On any given afternoon, Grant Park’s historic Oakland Cemetery is the kind of place that makes you slow down. Red brick paths wind past marble headstones and mausoleums. Magnolias shade Bell Tower Ridge. Oaks frame the African American Grounds. Then April arrives, and after sundown, the gardens fill with light.
Now in its 19th year, Historic Oakland Foundation’s illumine exhibition brings artists into the cemetery to install light-centered, interactive and immersive work throughout the grounds in Atlanta. This year’s exhibition runs April 16–19 and April 23–26.
For the second year, Cat Eye Creative gallery founder Adam Crawford co-curated illumine alongside members of the foundation’s team. The partnership grew out of a personal connection. Oakland volunteers and board members who were fans of Cat Eye Creative’s work made the introduction.
“Even though Oakland is a beloved Atlanta institution, arts are not our main focus,” said Sandy White, Historic Oakland Foundation’s senior director of programs and volunteers. “To be able to collaborate with a gallery allows us to connect with and consider a more diverse list of artists.”
illumine has cycled through several curatorial voices over its nearly two decades. The Atlanta art agency Dashboard shaped earlier editions. Cooper Sanchez, who served as creative director and remains an Oakland gardener, was another collaborator. Through each iteration, White said, Oakland’s program staff worked closely with artists to keep the event aligned with the cemetery’s identity.
“We want to use illumine to creatively showcase the story of Oakland and, therefore, the story of Atlanta,” White said.
This year’s exhibition gives that intention a theme: “Foundations.”
The artists’ paths
illumine’s 2026 contributor roster includes landscape artist Vanna Black, visual artists Marcia R Cohen and Jordan Graves, muralists Fabian Williams and Christina Kwan, graffiti artist VAYNE, artist Daniel Phelps, light artist Eddie Farr, The Neon Company and photographer Ralph Eugene Meatyard.
“Everyone’s background and story is unique,” Crawford said. “We like to have the exhibition present multiple mediums, some viewable during daylight and others requiring darkness. Some are interactive and immersive, while others are more conceptual.”
Read More:
• Up in Lights: The Neon Company creates iconic signage for films, local businesses
• Cat Eye Creative lands in Decatur
Featured interpretations of “Foundations” range from literal to philosophical. All are weather-proof. All are visible at night. All are designed durable enough to withstand two weekends of public handling. The pieces line paths through the grounds’ Original Six Acres and Jewish Flats, with stops near the graves of former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell, musician Kenny Rogers and golf legend Bobby Jones.
“Some artists incorporate their work onto mausoleums or site-specific locations, while others give a nod to those around their piece, like Eddie Farr’s piece [next to] Kenny Rogers and Marcia Cohen’s piece in the Jewish Flats Burial Ground,” Crawford said.
Each contributor walked the year’s route alongside White, learning the cemetery’s history and the stories of its residents, then worked with White and Crawford to think through the challenges of creating within a site so venerated that it’s listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
“It’s like a dance between the curation, artists and foundation,” Crawford said, “to make the best artwork and experience for all parties.”
New partners, new scale
Three new partnerships expand illumine’s reach this year. The High Museum of Art worked with the Oakland team to feature the work of late photographer Ralph Eugene Meatyard (1925–1972), making him the first artist to appear in illumine posthumously. Artist Daniel Phelps created his piece using the Atlanta Downtown CAP MAP Rover, a mobile digital projection platform. And the Neon Company, which has been crafting neon signs on DeKalb Avenue for 40 years, has work on display at illumine for the first time.
Crawford sees the three partnerships as expressions of what illumine aims to do: pull together artists and organizations that reflect the full range of what Atlanta is.
“We think it’s super special to bring all these partners and artists together to tell their story and illuminate the cemetery together,” Crawford said.
illumine 2026 also introduces three new ways to experience the event. Premium Tickets at $50 include drink tickets, complimentary beverages and a limited-edition artist sticker set. Pick Your Price Nights on Sundays, April 19 and 26, offer discounted tickets. And nightly Artist Spotlight Tours at 8:30 p.m. put an artist or curator front and center, walking guests through the installations from the inside.
Creation for a cause
illumine is Oakland’s marquee fundraiser. Proceeds support Historic Oakland Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit that has stewarded the cemetery since 1976. Last year, illumine broke its attendance record. Crawford said the team “doubled down and went even bigger” this year, adding artists and partners to build on that momentum.
For White, the measure of success is simpler. illumine works when it brings Atlantans to Oakland for the first time, or shows people who think they know the cemetery something they have never seen. The preservation work that follows — the restored brick paths, the stabilized mausoleums, the century-old trees kept standing — is what makes the next visit possible.
