Carrying legacy forward
Sep. 18 — Atlanta knows how to honor legacy while pushing toward what’s next.
You can see it in this week’s two Sketchbook stories—one inside a new city arts hub, the other in a hall of football lore.
In the West End, I sat down with Adriane Jefferson inside the newly opened Pearl Cleage & Zaron Burnett Center for Creativity & Culture. Six months into her role leading the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Jefferson shared how she hopes to connect Atlanta’s cultural silos, center equity, and shape a new creative identity for the city.
Meanwhile, artist Steve Penley offered his perspective on capturing ESPN icon Lee Corso in paint for the College Football Hall of Fame. His bold, color-saturated portrait channels Corso’s vibrant personality and underlines Atlanta’s role as both a sports and cultural capital.
Both remind us that legacies aren’t fixed. They’re carried forward, reshaped, and made new in the hands of those willing to do the work.
Ever forward.
—Sherri
Building Cultural Connections
🎭 Adriane Jefferson, Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs executive director, shares lessons from her first six months and her vision for a more connected creative community.
➡️ Learn Jefferson’s plans to connect Atlanta’s creative dots.
Chalk it up: art, fun, and family in Chamblee!
SPONSORED BY DISCOVER DEKALB
🎨 Join the City of Chamblee for their 4th annual Chalk Walk & Artist Market – a fun, family-friendly event where sidewalks become masterpieces and creativity knows no bounds!
Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just love doodling, there’s space for everyone to show off their chalk art skills. You can compete in the artistic competition, support fine art vendors, enjoy cooling and water stations, free parking, free face painting, and more!
➞ On Sat., Sept. 20, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Chamblee City Hall. Get details here!
Every Color for Corso
🎨 Artist Steve Penley captures ESPN legend Lee Corso in a vibrant new portrait, now on view at Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame.
➡️ Step inside Penley’s bold take on a GameDay icon.
Art Happenings
✨ INTERCHANGE | 7 p.m., Sept. 18 | Zuckerman Museum of Art (ZMA).
🎨 Preternatural and Under Construction Opening Reception | 6–9 p.m., Sept. 19 | Spruill Gallery.
🎪 Finster Fest Art Festival | 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sept. 20–21 | Paradise Garden.
🗣️ ADAMA Arts Salon 65 with Lauren Jackson Harris + Brit Sadé Guerin | 2 p.m., Sept. 21 | ADAMA.
🖼️ Fragments And: Conversation and Art Making | 7-8:30 p.m., Sept. 21 | The Supermarket.
Post of the Week
🌍 Curating the Global South
Atlanta Art Week named Aida Esi Hayfron-Benjamin Special Projects curator. Through her Afro-Caribbean lens, she’s shaping programming around Atlanta’s global connects.
🖋️ Today’s Sketchbook was edited by Collin Kelley.
