Atlanta Beltline Inc. recently partnered with TILA Studios to launch the Beltline Business Ventures: Artists Edition pilot program. Now halfway through, organizers and artists reflect on the ways this accelerator program empowers local artists to build their own successful art practices and gain valuable contracts for public art.
“Expanding the Beltline Business Ventures to include the local artistic community has felt like a natural progression of the program,” said Natalie Jones, Project Manager for the Beltline Business Solutions Office in a statement.
The Beltline Business Ventures program, as a whole, offers three months of learning sessions, monthly peer learning and networking, 1:1 business advice, resources to help businesses establish brick-and-mortar locations in the Beltline planning areas, pitch competitions, and an eventual graduation. This endeavor aims to prepare small, local businesses to succeed by providing technical assistance and resources that will enable them to physically locate their business in the area.
And now, with the application of these same resources and operational support aimed at local artists, the Atlanta Beltline is enabling local artists to scale their artistic careers to the next level with invaluable connections and opportunities.
“Arts and culture are intrinsic to our organization’s identity and mission and this partnership with TILA Studios has enabled us to tailor a program that specifically addresses the needs and aspirations of artists. We couldn’t be prouder of the inaugural class of artists and look forward to seeing how this program supports them in their growth,” Jones continued.
Artists participating in this 9-week program are learning both in-person and remotely from experienced public artists and art experts including Alex Francombe, Public Art Program Manager of Fulton County, artist and sculptor Ellex Swavoni, Executive Director of Dashboard Oshun Layne, artist Autumn Breon, Tony Loadhold who owns and operates 11th Hour Scene Shop & Studio, and Sammetria Goodson, Managing Attorney at Goodson Law Firm.
“I’m having a great experience,” said Charity Hamidullah, one of the 2024 Artist Cohort. She cited the value of being challenged in this setting, and shared some of her most exciting experiences in the first half of this program, including visits to the studios of sculptor Tony Loadholt, connections with fabricators including Ellen Swavoni, and in-depth sessions that are devoted to helping artists thrive as whole people.
While there is certainly an emphasis on the business aspects of art, Hamidullah told me that this experience has been more holistic than just a crash course in business development. They also emphasize the artists’ wellness, health, and rights.
“I truly am grateful for TILA,” Hamidullah continued. “I was a part of the cohort in 2018 and it was a huge factor that always made me think bigger than what was in front of me. Still, [to] this day, if there is space for TILA to pour in my life and many others – they will continue to [do so] over and over again.”
The Atlanta Beltline Business Ventures: Artists Edition weekly sessions are focused on equipping artists with tools, advice, and education that will help them level up in their artistic practices. With learning focused on topics such as developing a career roadmap, writing creative proposals, engaging with the community, and even the nitty-gritty of negotiating contracts, the result is a cohort of entrepreneurial artists who are ready to create and install large-scale public artworks.
“The Beltline Business Ventures: Artists Edition pilot program positions artists to scale and reimagine their art in a larger format to be considered for public works,” said Tiffany LaTrice, executive director of TILA Studios.
“The Beltline Business Ventures: Artists Edition has been instrumental in educating and empowering the cohort with essential knowledge to scale their artistic practice and grow in the profession of public art,” LaTrice explained.
“The artists have formed long term relationships not only with the incredible facilitators but with each other. They send us updates about how they collaborate outside of our weekly sessions, learning new skills & conducting their own studio visits. It’s exciting to witness how the program has been a bridge to opportunities, connections that the artists may not have had access to,” LaTrice continued.
The inaugural cohort class for the Artist Edition of their Beltline Business Ventures program includes painters, muralists, collage artists, textile artists, sculptors, a fabricator, photographer, and an interdisciplinary team.
The 2024 inaugural Beltline Business Ventures: Artist Edition Cohort includes
- Marryam Moma
- Jordan DeLoach
- Charity Hamidullah
- Camisha Butler
- Tracy Murrell
- Debra “Debbi Snax” Randolph
- TeMika Grooms
- Artis Hill Williamson
- Joseph Abu
- Emmy Marshal
- Ian Gallo
- Erica Angelica
- Alana Wicker
- Margo Perkins
- Ptar Flamming
- Christine Cannon & Jon Lumpkin
“TILA Studios has been an incredible partner,” said Lynnette Reid, Atlanta Beltline’s Vice President of Planning, Engagement and Arts & Culture.
“Their deep roots in the artist community coupled with their creativity and high-level of programmatic expertise has made this an invaluable initiative. It will, without a doubt, enhance the future of our Art on the Atlanta Beltline program and the Beltline’s public art landscape, creating an even more vibrant, inclusive and diverse artistic ecosystem.”
For more information about the Beltline Business Ventures program, check out their website.
