Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta Contemporary) is pleased to announce the artists participating in the Studio Artist Program Retrospective Group Show. With a roster of 20 multigenerational, multicultural and multidisciplinary female artists - She Is Here intentionally defies existing norms for art institutions where recognition and inclusion of women is underwhelming. She Is Here fosters women working with women, and women supporting women.

The Artists were selected from alumni and existing participants from the Studio Artist Program (2001-2020) in sync with the organizational shift from Nexus to Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. The artists and art selection unfolded organically. Common themes blossom and intertwine. Each artist plants her seed in the collective garden, where impressions of identity, femininity, home, motherhood, mothering, domesticity, spirituality, ritual, body image, aging and interconnectedness reappear and overlap.

“On March 13, Atlanta Contemporary temporarily closed our galleries to ensure the health and safety of our guests. Our pivot to virtual exhibitions and digital programming Changes The Way We All See Art,” says executive director, Veronica Kessenich. “Almost 120 days later – with a new HVAC system and visitor guidelines – we have re-opened. While the impacts of COVD-19 are still to be determined, She Is Here emphasizes the history, relevancy, and resiliency of art and artists to Atlanta Contemporary and our community. Art IS essential – and the work done by Kristen and Daricia affirms this truth.”

She Is Here will be the first exhibition at Atlanta Contemporary following the impact of COVID-19, shelter in place order and social distancing. New artwork is informed by the wave of the pandemic, as well as the substantial shifts in race relations and massive social and political divides. She Is Here for reflection. She is Here for peace. She is Here.

The exhibition is co-curated by Kristen V. Cahill, Independent Curator and Curator at The Lola and Daricia Mia DeMarr, Independent Curator and co-founder of Black Women in Visual Art