For Immediate Release

Atlanta Contemporary receives $120K Grant from Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

ATLANTA—October 26 – Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta Contemporary) thanks the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta for their generous $120,000 grant for operating costs. Their incredible financial commitment will be spread out over the next two years in $60,000 allotments.

This award funds all of the day-to-day operations that keep Atlanta Contemporary operating for free, every day. And with our attendance up more than 80% since we first eliminated admission fees, support from generous organization like The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta ensures that our audiences better reflect the city we are a part of. “We are grateful to the Foundation for their investment in Atlanta Contemporary and our free admission policy. This generous grant will support our mission of engaging the community—all of the community—in contemporary art,” says Randy Gue, Chair of the Board of Directors.

Since 1951, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has been connecting the passions of philanthropists with the purposes of nonprofits doing that work. With 65 years serving the 23-county Atlanta region and a robust team of experts, the Community Foundation manages the behind-the-scenes details, empowering donors to focus on the joy of giving. The Community Foundation is a top-20 community foundation nationally with approximately $900 million in current assets and is Georgia's second largest foundation. Through its quality services and innovative leadership on community issues, the Foundation received more than $113 million from donors in 2015 (unaudited) and distributed more than $139 million that same year to support nonprofits throughout the region and beyond. In 2016 Charity Navigator named the Community Foundation a four-star rated nonprofit, its top distinction. For more information, visit: www.cfgreateratlanta.org.

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 six–10 exhibitions within four seasonal cycles each 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 50+ 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.

Funding from the Foundation also supports the creation of two new, part-time positions. Atlanta Contemporary is pleased to welcome Geewon Ahn and Abby Bullard to the staff. In the role of Visitors Services Associates, Ahn and Bullard will work to ensure that the growing number of patrons who come through our doors receive the highest level of customer service by answering any questions about the exhibition, sharing more information about the 60+ artists we support annually, and developing a new system to increase philanthropy to Atlanta Contemporary.

Geewon Ahn is an Atlanta based multi-disciplinary artist and a graphic designer. Her work involves creating prints and 3-dimensional flexible forms of a comfortable ambiance that are yet dynamic and possibly mystical or illusionary. Ahn received a BFA in Graphic Design / Book Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland and a MFA in Printmaking from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work has been included in a solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally at venues including the Mason Fine Art, GA; Whitespace(Whitespec) Gallery, GA; L1 Gallery, GA; A1LabArts Gallery, TN; WonderRoot Gallery, GA; El Minia University, Egypt; Riggs & Leidy Galleries, MD; Korean Design Festival, South Korea.

Abby Bullard is a printmaker and mixed media artist who received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the Savannah College of Art & Design in June of 2016. Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Abby made her commute to Georgia back in 2012 and has lived in Atlanta for 2 years. Since graduating, she has been spending half of her time as a Printer for Alee & Press, a letterpress and design studio.

About Atlanta Contemporary

Atlanta Contemporary engages the public through the creation, presentation and advancement of contemporary art.

All press inquiries, contact:

Veronica Kessenich, Executive Director

veronica@atlantacontemporary.org