Thearts in Atlanta are well-represented, with a prominent presence in music, fine art, and theater.
Atlanta has played a major or contributing role in the development of various genres of American music at different times in the city's history. Beginning as early as the 1920s, Atlanta emerged as a center forcountry music, which was brought to the city by migrants fromAppalachia.[1] During thecountercultural 1960s, Atlanta hosted theAtlanta International Pop Festival in 1969 more than a month beforeWoodstock and featuring many of the same bands.[citation needed] The city was also a center forSouthern rock during the 1970s: theAllman Brothers Band's hit instrumental "Hot 'Lanta" is an ode to the city, whileLynyrd Skynyrd's live rendition of "Free Bird" was recorded at theFox Theatre in 1976, with lead singerRonnie Van Zant directing the band to "play it pretty for Atlanta."[2] During the 1980s, Atlanta had an activePunk rock scene that was centered on two of the city’s music venues,688 Club and the Metroplex, and Atlanta played host to theSex Pistols first U.S. show, which was performed at the Great Southeastern Music Hall.[3] The 1990s saw the birth ofAtlanta hip hop, a subgenre that gained relevance following the success of home-grown duoOutKast; however, it was not until the 2000s that Atlanta moved "from the margins to becoming hip-hop’s center of gravity, part of a larger shift in hip-hop innovation to the South."[4] Also in the 2000s, Atlanta was recognized byVice magazine for itsIndie rock scene, which revolves aroundthe EARL inEast Atlanta Village.[5][6]
Atlanta hip hopAtlanta has been called "hip-hop's center of gravity,"[4] and the city is considered is a capital ofhip hop, includingSouthern hip hop, ofR&B and ofneo soul. The city is the current home or birthplace ofmany hip-hop artists includingLil Jon,Ludacris,B.o.B andUsher. It is also a center ofgospel music where theGospel Music AssociationDove Awards take place.
Atlanta is home to an establishedvisual arts community. In 2010, the city was ranked as the ninth-best city for the arts byAmerican Style Magazine.[7] Most of the city's art galleries are located in the Castleberry Hill and West Midtown neighborhoods. While every type of visual art is represented in the city, Atlanta is a major center forcontemporary art,public art, andurban art.[8] The growing Atlanta campus ofSavannah College of Art and Design has brought in a steady stream of artists and curators.[9]
In 2010,American Style Magazine ranked Atlanta as the ninth-best city for the arts.[10] The renownedHigh Museum of Art is arguably the South's leading art museum and among the100 most-visited art museums in the world. Other art institutions include theMuseum of Design Atlanta (MODA), theAtlanta Contemporary Art Center, theMuseum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, and theMichael C. Carlos Museum at Emory, containing the largest collection of ancient art in the Southeast.[11]
The city's Office of Cultural Affairs administers a public art program,[12] which include works such asAtlanta from the Ashes (The Phoenix), andThornton Dial'sThe Bridge atJohn Lewis plaza inFreedom Park. The office also sponsors temporary exhibitions of art in public spaces such as "Elevate" in 2011. TheMetropolitan Public Art Coalition also promotes public art in the city and stages occasional exhibitions.
The city's Aviation Arts program administers and art program atAtlanta's airport, includingZimbabwe Sculpture: a Tradition in Stone and the Deborah Whitehouse muralSpirit of Atlanta, which welcomes passengers as they arrive at baggage claim from thepeoplemover.[citation needed]
The 22 miles (35 km)BeltLine corridor, a former rail corridor gradually being developed into an improved biking and walking trail, is home to the annualArt on the BeltLine exhibition. In 2011 66 visual and performance pieces were exhibited.[13]
Although historically never a haven forstreet art[14] likeNew York City orLos Angeles,[15] street art is becoming more prominent in Atlanta. Hotspots for viewing Atlanta street art include:
Images and locations of over 200 works of Atlanta Street Art can be found on theAtlanta Street Art Map.[16] In 2011 the city hosted theLiving Walls street art conference and will co-host it withAlbany, New York in 2012.
