In April, Lavender Lens, in partnership with The Bakery Atlanta, hosted Queer Movie Night at its semi-new home, The Supermarket, with a screening of “Shinjuku Boys,” a Japanese documentary about three transgender men in Tokyo.
The initiative, created by artist Carrie Miller, aims to help build the queer arts community from its Poncey-Highland event space.
Carrie Miller founded Lavender Lens in 2023 to amplify creative queer media in Athens. In 2024, Miller shifted their focus to Atlanta. The organization’s monthly film screenings spotlight independent cinema, arts, and other local businesses such as Charis Books & More, an independent bookstore known for its focus on feminist and LGBTQ+ literature.
Previous screenings have included movies such as “Bound,” “I Saw The TV Glow,” and “Paris is Burning.”
Opened in 2024 by the same people who created The Bakery, The Supermarket is a flexible space for artists working across disciplines, including music, film, visual art, and performance. It has become an important part of Atlanta’s evolving arts scene.
“I feel like they[The Supermarket and The Bakery] are opening up a space for people and artists of all backgrounds to come together and experience art in a way they may not have been able to before,” said Kara Elise, a local photographer whose work has been featured in an exhibition at the venue.
Atlanta creatives who have experience with The Supermarket said the space stands out for its emphasis on community collaboration and versatility. This approach has drawn a diverse group of creatives who see the venue as an alternative to more traditional galleries or performance spaces.
The venue offers several customizable spaces. Lavender Lens’ Queer Movie Night uses The Black Box room.
“A lot of curators and artists are discovering this space and are able to do almost anything with it to make their vision come to life and that’s so beautiful,” Elise said.
Miller advocates for the versatility of the space.
“I believe The Supermarket has a strong and positive impact on the local art scene. It creates a hub where multiple events and creative projects can exist simultaneously, which helps foster an atmosphere of collaboration, experimentation, and artistic energy.” Miller said.
The Supermarket hosts multiple types of events. The venue allows for filmmakers, visual artists, and musicians alike to customize the spaces to fit their vision. Makenna Lyric played music for an Artists Market at The Supermarket in April.
“They highlight talented artists, partner with Black-owned businesses, and are a great space to lift up artists of Atlanta,” said musician Makenna Lyric, who has performed at the venue multiple times.
As rent and development prices increase, many artists are turning toward community-driven and do-it-yourself models to sustain their work. The rise of spaces like The Supermarket reflects a need in Atlanta’s arts scene. While most of their business is private rentals, they prioritize accessibility and artist-led events through partnership programs, presenting a range of performing and visual artists. They also allocate a number of days each month to their nonprofit partner, The Bakery Atlanta, which hosts year-round educational art programs, exhibitions, and more in the space.
For more about Lavender Lens, check the IG @lavenderlensatl. For more about The Supermarket, visit thesupermarketatl.com.
This story is part of Rough Draft Atlanta’s spring collaboration with writing students at SCAD.
