For years, Atlanta artist and curator Courtney Brooks has made space for Black art to be celebrated. Now, she’s created a space of her own.
CBROOKS gallery, Brooks’ new contemporary art space located inside The Upton in Southeast Atlanta, opened earlier this month with kNOw Regrets. The 23-artist group show explores themes of healing, resilience, and creative legacy. Full gallery hours begin July 1.
“I always knew I wanted to open a gallery,” Brooks said of CBROOKS, one of the few Black woman-owned galleries in the city. “But I didn’t know it would happen like this—through a residency proposal, a mural plan, and a divine alignment that made me say, ‘My gallery?!’ That moment changed everything.”
Brooks’s equal parts intimate and expansive artistic approach was most recently seen in Journey of a Black Girl, her installation at Atlanta Contemporary. The work featured oversized braids, a community braiding workshop, and immersive storytelling centered on Black girlhood, healing, and self-love.
CBROOKS gallery is an extension of that practice. The space is inviting, designed to showcase the breadth of Black contemporary art in all its forms. From striking oil portraits to abstract fiber pieces, the gallery elevates both emerging and established artists across disciplines.
Each featured work was selected through what Brooks describes as a spiritual and intentional process. That same sense of purpose shaped the gallery’s inaugural show. kNOw Regrets includes work by Vek Neal, Melissa A. Mitchell, Dubelyoo, and other notable Atlanta-based artists, alongside first-time exhibitors and new voices in sculpture, collage, photography, and mixed media.
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“When guests visit CBROOKS gallery, I want them to experience alignment,” Brooks said. “To find art that resonates with them … makes them feel something.”
kNOw Regrets is on view through August 9, with an artist talk scheduled for July 12. The exhibition is free and open by appointment (Tues.–Sat., beginning July 1). To schedule a visit, explore available works, or learn more, visit cbrooksgallery.com or follow @cbrooksgallery on Instagram.