Enriching the city with art Inside the Arts Camille Russell Love
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Camille Russell Love Love has been executive director of the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (@atlantaoca) for more than two decades.
ELEVATE Atlanta closed on Halloween weekend. Appropriately, the eight-week long arts festival ended in Southwest Atlanta at Fort Mac with a drive-in screening of Tyler Perry’s cult classic, Boo2! A Madea Halloween. To the chagrin of many, Tyler Perry was not in attendance (although his movie studio is close by); however, this introduced movie goers and loyal ELEVATE patrons to a largely unfamiliar area of the city, yet one that is enjoying a tremendous renaissance. This year’s decision to expand ELEVATE beyond its traditional weeklong programming in one community to citywide celebrations across eight weekends proved to be a good one, even if the proverbial road to El Dorado had detours
and landmines along the way. Helping Atlanta residents emerge from their COVID-induced isolations to engage in the arts and arts-related activities not only helped individuals and families, but also the multi-community programming added some much-needed energy and excitement to the city’s cultural grid. The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) first launched ELEVATE in October 2011. For the past decade, the curated, temporary public art program focused attention on and showcased specific Atlanta communities – using as its creative fuel local artists and neighborhood resources. The festival employed free public art activities and events as driving forces for good – art appreciation, civic responsibility, and social justice among them. This year’s expanded programming replicated that model and significantly benefitted the entire city. ELEVATE planning had been underway since early in the year and the decision to make it an eight-week festival was made in the spring. The curator was confirmed in June and OCA staff learned that funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) gave the office an opportunity to provide additional support to local artists and arts organizations. And while this was a great benefit to our local
NOV 26 – DEC 11 CELEBRATE • CREATE • SPECTATE
November 26 – December 11
16 DAYS OF ART
Workshops Artist Market History Tours Beer Garden Library Wine Bar
Live Music Holiday Decor Fire Pits Photos with Santa & much more!
Callanwolde.org/winterhouse CALLANWOLDE FINE ARTS CENTER 980 BRIARCLIFF ROAD, ATLANTA, GA 30306 • (404) 872-5338
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At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m
