This past spring, a group of talented and passionate art professionals from small and mid-sized arts organizations gathered together at Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery to revive the Atlanta Arts Alliance.
The Atlanta Arts Alliance was originally formed in 1963 following the tragic plane crash at Orly Field in Paris that killed 106 Atlanta art professionals. In the years since, the Alliance’s institutional members have included the Atlanta School of Art, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Children’s Theater, Alliance Theater Company, and the Atlanta Art Association which now goes by the High Museum of Art.
The founding members of this newest evolution of the Atlanta Arts Alliance hail from the Atlanta Photography Group, The Bakery, Burnaway, Echo Contemporary, Eyedrum, Flux Projects, Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences, MINT Gallery, and Pillyr Foundation. Over the course of monthly meetings they have discussed the ways in which the Alliance can advocate for and better serve the artists and patrons of the greater Atlanta community.
Their first event, the Atlanta Arts Alliance Open Studio Weekend, is set to debut on Fri., Sat. 29 through Sun., Oct. 1, 2023. “The Atlanta Arts Alliance is excited to organize the first citywide open studio event in order to foster a deeper connection between working artists and the general public,” said Alliance member Willow Goldstein of The Bakery. “Our hope for Studio Weekend is that greater awareness will build a deeper appreciation for local creatives.”
Designed to serve as a city-wide celebration of visual arts and the artistic process. The self-guided tour will lead visitors to a number of artist’s studios which will be open to the public during select hours.
With a number of locations ranging from Gresham Park to Brookhaven, and from Buckhead to the West End, there is a huge variety of works, mediums, and studio spaces to peruse. The Atlanta Arts Alliance hopes that this inaugural event will contribute to the city’s “vibrant arts ecosystem.”
On Sat., Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. the public is invited to Eyedrum for a panel discussion about the state of the Arts in Atlanta, and a closing party at MINT Gallery will take place on Sun., Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. Participating studios include South River Art Studios, Underground Atlanta, the Georgia Chalk Artists Guild, Cat Eye Creative, MASS Collective, MINT Gallery, Eyedrum, B Complex, and more. For a full list and more information about participating studios, go to the Atlanta Arts Alliance website.