In May 2011 Atlanta established a Graffiti Task Force. Though in October 2011 the police arrested 7 persons designated as vandals, city officials assert that they have no intention of stifling the street art scene. The city's Office of Cultural Affairs selected 29 standout murals to avoid whitewashing including murals commissioned as part of theBeltLine, works created during theLiving Walls conferences, but not the most famous street art space in the city, theKrog Street Tunnel. Many street artists and members of the arts community interviewed byCreative Loafing believe the city's efforts are misdirected or futile.[17][18]
Arts centers in Atlanta includeKing Plow Arts Center and theGoat Farm Arts Center inWest Midtown,The Metropolitan inAdair Park andStudioplex in theOld Fourth Ward neighborhood.[citation needed]
There are small concentrations of galleries in theintown neighborhoods, including but not limited toCastleberry Hill,Buckhead, the Westside Arts District in West Midtown, at Studioplex in Old Fourth Ward, and alongPonce de Leon Avenue inPoncey-Highland. Each of those areas sponsors an art walk, usually monthly.[19]
Atlanta is one of few United States cities with permanent, professional, resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines:opera (Atlanta Opera),ballet (Atlanta Ballet),music (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), andtheater (theAlliance Theatre). Atlanta also attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions catering to a variety of interests. Atlanta’s performing arts district is concentrated inMidtown Atlanta at theWoodruff Arts Center, which is home to theAtlanta Symphony Orchestra and theAlliance Theatre. The city also frequently hosts touring Broadway acts, especially at theFox Theatre, a historic landmark that is among the highest grossing theaters in of its size.[20]
Other theater groups include the internationally knownCenter for Puppetry Arts, Theatrical Outfit, Seven Stages Theater, Horizon Theater Company, improv groupDad's Garage, Actor's Express, theShakespeare Tavern, and True Colors Theatre. Theater companies in metro Atlanta include theGeorgia Ensemble Theatre and Conservatory inRoswell, Onstage Atlanta inDecatur, the Academy Theater inAvondale Estates, Performing Arts North inAlpharetta,Theatre in the Square and the Children's Garden Theater inMarietta, and Act 3 Productions inSandy Springs.[21] TheSuzi Bass Awards and theMetropolitan Atlanta Theater Awards are two annual ceremonies honoring outstanding achievements in local theater. TheAtlanta Radio Theatre Company preserves, promotes, performs, and educates people about the art ofaudio theater (radio drama).
In the city of Atlanta:
InMetro Atlanta, theCobb Energy Performing Arts Centre andGwinnett Center's performing arts center are prominent venues. Regional centers featuring a mix of the arts include theElm Street Cultural Arts Village inWoodstock and theJaqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts (adjacent to Gwinnett Center) inDuluth.
Atlanta is the home of many influential writers of the 20th century, includingMargaret Mitchell, author ofGone With the Wind, one of the best-selling books of all time;Alice Walker, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning and critically acclaimed novelThe Color Purple;Alfred Uhry, playwright ofDriving Miss Daisy, which deals with Jewish residents of Atlanta in the early 20th century; andJoel Chandler Harris, author of theBrer Rabbit children's stories. Famous journalists includeRalph McGill, the anti-segregationist editor and publisher of theAtlanta Constitution newspaper. Atlanta is also the home of contemporary editorial cartoonistMike Luckovich, who is syndicated nationally to 150 newspapers.
Atlanta is the host of theAtlanta Film Festival, anAcademy Award qualifying, international film festival held every April and showcasing a diverse range of independent films, including genre films such as horror and sci-fi. Other film festivals include theAtlanta Jewish Film Festival,Black Film Festival Atlanta,Peachtree Village International Film Festival,Atlanta Asian Film Festival, theOut on Film gay film festival,Independent Film Month,Atlanta Film Festival 365,Atlanta Underground Film Festival,Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival, and theBuried Alive horror film fest.[citation needed]
Atlanta is a major hub for the marching arts. The city is home ofSpirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, which competes inDrum Corps International, and the Alliance Drum and Bugle Corps (inactive) andCorpsVets Drum and Bugle Corps, both of which participate in theDrum Corps Associates circuit. Atlanta is also home to theHonda Battle of the Bands which is the most popular collegiate marching arts event in the nation.
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