Artsy Elaine and SWAY embark on colorful joint residency at Atlantic Station

On one sunny afternoon, I emerged from the dark underground parking lots at Atlantic Station to meet two local artists. Elaine Stephenson, also known as Artsy Elaine, and Sway Jones, who also goes by SWAY, are current tenants of Art Station ATL, a former storefront in the retail hub. Prior to the new residency, this space was occupied for four years by artist Karen Anderson Singer, the creative mastermind behind beloved local installation art known as Tiny Doors ATL. 

This trend of providing studio space to working artists in repurposed retail spaces seems to be on the rise in Atlanta and beyond. It’s notable not only for the opportunity that it provides to working artists but also offers up a potential path forward for retailers such as Hines Interest Limited Partnership, the global real estate investment company that owns and operates Atlantic Station since acquiring the property in 2015. Responding to the ebb and flow of capitalism, retail therapy, shopping sprees and consumerism — as affected by forces beyond the reach of even the largest real estate magnates — can prove challenging for retailers, especially when the value of the dollar and the very foundations of our federal monetary system are in flux. For some retailers, the arts offer potential solutions and new partnership possibilities.

“Art Station ATL is the creative heartbeat for Atlantic Station and cornerstone of our public art initiative,” said Katie Boland, Marketing and Events Manager at Atlantic Station. “We’re thrilled to welcome Artsy Elaine and Sway Art to our neighborhood continuing the artist-in-residence legacy established with Tiny Doors ATL. Their work shows how retail spaces are evolving into cultural hubs creating immersive, Instagram-able moments that not only strengthen our brand, but transform everyday visits into inspiring experiences.” 

At Art Station ATL, Stephenson and Jones are embarking on a new kind of partnership. The two first met during the 2024 Babe Walls Mural Festival in Chamblee, and they connected over a shared love for art and murals. When Stephenson was offered a residency space at Atlantic Station, she asked if she could bring Jones along as well. “Her positive vibe really stuck out to me, and she was doing so much around Atlanta,” said Stephenson, who also noted that they worked well together and have complementary art styles. “It’s fun to have someone to collaborate with and work with, since as artists we are always working by ourselves,” she continued, calling the residency an experiment of sorts. 

Stephenson is more than just an artist; she’s also a mom to a 2-year-old daughter. As a result, the past few years have seen her working in untraditional spaces around her house, navigating between toys and the ever-pressing to-do lists that plague all parents of young children. For Stephenson, the studio space at Atlantic Station is a welcome change of pace, allowing her the physical space to create as well as the mental and creative freedom to focus on her artwork. “It’s nice to have a separation of work and home, somewhere to go,” she said. “I can take my daughter to day care and then come here and then try to leave work here when I go home and be more present with her at that time, too.”

Many of Stephenson’s works lean feminine, featuring florals and light, bright colors that make her text elements pop in joyful tones. She’s a multidisciplinary artist who is capable of working on paper, on canvas, digitally, in textiles and mixed-media and even on walls as a muralist. In addition, Stephenson founded the women and nonbinary arts collective ATL Art Gals in 2021, through which she curates exhibits and collaborates with fellow artists to produce large-scale projects such as the group’s recent takeover of Stacks Squares. 

Jones, by contrast, also uses bright colors but tends to prefer primary tones, with a playful style that utilizes color-blocking to play with form and abstraction. She frequently collaborates with the NBA, NFL and MLS to make art for local sports leagues such as Atlanta United and the Falcons. “It’s all fine and good to make art for yourself, but it’s different when you’re making art and you’re getting paid fairly and you’re collaborating with sports teams,” she said.

Jones also leans on her graphic design skills to convey messages of inclusion, of Southern pride and of a celebration of Blackness through her art. Her stylized semi-abstracted portraits sport do-rags, flowers and dresses bear patterns that remind her of her grandmother’s kitchen, and figures don recognizable traditional Black hairstyles that evoke a soft nostalgia for the past while embracing the current culture and style aesthetics. 

For Jones, having a space at Atlantic Station is not just practical; it’s also symbolic of much more: inclusivity. Originally from a small town in Mississippi, Jones wasn’t exposed to much in the way of public art and certainly found very few examples of working artists who looked like her. That is, until she moved to Atlanta.

“Specifically, where I’m from in Mississippi, there’s not a lot,” said Jones. “There is not a really big art culture at all. But here in Atlanta, it’s the complete opposite. Everywhere you look, there’s art — it’s inspiration. 
And again, kudos to Atlanta, because it’s not just about the visual arts here. It’s a creative hub. So from the photographers to the music artists to dance, Atlanta is just filled with so many talented creatives, and you can’t help but to be inspired, you know?” 

She says Atlanta’s art scene feeds her spirit with creativity, and her positive outlook has brought wonderful partnerships and opportunities her way, including a recent launch of her very own acrylic paint line, Sway Art, which is for sale now in Walmart.

Jones shared a few words of wisdom for young emerging artists like herself. “Don’t count you out,” she said with conviction. “Because, again, growing up in such a small town, when you can’t really see a vision that you have clearly, it can become really discouraging. And definitely throughout my life, I’ve questioned my path. 
Like, is this right? I think it’s a message to me to not count myself out, [to] my younger self, but that’s something I’ll say to myself today, too. Like, don’t count yourself out.” 

Beyond working on their own individual projects in the residency space where they will host monthly open studios, the two also have plans for some collaborative art installations at Atlantic Station. Those projects include an art installation in The Nook, a vinyl art wrap on the resident VW bus, a Christmas tree art activation, painted bike racks, free art drops and, of course, some directional murals. 

“It gives us a space to be able to showcase what we have and a space that we probably wouldn’t get otherwise, you know? So yeah, I’m very grateful to be here and be partnering with them to make some cool stuff happen,” said Jones.

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Isadora Pennington is senior editor of art + design and dance. An experienced writer and photographer with a deep love for the arts, Isadora founded the Sketchbook newsletter with Rough Draft Atlanta in 2022. She is also president of the Avondale Arts Alliance and director of the Avondale Arts Center.