ARTober in Gwinnett turns 10 this year. For all 31 days of October, Explore Gwinnett’s county-wide celebration fills the calendar with exhibitions, festivals, performances and workshops. This year, it’s also taking art beyond traditional spaces — into a brewery, onto town greens and inside a former bank drive-through.
When ARTober started, the goal was to highlight the arts and cultural experiences already happening across Gwinnett, said Madison Chucci, senior community development manager at Explore Gwinnett. Ten years in, the approach has changed.
“It’s not just about telling people where they can go see art anymore,” she said. “We’re really trying to bring art to people and make it something they can experience, interact with, and be a part of.”
ARTober 2026 in action
“Art doesn’t have to happen in a traditional art space,” Chucci said.
Three Mini Art Galleries put that idea to work. Visitors can take something, leave something they’ve made or donate supplies for someone else. The galleries sit at Peachtree Corners Town Green, Suwanee Circle and behind Eye Candy Art Studio in downtown Duluth.
“You don’t have to consider yourself an artist, and you don’t have to spend money to participate,” she said. Because the contents keep changing, no two visits will be the same.
In downtown Norcross, “GROW HERE” turns an abandoned bank teller drive-through in the Skin Alley public-art district into an immersive garden from Oct. 1 through Nov. 8. Artist Lisette Correa, also known as ARRRTADDICT, designed the temporary installation with dimensional sculptural flowers, oversized grass forms, mirrors and other playful elements. Explore Gwinnett, arts agencyhttps://www.dashboard.us/and the City of Norcross partnered on the project.
“It’s a space that people probably drive or walk past without giving much thought to,” Chucci said.
A family-friendly art festival
If you make only one ARTober stop, Chucci recommends Not Your Mother’s Art Fest, 6-10 p.m., Oct. 16 at Slow Pour Brewing in Lawrenceville. Explore Gwinnett hosts the free, family-friendly festival with the City of Lawrenceville and Slow Pour Brewing. It’s open to all ages, with live art demonstrations, immersive installations, street performances, music, fashion and hands-on workshops.
“It’s really about experiencing art rather than just looking at art,” Chucci said. The name, she added, “gives us permission to have a little fun with it.”
Atlanta artist Broly Su created this year’s festival artwork. His style draws on graffiti, hip-hop, anime and pop culture. Explore Gwinnett wanted the art to represent the festival itself: “a little unexpected, a little weird, and just fun,” Chucci said.
Chucci calls the festival “a snapshot of what we’re trying to do with ARTober this year.” Visitors can arrive with one idea of what the night will look like, she said, and “end up discovering something completely different.”
“Honestly, that’s what I’d want people to take away from the 10th anniversary of ARTober,” she said.
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What’s next for Gwinnett’s ARTober
A year from now, Chucci w’ll count the 10th edition of ARTober a success if people tell Explore Gwinnett, “I found an artist I love,” “I discovered a new part of Gwinnett” or “I tried something I’d never done before.”
“I don’t think it’s just about attendance numbers,” she said. “Of course, we want people to come out and participate, but if we can get people to look at Gwinnett a little differently and realize how much creativity is happening right here in their own backyard, then I think we’ve done what we set out to do.”
Gwinnett’s ARTober 2026 includes daily arts and culture events happening across Gwinnett County. Learn more at exploregwinnett.org.
