Atlanta’s profile in the arts landscape has seen a steady resurgence in recent years, thanks to a number of initiatives bringing attention to its wealth and history of talent. There has arisen a dire need for a viable infrastructure to meet its expansion, one that speaks explicitly to its commitment to artists based in Atlanta.

In bringing together a group of Atlanta-based artists, advisors, and arts administrators, this candid conversation seeks to define a regional ecosystem that evades a straightforward narrative. How can and will Atlanta remain a thriving hub for artists? What kinds of structures of support can and should exist for the greater arts community of Atlanta? And in looking forward, how can artists, curators, galleries, and institutions work towards a collective sustainability?

Atlanta Contemporary is located at 535 Means Street, Atlanta, GA 30318.
Parking is free in the lot at Bankhead & Means Street (Google Maps Location). You can access the lot via Bankhead Avenue and proceed past the parking attendant booth.

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About the speakers:

Floyd Hall
Floyd Hall is a cultural producer, storyteller, writer and documentarian from Atlanta, Georgia. His professional work often relates to the intersection of media and technology as platforms to bring cultures together and make the world a more fulfilling place. As an artist he is interested in the process of how we come to define and design ourselves, and is passionate about how history, culture and art blend together to construct narratives of place.

Bora Kim
Bora Kim (she/her) is currently the Program Director at Artadia, which supports visual artists nationwide through a combination of recognition, grantmaking, community support and advocacy. She oversees its annual Artadia Awards program across the seven program cities and designs the accompanying professional development offerings. Prior to this position, Bora served as the Director of Artist Residencies for over seven years at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), where she designed and executed all of its core artist residency programs.

Courtney Bombeck
Courtney Jewett Bombeck earned BAs in Studio Art and Art History from Skidmore College and did graduate work in Multi-Media arts at NYU. After moving to Atlanta in 2016, Bombeck found herself immersed in the South Eastern art community. As she began adding works by Southern artists to her collection, she became inspired to create a platform to promote their talent. Bombeck founded CO-OP Art Atlanta, a platform specializing in connecting collectors, curators, and galleries with emerging Southern artists.

Jacob O’Kelley
Jacob O’Kelley is an Atlanta-based arts administrator and independent curator. He received his BFA in Drawing and Painting from Georgia State University in 2016. In 2018, he co-founded ShowerHaus, a curatorial team and former gallery space at The Goat Farm. ShowerHaus was most notable for the High Rise Show, a four-floor exhibition consisting of 200 artists in Downtown Atlanta. From 2021-2022, Jacob managed MINT Gallery, a local arts non-profit focused on emerging artists in Atlanta. Currently, he serves as the Artistic Director at Swan Coach House Gallery. He is also a contributor to Burnaway and Art Papers.

His interests and ambitions lie in uplifting artists, primarily in the Southern United States. He focuses on the development of artists by dedicating time and energy – providing space for experimental work and exploratory research at the same time being adaptable and understanding of artists’ needs. Most recently, he curated Local Stories 2023-24 for A&E Atlanta, a local billboard project focused on the history of Downtown Atlanta, Offerings, also in Downtown Atlanta, and Interconnect at Echo Contemporary in Atlanta.

Sheila Pree Bright
Sheila Pree Bright is an International Photographic Artist and author of #1960Now: Photographs of Civil Rights Activists and Black Lives Matter Protests. She portrays large-scale works that combine a broad range of knowledge of contemporary culture and is known for her series #1960Now, Invisible Empire, Suburbia, Young Americans, and Plastic Bodies.

She is the recipient of several nominations, commissions, and awards; Recently, she received the Picturing South commission from the High Museum of Art for her series, Invisible Empire; Nominations, ICP Infinity Awards, NY and Ted Prize, $1 million. Her work is included in numerous private and public collections, to name a few; Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC; The Library of Congress, Washington, DC; National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, GA; The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA; Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL; Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville FL; Birmingham Museum of Art, AL and Microsoft Art Collection, Redmond, WA.