The Atlanta Beltline is best known for its trails. But since 2019, it has been quietly building something else along the 22-mile corridor. The Beltline’s Business Façade pARTnership Grant puts local artists to work on the storefronts of small businesses, making both more visible, more viable, and more connected to the neighborhoods around them.
Now in its third cycle, the program has invested $538,838 across five businesses and seven artists. Here is what you need to know.
1. It started as a pilot program — and kept growing
The program launched in 2019 as a test. “Does this work? Does this focus on artists and the businesses?” said Laura Linman, economic development project manager at the Atlanta Beltline. Most façade grant programs, she noted, don’t treat the art as central to the work. This one does.
Ten businesses have now received grants across three cycles. Previous recipients include Carver Neighborhood Market, CreateATL, Pegleg Studio, A/C Clutch Bicycle Shop, and Red’s Beer Garden. The third cycle represents the program’s largest investment to date.
2. The Beltline sees artists as entrepreneurs — and pays them like it
Each artist in the program receives more than a commission. The Beltline provides access to general contractors, architects, and structural engineers and works with artists on their project budgets to ensure they pay themselves a fair wage for their work. Compensation is benchmarked against each artist’s previous work and the scope of the project, with the Beltline’s contractor partners helping to ground those numbers in market reality.
Businesses are eligible for up to $50,000 in funding, with a required 5% match not to exceed $2,000. The program works in collaboration with grant facilitation partner Purpose Possible.
3. Businesses choose their own artists
The selection process is collaborative by design. The Beltline vets artists through portfolio review and prioritizes those based in metro Atlanta, with a particular interest in emerging artists. The Beltline then presents each business with three finalists, and the business makes the final choice based on style and proposal.
“The businesses drive the selection in so many ways,” Linman said. Artists are also welcome to apply as a team. In this cycle, the Moma Murrell Collective — visual artists Marryam Moma and Tracy Murrell — applied together, as did Fabian Williams with assistant artist partners Ruby Chavez and Shawn “Stu” Stewart.
“We truly see artists as entrepreneurs. This is far more than just our trails. It’s about building a more equitable and economically resilient Atlanta.”
Laura Linman, economic development project manager, Atlanta Beltline
4. Five businesses, five very different visions
The third cycle spans neighborhoods from the Old Fourth Ward to the Westside, and the work reflects the range of those communities.
At One Source Affiliates on Ralph David Abernathy Avenue, muralist Sway Jones created an Atlanta-themed collage of landmarks, sports teams, and politics. At Lee Street Meats, the Moma Murrell Collective painted a mural that bridges Oakland City’s past and present through imagery of community, food, and neighborhood pride.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Williams, Chavez, and Stewart honored the Ashview Heights neighborhood with layered imagery tracing its history from the early presence of the Creek Nation through the founding of the Atlanta University Center. At Harbor Coffee on Elizabeth Street, David Moore, designer, maker and founder of Referent Studio, used steam-bent wood to create seating, planters, and a ramp that softens the building’s industrial façade and improves accessibility.
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Moore also transformed the exterior of Fred Martin Welding on Edgewood Avenue, a family-owned shop that has served the Old Fourth Ward since 1938. A 70-foot painted pathway now leads visitors to the entrance, with a hand-lettered timeline marking the business’s history. A custom deck and metal trellis are underway, with the Martin family fabricating key elements themselves.
5. The goal is a lasting pipeline — for artists and for neighborhoods
Linman wants participating artists to leave with new skills — working with fabricators, managing a project budget, navigating a public art commission — that open doors to future work.
“Some of these artists have never done a façade project before,” she said. “Maybe they’re working with a fabricator for the first time. But they’re able to take those skills and build upon them for future opportunities.”
The Beltline also maintains contact with all past applicants — not just recipients — notifying them when new cycles open. The program, Linman said, is built on relationships with the artists it has worked with, the networks those artists carry, and the organizations across Atlanta that help spread the word.
