Atlanta's first inaugural Art Week spotlights the city's thriving art ecosystem
Atlanta’s first-ever inaugural Art Week promises to be a celebration of Atlanta’s rich and vibrant visual arts and culture scene. With over 20 participating art institutions, galleries and cultural organizations, Art Week will spotlight and unify the city’s thriving art ecosystem. The four-day event takes place Sept. 29 – Oct. 2. “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes was joined via Zoom by Art Week founder, art advisor and art writer Kendra Walker to talk about the week’s events and opportunities.
Walker explained her main goal — drawing in art professionals from other cities and international markets to Atlanta, and spreading recognition of the city’s art culture and talent. She’s already looking forward and planning ahead for the coming years’ Art Weeks.
“So what does that look like for 2023? It looks like creating programming that, A, is attractive to Atlanta and represents Atlanta very well, but also … is enticing to people from out of town. Ideally, I would love to have other galleries come into town and really experience what we have to offer here. I would love to get more writers into town,” said Walker. “I think that is what’s going to help continue to grow and elevate Atlanta’s current art community.
Art Week activities will encompass opening receptions, guided tours, artist talks and even a live painting event. Participating galleries include Marcia Wood Gallery, Mason Fine Art, Zucot Gallery, the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, Atlanta Contemporary, the Swan Coach House Gallery and more.
A panel discussion, “Global Trends in the Atlanta Art Market,” will take place Oct. 1 at the Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery, featuring Walker along with several gallerists, art appraisers and advisors. The conversation aims to demystify fine art collecting and share perspectives from seasoned collectors. Guests can arrive early for hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a chance to mingle and talk fine art with panel members.
Walker’s no stranger to organizing communities around art. A former Chicago resident, she established there the Black Art Experience and Expo, a still-ongoing annual event that brings together artists and fine art collectors from Chicago’s Black communities.
“I work with a lot of Black collectors, and a lot of the times they are traveling to these fairs in maybe single groups or by themselves, and I just wanted to create an experience that created cohesion between the community from all sectors, whether it was collectors, art writers, advisors, museum professionals, and I really wanted to make it an experience that was as least intimidating as possible,” Walker said.
The first annual Atlanta Art Week begins Sept. 29 and continues through Oct. 2, at participating galleries and event spaces across the city. Tickets and a full schedule of events are available at www.atlantaartweek.co.
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