Artist Tracy Murrell takes in the completed installation of her work at BLVDNEXT. (Photo by Terence Rushin, courtesy of NEXT Arts)
The former site of the Atlanta Medical Center, which closed for good back in 2022, has a new life thanks to the arts collective and cultural strategy studio NEXT. On June 30, the public was invited to attend a groundbreaking of its new rotating public art series on the property as part of Boulevard NEXT (BLVDNEXT) in historic Old Fourth Ward. During the groundbreaking event, the site’s first public art installation was unveiled by artist Tracy Murrell.
“NEXT is about elevating the voices and talents of emerging artists, particularly artists of color, and harnessing their creativity to bring transformational change to our communities,” said Faith Carmichael, CEO and creative director of NEXT in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with Integral, whose commitment to making the arts a vital part of development and supporting Black and Brown artists aligns deeply with that vision.”
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Genesis Be, a Mississippi-based painter, poet and musician, is this summer’s artist in residence at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Her open studio and showroom is open by appointment, and she will be using the space at Callanwolde to develop and curate a group exhibition, People Not Things, which will open to the public on August 7. The works included in this show will confront the social and psychological barriers that seek to divide humanity. In her personal work, she will explore her own experience as a survivor of Hurricane Katrina in a series called The Katrina Chronicles.
“This is my first physical artist-in-residency,” said Be. “I so appreciate Adam Faust and the Callanwolde team for providing this space for me to create, unpack, transmute and alchemize. I’m most excited to open my process up to public viewing, to have a conversation with my audience while actively creating is something I haven’t done before. I feel naked and it’s refreshing.”
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Art Calendar ATL has joined forces with GULCH magazine. The publication launched its first edition in fall of 2024 and is described as “part archive, part analysis and part love letter.” Volume one of the printed publication featured works by artists Anna Akpele, Miya Bailey, Bosco, Fredrik Brauer, Christa and Beau Allen Collins, Sean Fahie, EC Flamming, Julián González-Diaz, Makeda Lewis and Harrison Wayne. Now, art enthusiasts can follow @gulchmag.artcalendar to keep up-to-date with art events and happenings in Atlanta.
