News Briefs: fellowships and awards; Frank Stella sculpture lands in Buckhead; BAIA works installed in Freedom Park; Amy Sherald coming to the High; upcoming public art projects

South Arts has selected two local arts organizations — the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA) and Augusta Mini Theatre — as recipients of the 2025 Cultural Sustainability Awards. Now in its second year, this national award program is presented in partnership with the Wallace Foundation and five other U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) and provides general operating support and learning opportunities for organizations that are rooted in communities of color and with annual operating budgets under $500,000. To date, approximately 100 grants have been awarded totaling $5.6 million. “We are thrilled to announce the progress of the Cultural Sustainability program and its awards to organizations that encompass our region’s vast range of arts and cultural disciplines, backgrounds and operational structures,” said interim South Arts President and CEO Gretchen McLennon. Augusta Mini Theatre, which just celebrated 50 years in business in October, offers classes in drama, visual arts, piano, modern dance and a teen pregnancy prevention workshop. Meanwhile, ADAMA amplifies Black creatives through exhibitions, learning experiences and intentional connection opportunities. 

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Two Atlanta-area dancers have been awarded the Dance/USA Fellowship to Artists (DFA) program. Umi IMAN, based in Atlanta, and Kerry Lee, based in Peachtree Corners, have both been recognized by a national peer-review panel for their contributions to dance that incorporate social and embodied practices in order to engage in social transformation, achieved through community-building and culture-bearing practices, healing, storytelling and activism practices. The DFA selected 25 artists from across the country, and winning artists are awarded a $31,000 grant supported by the Doris Duke Foundation that is left to the artists’ discretion to use as they see fit. The artists are also invited to participate in gatherings, collaboration, rest time and reflection with one another, plus one-on-one consultations with advisers, photography services, press support, accessibility services and two years of Dance/USA membership. “The artists recognized through these fellowships remind us that change often begins in creative practice,” said Ashley Ferro-Murray, program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Foundation. “Through their movement work, these artists reimagine how we connect, care and build community, and this program honors that vision by meeting them where they are and supporting the full scope of their creativity.”

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In Buckhead, a sculpture by the late Frank Stella has been installed in a temporary art-activated space called art in the village. Following nearly two decades in storage, the dynamic and colorful sculpture, K.3 (Large Version) (2007), weighing over 600 pounds, now sits in a place of pride in a bright, sunny storefront in Buckhead Village. “We were friends for over 30 years, I worked for him in the early ’90s and we remained friends until he passed away,” said curator and organizer Hope Cohn of the late artist. She pulled this exhibition together with the help of her assistant, Micaela Robinson. “He was very prolific, always experimenting, trying new things, embracing the new.” Describing Stella as “brilliant but down-to-earth, a kind and wonderful man,” she was thrilled when Jamestown afforded her a temporary gallery space to showcase not only Stella’s work but also the work of a number of esteemed local artists whose pieces are now on view alongside the sculpture through the end of the year. Other artists include Krista Clark, Lloyd Benjamin, Namwon Choi, Stacie Rose, Michael Reese, Kevin Cole, Esteban Patiño, Navin Norling, Joe Camoosa, Mitchell Biggio, Bojana Ginn, Peter Ferrari, Josie Cross, David Peterson, Phil Proctor, Wilay Paez, Daniel Soder, Michael Jones, Trish Andersen, Erik Kaepplinger and Dave Lasker. 

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In May of 2026, the High Museum of Art will be the last stop on the national tour of Amy Sherald: American Sublime. Featuring more than 35 paintings made between 2007 and 2024, Sherald’s iconic works will be presented alongside more rarely seen paintings from the artist’s illustrious career. This summer, Sherald opted to withdraw this exhibition from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery due to the institution’s decision to censor a work depicting a transgender Statue of Liberty for fear of offending the Trump Administration. Sherald’s American Sublime considers the impact of the artist on American culture and explores the historical omission of Black figures from figure painting. “While Amy and her work have been present in Atlanta for many years, this will be the first opportunity to engage with the full measure of her practice,” said High Museum of Art Director Rand Suffolk. “We’re really proud to share that with Atlanta while celebrating an artist whose work so strongly resonates with our community.” The High Museum of Art will be the fourth and final stop on this touring exhibition, which was organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and curated by Sarah Roberts. 

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Black Art in America’s (BAIA) Garden Art for the Soul has been prominently installed in Freedom Park. Presented in partnership with the city of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, this exhibition is the second in as many years of BAIA’s contribution to public art with the city of Atlanta. BAIA founders Najee and Seteria Dorsey first began the Garden Art for the Soul project in their Columbus, Georgia, backyard in 2017, featuring Atlanta-based artists whose work celebrates family, heritage and resistance in weather-safe outdoor installations. Today, those installations can be seen at the BAIA headquarters, and now they also adorn the historic Beltline-adjacent Freedom Park Trail. Included in the Freedom Park Trail installation are Black Lives Matter by Stacey Brown, Autumn Breeze by Najee Dorsey, Sweet Amelia’s Garden by Phyllis Stephens, Sunday Stroll by James Denmark and Weekend Hangout 5 by Akinola Taoheed, among others.

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The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and city of Atlanta have announced the next phase of artists selected for the Bridges, Tunnels & Walls Bond 2.0 public art project launching in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Featured artists include: Debbi Snax, painting along Dill Avenue between Lee Street and Murphy Avenue; Mister Totem, painting the Hill Street Tunnel south of Decatur Street; and Rory Hawkins, AKA Catlanta, who will be painting the Forsyth Street Bridge by the 5 Points MARTA. “My design was inspired by quilt making and seeks to highlight some of the places, icons and everyday objects that help to define our city,” said Hawkins. Atlanta is a city made up of many neighborhoods, each with their own history, culture and traditions. This patchwork network of communities comes together to create the vibrant fabric of our city, and I hope my design is able to highlight some of that magic within a quilt-inspired motif. With the mural being located right outside of Five Points Station, I’m excited for this piece to serve as a visual introduction to new visitors and a fresh landmark for residents to enjoy. With the wall stretching over 450 feet, it’ll be my longest piece of public art to date, and I’m so excited to bring this design to life!”