Founded in 1998, Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) has continually sought to put Atlanta on the map as a hub for photography. They do so by coordinating events, organizing lectures and education programs, and facilitating public art.
ACPfest, their largest annual event, has been a longtime favorite happening every fall in Atlanta. In recent years ACPfest has grown significantly, featuring hundreds of events online and in galleries throughout the city.
Back in July, ACP announced big news: Lindsey O’Connor was brought on as the new Executive Director.
Prior to accepting this role, O’Connor, a highly experienced arts administrator with a wide breadth of expertise, was working as the Biennial coordinator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. Also on her CV are positions at the Guggenheim Museum, High Museum of Art, American Federation of Arts, and Biennial of the Americas. And now she’s bringing all of those diverse skills to Atlanta, and pushing ACP forward into a new era of excellence.
This year’s ACPfest coincides with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music and culture, and will therefore pay tribute to that history through photography, and especially through a uniquely Atlantan lens.
Now, under the leadership of O’Connor, this festival of photographic art is evolving yet again into a more succinct and condensed experience. The ACP 25th Anniversary Auction Gala will take place at the Delta Flight Museum on Saturday, Sept. 23.
The gala will feature three Honoree Spotlights; Shannon McCollum, Flo Ngala, and Anna Walker Skillman.
Photographer Shannon McCollum was integral in documenting the early years of hip-hop in Atlanta. McCollum captured some of the young performers who have furthered the global understanding of the city’s immense talent. The likes of President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, BB King, Lenny Kravitz, Janelle Monae, Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Notorious BIG, Killer Mike, Lil Wayne, and Erykah Badu have all been captured by this talented self-taught photographer.
Selected as for the 2023 ACP Ones To Watch, Flo Ngala is an emerging photographer whose work includes fine art, commercial photography, and documentation of the Metropolitan Museum’s Met Gala. She has photographed music royalty including Method Man, Busta Rhymes, Gucci Mane, Burna Boy, Cardi B, Kodak Black, and Nas, just to name a few.
Most local art-lovers will be familiar with Anna Walker Skillman, the endlessly knowledgeable Creative Director of Jackson Fine Art. She is known for her cultivation and collection of photography in the city over the past 33 years, and at this year’s ACPfest she is being honored for her commitment to uplifting great photography.
When I had the opportunity to speak with O’Connor about the future for ACP, she shared her enthusiasm for the organization and lauded its reputation as a home for lens-based media in Atlanta.
“We want to continue to develop the porousness between Atlanta and other art hubs,” she explained. She told me that they hope to develop more public programming to accompany exhibitions and continue a sense of collaboration with the local arts community. O’Connor mentioned that they want to push ACP beyond their identity as a marketing engine. “We really hope that people are pushing themselves to beyond the limit,” she said.
ACPfest 2023 will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 6pm at the Delta Flight Museum in Hapeville. There will be a live art auction, fine dining experience, and music by DJ Dallas Austin. Tickets are still available online, and prices range from $300 for one gala ticket, seat in the auction gallery, and afterparty access all the way to $3,500 for eight gala tickets, four patron party tickets, a premium gala table, and gala afterparty access.
PS – There are also rumors of a big announcement being planned for the ACPfest, so those in attendance will be the first to know about future developments for ACP!
Beyond the ACPfest, this fall ACP will also present a number of exciting exhibitions including:
- On Sept. 30, the Emerging Artist Exhibition at Mint Gallery will feature works by Chelsea Mukenya, the 2023 Emerging Artist Fellow, showcased alongside Emily Llamazales, Jackson Markovic, Spencer Charles Greene, Sydney A Foster, Tori Larkins-Graham, andTyler Yvette Wilson for the group exhibition On The Verge: Selections from the MINT + ACP Fellowship.
- ACP is also planning to participate in Atlanta Art Week which runs from October 2 through Oct. 8.
- On Oct. 16, the CDC will showcase Ghosts of Segregation, an exhibition of works by photographer Richard Frishman whose works explore the lingering influence of segregation, slavery, and institutional racism.
