News Briefs: CTR Culture Studios announces first tenants; arts and wellness in focus; Greg Mike brings art to Medley in Johns Creek

CTR’s Culture Studios has announced their first collaboration and tenants. The former CNN Center, now known as the CTR, will soon be transformed into a multi-use creative hub in downtown Atlanta, and the ATL Arts Collective podcast will be among the tenants moving in over the summer, alongside beloved dance organization T. Lang Dance. The development of this facility is the result of collaboration between local organizations ASHA Advisory, The Creatives Project (TCP), Downtown Atlanta Inc., Fulton County’s Public Art Futures Lab and CP Group have come together to usher in this new era of creativity at the site and resident studio artist applications are open now on ASHA Advisory’s website. The space will be available for youth arts programming, public space activations and fellowships, among other creative ventures.

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The Toro Development Company (TDC) has enlisted Greg Mike, local artist and founder of ABV Agency & Gallery, to lead an art program at Medley, a 43-acre mixed-use community in Johns Creek. Several of Mike’s commissioned works will be on view, as well as a selection from ABV artists. The concept here is to infuse the site with energy and creativity through artist-driven environments across the property. “Public art has always been about creating energy and moments people remember,” said Mike. “At Medley, we have the opportunity to transform everyday spaces into experiences that feel dynamic, unexpected and deeply connected to the community. The goal is to create artwork that becomes part of the identity of Medley, something people return to, interact with and carry with them long after they leave.” Featuring retail, restaurants, entertainment, luxury residences, boutique hotel, offices and a plaza, Medley will officially open on October 29. 

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The intersection of arts and wellness has come into focus for several local organizations and artists recently, a great example of this is the recent symposium titled “Who Gets to Sustain a Career in the Arts?” Organized by Amanda Grae Platner, the 2027 Edge Award Winner, at Atlanta Contemporary where she is also a resident studio artist, the symposium brought together moderator Bethany Stevens who spoke with Platner, Jessica Elaine Blinkhorn, Megan Mosholder and Victoria Dugger to discuss inequities in arts institutions – from who gets to show their work to who is hired to fill essential arts leadership roles – in a candid and important conversation. To read more about the content of this symposium, head over to Platner’s website.

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Also at the Atlanta Contemporary, an upcoming panel and art event will be presented in celebration of the passing of House Resolution 1007, which acknowledges the arts as a resource for mental health. It is the first wellness and arts resolution of its kind to be passed in the nation, and the fact that it started here serves as confirmation that Atlanta is truly a hub for both health and arts. On Thursday, May 21 Performance Hypothesis, an Atlanta-based arts and health consulting group, will bring national and local arts advocates together for an interactive panel titled The State of Arts & Wellbeing. Guests include Adriane Jefferson, Executive Director of The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Conrhonda Baker, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Ali John Zarrabi, MD, Emory University & Healthcare and Sunil Iyengar, Director of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts who will discuss the future of arts and wellbeing in the city. There will be a celebration and interactive arts activation following the panel, and proceeds from the event will go to Rise Recovery Atlanta, an organization that uses the arts to help with recovery from substance abuse addiction.

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Two local artists have also made big splashes worthy of accolades. George F Baker III, included as one of ArtsATL’s Ones to Watch in fall of 2025, has been selected as the featured artist for the 49th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival. His playful and joyous design will be used for the official poster and t-shirt. The festival returns this coming weekend, May 23 through 25, at Piedmont Park. 

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Meanwhile, local Haitian-American artist Patrick Eugene’s moody and pensive portrait paintings are featured in SCAD FASH’s Dior: Crafting Fashion exhibit. For his designs, Patrick drew on his Haitian heritage and employed leather and textile patchwork adorned with pearls as a nod to Haiti’s nickname, the “Pearl of the Antilles.” The exhibition is the first presentation of the House of Dior in the Southeastern United States. Dior: Crafting Fashion will remain on view through August 23.