Atlanta Contemporary announces And So We Begin
On View: February 27 – Until
Public Opening: Saturday, February 27

ATLANTA – February 25, 2021 – Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta Contemporary) is elated to announce the inaugural community mural. The goal of this project is to create a platform for the community that centralizes their narratives; holds institutions accountable for intentionally using the space they occupy; and unapologetically celebrates everyday resistance. Hence, this project has gathered creatives from numerous disciplines to present a multitude of perspectives of Atlanta’s future and is the commencement of the Atlanta Futurists.

Atlanta futurism is an imagined community of creators that make the art that creates, celebrates, and documents lived experiences and imagined futures for a more equitable and inclusive future where everyone has the room to breathe and be.

There are many ancestral traditions that center around celebration and community as a way to combat hatred and violence, which are still practiced today in Atlanta. Although these traditions of resistance can take different forms, many use arts to document and amplify their message. This is because art overcomes language barriers and can bring different messages together by using patterns. There are so many beautiful ways to create a pattern, through bringing ideas together and repeating them in an order using color, shape, line, texture, sound, and light.

It is essential to celebrate and share both new and old patterns with the community in order to find new paths to the future together- both through visual methods- weaving, rhythms, gardening, drawing, dancing, collage- and through empowering imaginations.

Images submitted by artists to the open call have been woven together in a wheat-pasted collage installation, inspired by the work of Romare Bearden, an artist and activist who was instrumental in Atlanta’s art community from the 1970s to 1980s. Bearden, known for his collage work, was one of the preeminent artists of the Harlem Renaissance. His practice spanned many types of media, including oils, pastels, cartooning, watercolor, printmaking, songwriting, and sculpture. He used his art to celebrate Black cultures and document the world he lived in. Bearden was an activist, a social worker, and an advocate for independence and resisting white supremacy in both his art and life.

This mural is co-curated by Magda Dumitrescu, Independent Curator and Artist and Nisa Floyd (Atlanta Contemporary, Program Coordinator), Independent Curator and founder of Art Makes.

The full list of artists is as follows:

Chloe Alexander
Chanell Angeli
Jah Bailey
Abdul Barnes
King Barnes
Noah Beich
Treyvian Dowell
Hannah Elijah
Ana Castillo Lopez
Keyarow Mosley
Jason Padaetz
Tokie Rome-Taylor
Sachi Rome

About Atlanta Contemporary

Atlanta Contemporary engages the public through the creation, presentation and advancement of contemporary art. Founded in 1973 as Nexus, a grassroots artists’ cooperative, Atlanta Contemporary has since become one of the southeast’s leading contemporary art centers. We play a vital role in Atlanta’s cultural landscape by presenting over 45 exhibitions throughout the year, featuring consequential artists from the local, national, and international art scenes. We are one of the few local institutions that commissions new works by artists, paying particular attention to artists of note who have not had a significant exhibition in the Southeast. We organize 90+ diverse educational offerings annually, unrivaled by other local organizations of our size. We are the only local organization to provide on-site subsidized studio space to working artists through our Studio Artist Program, removing cost as a barrier to the creative process. Visit atlantacontemporary.org to learn more.
All press inquiries, contact: Nisa Floyd, Program Coordinator nisa@atlantacontemporary.org IMAGE CAPTIONS: Magda Dumitrescu Hootie Hoo, 2020 Digital