As Atlanta eases into its version of winter, the Atlanta art gallery Spalding Nix Fine Art turns its attention to a single gathering. “ENSEMBLE,” the gallery’s annual holiday group show, returns Nov. 21–Jan. 16 with new work from more than 60 artists—it’s the most extensive lineup yet.
For owner Spalding Nix, who has run the Buckhead gallery since 2003, the sheer scale is part of the point. “It’s my favorite show of the year,” he says. He looks forward to the week before installation, when artists drop off new work and the gallery fills with canvases, sculptures, and monotypes. “All of our favorite people, all of our favorite artists …,” he says. Then comes the annual challenge: “How do we present this in a way where everybody shines, everybody’s story gets to be told?”
“If you’re in Atlanta and you love art, you’re so lucky. You have so many excellent resources at your fingertips.”
Gallery owner Spalding Nix
Training the eye
The show’s mix of mediums and perspectives, Nix says, is central to its appeal. Visitors can move through dozens of viewpoints at once and sharpen their own understanding of what they respond to visually. Viewing a single-artist exhibition—he uses Rothko as the example—can feel overwhelming. But here, contrast becomes an entry point.
“It really helps you to train your eye… It’s just as important to figure out what you don’t like as what you do like,” he says.
This emphasis on discovery gives the exhibition its tone. Although “ENSEMBLE” carries the festive feel of a holiday event, Nix views it as something more profound—a regional portrait that changes every year. “There is always a very strong cultural red thread that weaves its way through all artists who are working,” he says.
Amanda Brazier’s Cooper’s Hawk arranges hand-formed papers into radiating earth-toned segments marked with repeating patterns. (Courtesy of Spalding Nix Fine Art) 
Wendell George Brown’s ‘Family Portrait’ depicts three stylized Black figures seated against a vibrant quilt-like border. (Courtesy of Spalding Nix Fine Art) 
Sachi Rome’s ‘Rainy Sunday Rest’ layers swirling earth tones and textured marks in a large-scale abstract composition. (Courtesy of Spalding Nix Fine Art)
He sees the shift clearly when he revisits past installations. “I was just looking back at the install photos from the last few shows. It looks completely different from what we’re seeing from artists today,” he says. And the reason is simple: “I think it’s really wild how much the times, the Zeitgeist of the times, influences everybody’s work.”
The result is a kind of collective snapshot—dozens of Southeastern artists interpreting the same cultural moment in wholly different ways. “Put those pieces next to each other,” he says, “and that red thread will emerge.”
Spotlight on Heather Bird Harris
One of this year’s anchors is new work by painter Heather Bird Harris, whose summer exhibition at the gallery drew a strong response. Nix says highlighting her again felt obvious. “She’s a very hard-working artist finishing up her MFA right now at Georgia State,” he says. Her recent show “struck a chord with a lot of people,” and sustaining that momentum is essential to him: “We need to encourage and celebrate artists who are pushing themselves.”
He recalls a moment earlier that morning when a visitor came in asking about one of Harris’s large-scale pieces after seeing it online. “It really connected with us,” they told him. For Nix, that kind of unsolicited reaction affirms the show’s purpose and the power of presenting new work at a pivotal moment in an artist’s practice.
Collectors, he says, often use “ENSEMBLE” as a barometer for shifts in artists’ styles. “You get to see what your favorite artists are up to right now,” he says. Asking artists to contribute one or two works that represent the best of what they’re making opens a window into their evolution. “Every time I turn on the lights every morning, it’s just amazing how many surprises jump off the wall,” he says.
Opening doors to Atlanta’s art community
Though the show is rooted in celebration, Nix is equally clear that accessibility drives everything he does. He rejects the idea that galleries must feel intimidating or exclusive. “That’s just not true in Atlanta,” he says. “The galleries that I love could not be more welcoming… approachable and accessible and fun.”
He points to artist talks, openings, and the sense of connection that forms naturally in the space. “So many of the people who bought our artists’ work become good friends with the artists,” he says.
Read More:
• Art Rules: Buy what you love
• Interactive art installation reflects Ponce de Leon Avenue
With more than 60 participating artists—including Trish Andersen, Jordan Baker, Peter Essick, Sachi Rome, Katherine Sandoz, Jerry Siegel, Corrina Sephora, Gregor Turk, and many others—the 2025 edition of “ENSEMBLE” promises a panoramic view of the region’s creative pulse. The exhibition invites longtime collectors and new viewers alike to step inside, wander, and look closely.
“If you’re in Atlanta and you love art, you’re so lucky,” Nix says. “You have so many excellent resources at your fingertips.”
“ENSEMBLE 2025” is on view Nov. 21–Jan. 16 at Spalding Nix Fine Art. Opening receptions will be held Nov. 21 and 22.
