Xernona Clayton’s trailblazing legacy honored with new art installation in Downtown Atlanta

How do you celebrate a beloved Civil Rights leader and living legend in Atlanta? Why, you give them their flowers, of course. 

On August 30, Xernona Clayton turned 95 years old. The Civil Rights leader and pioneering broadcaster has led an incredible life and broken many barriers for Black people living in the South and beyond. She was a close, personal friend of the King family, and she was instrumental in the desegregation of hospital facilities across Atlanta. She also founded the Trumpet Awards in 1993 and hosted The Xernona Clayton Show, which aired on Atlanta CBS affiliate WAGA-TV. Her show was the first prime-time, regularly scheduled television talk show hosted by a Black person in the South. 

Though she faced discrimination and racism, Clayton showed up for her community with bravery and made a real difference at every turn, moving with grace and wisdom beyond her years. Her list of accomplishments is so long it has been written into an autobiography and documentary film. 

Her reputation and trailblazing legacy was honored by the city of Atlanta through the naming of Xernona Clayton Way in Downtown Atlanta, along with the adjacent Xernona Clayton Plaza in 2011. It was only right to celebrate the occasion of her 95th birthday with an artful birthday party hosted right there at the site. 

On Thursday, August 28, a crowd gathered at the Xernona Clayton Park, where WSB-TV’s Fred Blankenship emceed and the night’s festivities included a poetry reading by Hank Stewart, live music by Melvin Miller and Kathleen Bertrand and a set by DJ Sed the Saint. Visitors enjoyed ice pops and food trucks while taking in all-new artwork throughout Hardy Ivy Park.

Creative nonprofit Dashboard was enlisted by Noa Hecht, creative placemaking lead for Atlanta Downtown, to curate Legacy in Bloom. This series of nature-inspired installations features three local artists — Grace Kisa, Chloe Alexander and Sayma Hossain. Dashboard’s Abigail Justman and Anna Akpele sat down with ArtsATL to discuss the project and how it came about over the past few months. 

“Part of the selection process is that Xernona wanted all female artists and all female artists of color, and so that was a huge part of the selection process. That’s kind of where we started,” said Justman. Upon reviewing the project, Dashboard decided to capitalize on the recently installed native plant gardens at the site. “The artists were inspired by the nature around them, kind of this idea of blooming and blossoming and adding energy, life, color to the park. And then adding yellow into the work was a thing, too, because that’s Xernona’s favorite color.”

“The more that the city sees that this is stuff that people want, the more that Dashboard can bring these kinds of projects to the city of Atlanta,” said Akpele. By attending the events, taking pictures with the artwork and sharing it online, and even just interacting on social media with the artists, everyday folks can help to encourage art installations such as this one by proving that they are indeed successful and desired by the public. 

Hecht, with Atlanta Downtown and also with Central Atlanta Progress, shared that this kind of installation is particularly meaningful from a programming perspective. Prior to taking up the helm at her current role, she mostly worked with brands and influencers and noted that the past nearly three years working with Central Atlanta Progress has been a positive change for her. “It’s so much more meaningful to bring work like this and have the public enjoy it and elevate spaces and hopefully elevate human experiences for everyone, so that’s really the intention. We bring art, nature and community engagement activations, and we observe how people interact,” said Hecht.

“It’s a conversation, right? You see what the public is veering toward, you talk to them, you see what gets them excited and feeling happy. And then you reciprocate and see if it works to continue the conversation,” she added. She noted that she has seen, personally, how spaces such as Xernona Clayton Plaza encourage community engagement. “Now we are seeing people from the building are coming down and taking care of the garden, so there’s community. They are coming; they are watering. They’re so happy that we brought the love and attention here.” 

Just before he left for the night, I managed to connect with Blankenship about the evening’s festivities and his personal connection to Xernona. “When I got here 18 years ago, you know, I was learning about who people are and what they do,” he said. “I felt her power from the very first moment. She was so kind and thoughtful to me.” 

Blankenship pointed out that the celebration felt like a family atmosphere and shared that he was honored to emcee the party. “We are so lucky in this city to be able to walk the streets in which legends walked,” he continued. “It’s a transformative feeling for me, and I love her to pieces. I’m supposed to be, as a journalist, unbiased,” he leaned in and made eye contact before asserting, “I’m going to tell you something — I am not! I love me some Xernona Clayton.” It was clear that the feeling was mutual, and a palpable air of love and joy could be felt by all present during the celebration. 

Legacy in Bloom will remain on view through October 28.

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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.