This coming weekend, the Atlanta BeltLine is hosting ATL Jam with So So Def Walls Celebration Day. The event will include guided tours of street art, live installations, and a vendor’s market.
Featured artists include Dr. Dax, a Dungeon Family member originally from Miami who has become an Atlanta legend in the style writing scene. His works have appeared on walls across the city and around the world for more than three decades. Totem, a world-renowned style writer who hails from Atlanta, uses a pioneering 3D style and epitomizes artistic versatility that has put him on the map as one of the most talented contemporary style writers working today.
Also on display are the United Kings Crew, Atlanta’s first hip hop graffiti crew that was established in 1981. Today, its members are in their late 50s, and their influence can still be felt in the Atlanta style writing community. Other notable artists participating include Save, Poe, Tares, Jolt, Skie, SparkyZ, SBOne, and Won2.
Bringing together more than 25 of the city’s most influential style writers over a three-day celebration, the weekend’s festivities also include ATL Jam, which is a showcase of Atlanta style writing with live paint sessions that tie into Atlanta’s hip hop legacy dating back to the 80s. Installations that are completed during the free event will become a part of the Atlanta BeltLine mural collection.
The So So Def Walls Celebration which includes walking tours and live paint demonstrations is a tribute to one of the few remaining safe spaces for graffiti art in Atlanta. Made popular because of its location under the iconic So So Def billboard on I-75/85 South, the billboard became a symbol of safety and welcoming to aspiring style writers. Tours will be led by Antar “Cole” Fierce, a retired graffiti writer turned historian.
ATL Jam will take place on Fri., Nov. 3 through Sun., Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Lee + White on the BeltLine’s Westside Trail. Visitors can watch style writers working on their pieces from concept to execution as well as peruse vendors and enjoy a live DJ. On Sun., Nov. 5 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., visitors to Pittsburgh Yards will be invited to join guided tours, enjoy live music, shop at a vendor’s market, and witness day-long paint sessions. The event is free and open to the public.
