Get to know South Atlanta artists and creative spaces at ‘South of Center’ event

Organizers envision it as the beginning of an annual tradition, one that finally gives the Southside the spotlight it deserves. The tour offers a freewheeling look inside the spaces currently shaping the artistic soul of the area.

Credit: Photo by Terrell Clark

Credit: Photo by Terrell Clark

“The art scene in South Atlanta has evolved significantly,” says artist and event co-founder Corrina Sephora. Like many artists, Sephora moved south in search of affordable studio space and found unexpected community.

“It’s a bit of the ‘final frontier,’ and there’s a lot of opportunity here,” she says. “This area might not be the fanciest part of the city, but it’s full of beauty and creativity, and I believe the event has the potential to alter how people view this side of town.”

Over the past decade, South Atlanta has quietly transformed into a haven for artists priced out of intown neighborhoods. Former industrial spaces have been reimagined as studios, galleries and performance hubs, often with the support of grassroots arts organizations, long-standing art institutions and city-led revitalization efforts. What was once considered a creative frontier has steadily grown into a thriving, under-the-radar arts ecosystem.

Sephora is an acclaimed metal artist and painter, and, like many of the other participating artists, she will open her doors to offer live demos in her East Point studio during the event. Other participating artists range from emerging voices to well-established names, including Krista M. Jones (Jonesy), Steven Anderson, Fahamu Pecou, Lisa Tuttle, Joseph and Jeanne Guay, Stacie U. Rose, Tom Swanson, Craig Drennen, Rachel K. Garceau, Curtis Patterson and Grace Kisa — South Atlanta artists whose work spans metalwork, printmaking, sculpture, street art and more.

Many of South Atlanta’s key art institutions will also throw open their doors, from the Atlanta Printmakers Studio and the B Complex to Black Art in America and the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta. Additional stops include the Goat Farm Arts Center satellite locations, Day & Night Projects, ArtsXChange and the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum and Conference Center.

Credit: Photo by Stephanie Richardson

Credit: Photo by Stephanie Richardson

Organizers say that events such as South of Center are an important way for artists to connect to the public and to each other.

“Open studios offer a rare opportunity to pull back the curtain,” says event partner Allie Bashuk, creative director of the Goat Farm Arts Center. The organization’s Hapeville and West End satellites, permanent outposts of the West Midtown-based arts center, are participating. “Open studios bring people together to share creative work that’s often hidden from view in a city where artists frequently work in silos.”

Across two full days, the public is invited to wander freely between more than a dozen venues featuring live demos, art shows, artist talks and more.

The event culminates Sunday with a community-wide finale at East Point City Hall featuring live music, performances, food trucks and dancing from 1-7 p.m. It’s open to all and designed to celebrate the weekend’s creative energy.

IF YOU GO

South of Center Arts Experience

Studios and venues in West End, East Point, Hapeville, Chattahoochee Hills and beyond will be open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 26 and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, April 27. Free. southfultonarts.org/socae

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Andrew Alexander is an Atlanta-based writer.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

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