Atlanta Beltline Art, known for captivating experiences along the trail segments, has been enriching the community through murals, art installations, performances, and more since their inaugural 2009-2010 season.
The team at Atlanta Beltline Art has just announced a new slate of offerings for spring 2025, including installations, activations, and calls for art.
“Spring is always such a fun time as it typically marks the start of our exhibition season,” Amina Cooper, Director of Arts & Culture for the Atlanta Beltline, said. “As the weather warms up and more people get out on the trail, we get to provide programming that enhances and deepens their Beltline experience. Each event is unique and highlights a different aspect of the city’s creative community.”
“We’re also excited about the launch of two new opportunities for local artists and cultural producers, including our traditional call for performances and cultural events on the Beltline,” Cooper continued.
“New this year is our Pre-Qualified Artist Registry, which is open to artists of all mediums and levels of experience who are interested in exhibiting their work along the Beltline trail. We’re looking forward to collaborating with fresh voices and bringing new artworks and activations for the public to enjoy.”
Artists can add their names to the artist registry and learn more about open calls for art here, and those interested in joining the Beltline Public Art Advisory Committee can learn more about the role on the Atlanta Beltline website.
So, without further ado, here’s what’s blooming on the Atlanta Beltline this spring!
A new mural by Atlanta Beltline Curator-in-Residence EuGene V. Byrd III, “Work in Progress: An Honest Look at Fatherhood,” is now in place at 1200 White Street along the West End Trail. In the sprawling mural, Byrd depicted a number of real fathers and their kids. The original portraits were first produced on canvases during the 2024 No Tables No Chairs celebration at Shirley Clarke Franklin Park. In the series, and subsequent mural installation, Byrd explores what it means to be a Black father in community, and presents his work through this impressive public art piece.
“Everyone has a narrative about fatherhood,” said Byrd in a behind-the-scenes interview. “Whether you’re a father or not, Black or whatever, we all have some type of thoughts about fatherhood. Out of all the titles I hold, father is the one that means the most — the most important to me. What’s important to you as an artist — it should reflect in the work.”
Celebrate the 10-year anniversary and artistic legacy of Tiny Doors ATL, with a limited series of free walking tours along the Atlanta Beltline on Saturdays; April 26, May 24, and June 28. Artist Karen Anderson Singer will kick off the tours from the very first tiny door in Krog Street Tunnel, then visit various sites along a 0.7-mile stretch of the trail, and end with a visit to the private Tiny Doors ATL studio.
Learn the origin of this beloved Atlanta public art tradition from the artist herself, and attend an exclusive Q&A with Singer in which she will share a hands-on look at materials and techniques she uses to create these special doors.
Light up the night with the 15th Anniversary of the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade on Sat., May 3 starting at 7:30 p.m. Visionary artist Chantelle Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons not only created this impressive tradition, but have managed to build it into a legacy of great art experiences that delight thousands of viewers and participants along the Atlanta Beltline year after year.
Giant puppets, marching bands, and many local Atlantans will journey from Adair Park to Lee + White, where an All-Band-Puppet-Jam after party with live music and chances to engage with the Krewe’s colossal creations.
The Southeast Woodlands Stickball Summit will present a rare opportunity to witness a traditional indigenous sport. Historically played by multiple Indigenous Nations, stickball is a full contact sport similar to lacrosse; players wield sticks to hurl a small, woven leather ball to teammates who score by touching or hitting two poles at either end of the field.
Throughout history, stickball has been used to settle disputes and train young warriors, with first recorded instances of the game tracing back to the early 18th century. Today, it’s a form of living history for indigenous communities, and this second annual Stickball Summit invites players from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma to play at Shirley Clarke Franklin Park on traditional Muscogee land in the heart of Atlanta.
The event is organized by Emory University’s Center for Native & Indigenous Studies in partnership with Atlanta Beltline.
A/V Radio, Ree de la Vega’s independent, off-the-grid ratio station situated in a shipping container, has been located on the Atlanta Beltline just underneath the Freedom Parkway Bridge and near the Thomas Taylor Memorial Skatepark since 2023. This freeform and uncensored platform allows musicians and DJs to present music that falls outside the guidelines of traditional radio outlets.
Music is experienced through speakers on the shipping container, on the A/V radio website, or via an app that allows you to see inside the DJ booth and interact with them, live. Ree de la Vega is a vinyl enthusiast and lifelong music lover, known for her vibrant, non-conformist music tastes that celebrate LGBTQ and feminist issues. Multiple dates, May-July.