This year marks Atlanta BeltLine’s 15th season of its juried public art exhibition, Art on the Atlanta BeltLine, featuring the work of hundreds of visual artists, performers, and musicians.
The big kick-off event, the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade, is set for Saturday, May 11, on the Westside Trail. The parade will begin at Adair Park I, 742 Catherine St. SW, and end at Lee + White, 1070 White St. Lineup begins at 7:45 p.m. and step-off is at 8:45 p.m.
This year’s AoAB features more than 100 artists and 56 works of visual and performing arts.
“Art on the Atlanta BeltLine continues to epitomize the vision we’ve held dear for the BeltLine—a convergence of people, cultures, communities, and perspectives,” said Nonet Sykes, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “The Atlanta arts and culture community remains integral to breathing life into the BeltLine. The cultural tapestry woven along these paths serves as a dynamic showcase of our city’s diverse voices. As we celebrate the AoAB’s 15th anniversary, we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on the immense talent and creativity of women artists who will be prominently featured in our exhibition.”
2024 Season Overview
Special Exhibitions:
- LagosAtlanta: Sister Cities Rising – Fifty years ago this year, the City of Atlanta and then-Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson proudly announced Lagos, Nigeria, as one of its first Sister Cities, brokering what would become a landmark connection of culture and commerce. Since February, Atlanta BeltLine has commemorated this decades-long cultural exchange with a 10-week artist residency and special exhibition, featuring two renowned, Lagos-based artists: Taiye Idahor and Kainebi Osahenye.
- May 25: BeltLine Beach Party, presented by Liquid Sky: A unique theatrical and cirque-style experience featuring aerial acrobatics, dance, and electrifying performances on sway poles.
- June 15: “No Tables, No Chairs” – For the 10th year, Mausiki Scales & the Common Ground Collective will present “No Tables, No Chairs” at Atlanta’s Westside Park, a “funk-filled journey through the pulsating rhythms of the African Diaspora.”
- August: ATL Park Jam – A celebration of hip hop and Atlanta’s unique contributions, returning for its second year.
- September: BeltLine After Dark presents PhaeMonae’s “Amplified Bodies” – an evening performance featuring PhaeMonae and team who will create an artwork embodying the intersection of hip-hop’s emergence and the lifespan of the cicada through dance, sound, sculpture and fashion.
- October: Where the Weird Things Are. A “haunting” processional pop-up created and led by BeltLine Lantern Parade’s Chantelle Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons. Puppet monsters ramble down the Eastside Trail near Memorial Drive to the musical beats of the Black Sheep Ensemble, passing out special treats to those they encounter.
- November: ATL JAM – As part of the final homestretch of the year, the BeltLine will bring back ATL JAM, which for the past two years has brought more than 40 style writers and graffiti artists together to pay tribute to the legacy of the art in Atlanta with live installations along the BeltLine.
Season-Long Programs, Installations, Residencies and Murals
- BeltLine Business Ventures: Artists Edition – A 9-week pilot program, presented in collaboration between the BeltLine Business Solutions Office and Atlanta-based TILA Studios, aims to equip creative professionals with the skills needed to land sculptural public art projects around the world and grow as entrepreneurs and artists. Twenty artists of varying backgrounds, experience levels, and mediums will be selected for the first cohort, which will launch early this summer.
- A/V Radio – Ree de la Vega’s independent, off-the-grid radio station runs through June before returning again in the fall. A/V Radio is located on the Eastside Trail of the BeltLine, underneath the Freedom Parkway Bridge, adjacent to the BeltLine MarketPlace.
- Chiomma Hall’s “The Restful Kiddos”– Quarterly youth arts program designed to provide a safe and nurturing space where young Black individuals can develop essential skills for self-care in partnership with many Black arts professionals in Atlanta.
- BeltLine Residency Program returns in April, featuring Artists-in-Residence Eugene V Byrd (Curator-in-Residence), Nadya Zeitlin and Dr. Shay Welch (Scholar-in-Residence).
- BeltLine Walls Vol. 6 will feature muralists Aziza Andre’ and Charity Humidullah.
- BeltLine Spaces Sculpture Series will feature artists such as Camisha Butler and Adana Tillman.
In addition to this year’s artists, a number of previous installations, now a part of the BeltLine’s Continuing Collection, will remain on the trail as a part of AoAB’s current season.
