resist, Rest, a Getty Research Institute (GRI) funded exhibition about the legendary Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) archive, a major collection of 20th century African American culture, photography, and media history.
Then, take part in a zine history presentation and hands-on workshop led by curator Nydia Blas, M.F.A., where you’ll create your own zine to take home. Stay for a reception with light refreshments and connect with artists, students, and the community!
Gallery Tour starts at 2:00 PM
Zine Presentation & Workshop at 2:30 PM
Reception from 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Exhibition Background:
With generous grant-funding from the Getty Research Institute (GRI), the AUC Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective developed a semester-long student-led photography project utilizing the JPC digitized photography archive. Our project and exhibition, titled, Rejoice, Resist, Rest: Images of Black Liberation from the Johnson Publishing Company Archives, enabled students to engage directly with the historic JPC archive through research, writing, artmaking, and group curation.
Under the guidance of Professors Nydia Blas, M.F.A., and Chad Dawkins, Ph.D., students from Seminar in Curatorial Practice (Dawkins), Fictive Photo: Creative Image (Blas), and the History of Photography (Blas) selected and analyzed images from the JPC archive to further define and visually conceptualize “liberation”. For their semester project, students were encouraged to respond creatively to the historic photographs, such as “re-mixing” the images via collage, multi-media, and contemporary re-creations, free writing, poetry, small group discussions, printing zines, and, as a finale, curating both the historic photos and their own creations for exhibition. The exhibition culminated in two iterations: the first was installed in mid-December 2025 in the Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts at Spelman College, and the second is currently on view at Atlanta Contemporary until May 17, 2026.
Chad Dawkins, Ph.D. is a critic and curator. His work has appeared in E-flux,Glasstire, Art Lies, Art Papers, and Artforum among others. He has written essays for several exhibition catalogues and artist monographs. He has curated numerous exhibitions, both independently and as a gallery director. He is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History and Curatorial Studies at Spelman College.
Nydia Blas is a visual artist who grew up in Ithaca, New York and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a B.S. from Ithaca College and received her M.F.A. from Syracuse University in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work has been commissioned by The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Time Magazine and more. She has completed artist residencies at Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, The Center for Photography at Woodstock, and Villa Albertine in Marseille, France.
Nydia uses photography, collage, video, and books to address matters of sexuality, intimacy, and her lived experience as an American girl, woman, and mother of Afro-Panamanian descent. She delicately weaves stories concerning circumstance, value, and power and uses her work to create a physical and allegorical space presented through a Black feminine lens.
Open Studios is your chance to meet the artists in our Studio Artist Program and experience their work up close. Explore the studios, connect with creatives, and maybe take home a new favorite piece.
All are welcome—artists, students, professionals, and art lovers alike.
Ticket sales support subsidized studio spaces, and sponsorships help provide honoraria for exhibiting artists across our campus.
A Panel Discussion with Alexis Peskine , Armelle Tulunda, Shanequa Gay, Ngima Sarr, aka T.I.E, and moderated by curator Clarke Brown
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Villa Albertine Atlanta partners with Atlanta Contemporary to present a conversation between current French residents Alexis Peskine and Armelle Tulunda, Atlanta-based artist Shanequa Gay, and former Senegalese Villa Albertine resident Ngima Sarr, aka T.I.E. Moderated by curator Clarke Brown.
