Within Reach
Sep. 25 — The theme is accessibility: invitations that make people feel welcome.
The Atlanta Art Fair opens tomorrow at Pullman Yards with 60+ galleries, public programming—large-scale installations, site-specific pieces, and interactive projects—and 10,000+ fellow fairgoers. Even seasoned art lovers might find it daunting. Luckily, Atlanta Art Fair artistic director Nato Thompson and host committee member Esohe Galbreath share insider knowledge for navigating Atlanta’s biggest contemporary art event.
At Emory on Friday, filmmaker Mark Levinson and his collaborators showed how experimental images help general audiences feel and follow quantum science. Our recap traces what made it click: clear language, editorial restraint, and art that illuminates.
And at Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, a new exhibition of Al Clayton’s photographs opens a door onto 1980s Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ nightlife—from Mr. Charlie Brown to a young RuPaul—and invites today’s viewers in.
Accessibility isn’t abstract; it’s making big ideas, big moments, and big events easy to enter.
You’re welcome.
—Sherri
P.S. Another way Atlanta keeps art accessible: free, open-air festivals. This weekend, catch Blue Stone Arts & Music Festival (Sept. 26–28, City Green, Sandy Springs) and NBAF’s Thriving Together Atlanta Community Arts & Wellness Festival (Sept. 27, Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park). Consider yourself invited.
Insider tips for navigating Atlanta Art Fair 2025
🧭 Atlanta Art Fair Artistic Director Nato Thompson and host committee member Esohe Galbreath have thoughts on making the most of this week’s fair.
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🍾 Join us for Grand Tasting Midtown on Thursday, Oct. 17 at the Epicurean Hotel Atlanta!
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The Art of Science
🎬 Notes from a roundtable discussion on ‘The Universe in a Grain of Sand,’ the documentary by director Mark Levinson that pairs avant-garde images with quantum research.
Clayton’s Atlanta, Found
📷 Oglethorpe University Museum of Art spotlights Atlanta’s 1980s LGBTQ+ scene with 35+ black-and-white photos and contact sheets by the late Atlanta photographer Al Clayton.
Art Happenings
🧩 SYNTHESCAPES — Opening Reception | 6–8 p.m., Sept. 24 | Spalding Nix Fine Art.
👁️ Eyes on Atlanta: Lumen – Women & Nonbinary Artists Open House & Reception | 7–9 p.m., Sept. 25 | APG Gallery at Ansley Mall.
📚 Southern Ground: The Legacy of Radcliffe Bailey and the Future of Black Southern Art | 4–6 p.m., Sept. 26 | Auburn Avenue Research Library.
🎉 ABV Gallery 15 Year Anniversary Celebration | Noon–10 p.m., Sept. 27 | 1206 Metropolitan Ave SE.
✊🏾 Hold the Line, Volume III: Ode to the Black Woman Opening Reception | 7–9:30 p.m., Sept. 27 | PATH Museum.
Post of the Week
🎥 “Nuestra Tierra” in Motion
Panamanian-American Anji Ray shouts out her fellow exhibitors in the Decatur Arts Alliance’s 5th Annual Placita Latina show, “Nuestra Tierra,” on view through Oct. 17. Presented with Placita Latina Georgia, the exhibition anchors Hispanic Heritage Month programming across Decatur.
🖋️ Today’s Sketchbook was edited by Collin Kelley.
