News Briefs: Atlanta Opera to open new Molly Blank Center; Decatur Arts Festival pauses; Day & Night Projects’ new co-director; and more

The Atlanta Opera will soon have a new permanent home at the Molly Blank Center for Opera & the Arts, an ambitious project that will transform the historic Bobby Jones Clubhouse on Woodward Way and the Atlanta Beltline into a massive arts facility. The space will include an immersive theater venue, a nature-inspired recital hall, educational spaces and administrative and rehearsal areas for the Opera. Visitors can expect to find a variety of performances at the venue, such as recitals, jazz, cabaret, chamber operas and more. This new facility is made possible thanks to a $27.5 million gift from The Arthur M. Blank Foundation to the Opera’s comprehensive fundraising campaign. Construction is estimated to be completed by the fall of 2027. 

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The Decatur Arts Alliance has shared some big news — it is pressing pause on the Decatur Arts Festival for the first time in 35 years. According to a press release from the nonprofit, the decision was made in light of the ongoing renovations of the Decatur square and will allow the Alliance to consider new opportunities and collaborations with local artists, exploring new ideas and formats for the programming of future arts festivals. “With the new physical features that include a large performance stage, oversized screen,expanded footprint for the plaza and public restrooms, we can bring innovative dance, theater arts, musical performances, film, installations and more to round out our arts programming in ways we never could before,” said Decatur Arts Alliance Executive Director Angie Macon. “We aim to cultivate a bold new vision for the Festival, raising the city’s profile within the regional arts community and bringing new audiences to come and experience the arts in Decatur.” The Decatur Arts Festival is set to return in 2027.

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Next month, Fernbank Museum will welcome Flight of Butterflies, a traveling outdoor exhibition of 25 artist-made sculptures lining the paths of WildWoods. Each oversized butterfly sculpture is inspired by two often-threatened butterfly species — the Eastern tiger swallowtail and the fritillary. The finished works highlight the artists’ connection with nature and encourage viewers to consider themes of metamorphosis, transformation and evolution. Flight of Butterflies will be unveiled on March 14 and will remain on view until June 7, 2026. 

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The Georgia Department of Education is launching a new Fine Arts Advanced Academic Pathway program for high school students interested in pursuing high-level fine arts instruction. Currently, the Department offers four pathway options for high school students: Academic Pathways; Advanced Academic Pathways; Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Pathways; and Academic Career Pathways. It is also launching Creative Industries Pathways to support career preparation that merges CTAE and fine arts courses and offering four new fine arts-focused pathways: Profession; Audio-Video Technology and Film; Audio Technology for Live Production; and Audio Technology for Post-Production. The new Creative Industries Pathways are designed to support careers included in Georgia’s statewide and regional High Demand Career lists. These pathways connect classroom learning with real-world future opportunities through specialized and advanced coursework that sets students up for postsecondary and career success. 

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Keepers of the Community, a five-panel mural created by nearly 400 Hope-Hill Elementary students through a partnership with local nonprofit Paint Love, will soon be installed at a pop-up gallery at 443 Edgewood Ave. The site is the original visitor center for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, and it will house the artwork for a year before it is permanently installed inside the school. Students designed and painted the mural, resulting in a vibrant piece of art that reflects what these students think their community should value and represent, notably peace, justice, zero hunger and climate action. The display will be visible 24/7 from the street starting on February 25.

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Day & Night Projects announced the appointment of its new co-director, Makeda Lewis-Kinuthia, who will join co-founders Steven L. Anderson and William Downs to lead the organization into its 10th year. An Atlanta-based artist, Lewis-Kinuthia is a graduate of Georgia State University and a former MINT Gallery administrator. She serves as the current program manager at the Atlanta Center for Photography. “I’m super grateful for the opportunity to expand my devotion to and knowledge of the art community in Atlanta, working with a gallery and team I’ve long admired,” said Lewis-Kinuthia in a statement. “I look forward to learning, deepening my community engagement practices and contributing what I have to support the growth of Day & Night Projects.” 

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A new monthly art happening is coming to Marietta. The Marietta Artists Guild is launching First Saturday Open Studio Day, where local artists with studio spaces at the Artisan Resource Center campus will host open hours, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the processes and work spaces of contemporary artists. Visitors will have a chance to see works in progress in a variety of mediums such as painting, ceramics and mixed media. The first iteration of this event will take place on Saturday, March 7 from noon to 4 p.m. and will repeat at the same time every first Saturday of each month moving forward. Admission is free and open to the public. 

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On February 11, SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres..The award, bestowed by the French Ministry of Culture, is one of the highest civilian orders of the French Republic. It recognizes Wallace’s enduring legacy of artistic excellence and advancement in France and in the international creative community. Under Wallace’s leadership, SCAD has grown to become the No.1 design university in the Americas and Europe according to the Red Dot Design Ranking, as well as the best art school by Art & Object. Boasting locations in Savannah and Atlanta, the university also transformed a medieval village donated to the school in 2002 in the heart of Provence, France’s Luberon Valley into a satellite SCAD Lacoste location. All told, SCAD’s influence in France has welcomed more than 30,000 students and visitors annually to Lacoste, contributing to the arts and culture of the community as well as bringing in tens of millions of Euros to the local economy there. “Through her visionary leadership and enduring dedication to creative education, historic preservation and cultural exchange, Paula Wallace has made a lasting contribution to France’s cultural landscape,” said Mohamed  Bouabdallah, cultural counselor of France in the U.S. and director of Villa Albertine. “We are proud to recognize her as a distinguished steward of the arts and an essential partner in strengthening the cultural dialogue between France and the United States.”

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Congratulations are in order — Moving in the Spirit, a nationally-recognized creative youth development organization, has taken full ownership of its arts and youth development center at the Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA Station. Founded in 1986, the organization uses dance to support youth through the development of social, emotional and leadership skills. Its 21,500-square-foot facility first opened in 2020 as part of phase II of MARTA’s Edgewood/Candler Park transit-oriented development program (TOD) and features two professional dance studios and a 138-seat theater with one of the only wheelchair-accessible tech booths in Atlanta. “Owning our facility is more than a financial milestone,” said Shalondra Henry, executive director of Moving in the Spirit. “It is a promise to the young people we serve and all who have invested in this promise. This building was designed to be a place where children feel safe, seen and celebrated and where they can imagine bold futures for themselves applying lessons of leadership and innovation. Securing full ownership ensures that Moving in the Spirit will remain a creative and supportive home for generations of Atlanta youth.”

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ATL Glassworks, a shop that specializes in stained glass, fused glass, supplies and classes, will soon re-open in a storefront on S. Central Avenue in Hapeville. When The MET made plans to tear all of the structures down and build a hospital in its place nearly a year ago, ATL Glassworks owner Day Kennedy began looking for a new home, and she found it in Hapeville. Open since 2021, the shop is proud to be Georgia’s only art glass retail shop and offers a robust array of workshops as well as sales of local glass artists’ works. The official grand re-opening and ribbon cutting ceremony will take place Saturday, February 21, starting at 11:30 a.m. Expect door prizes, glass deals and a gift shop.