Creative Generation In: Atlanta, Georgia

By Camea Davis

Midtown Atlanta

I have the joy of being an ATLien, a transplant in Atlanta,GA, this thriving Black city with so many nooks and crannies of very cool artistic, creative spaces, and people. I couldn’t possibly list them all here. When I had to select housing in this Southern metropolis, I was overwhelmed with possibilities from the chic beauty of living in MidTown Atlanta, home to the amazing Woodruff Arts Center, which houses a complex of arts institutions including the Alliance Theater, The High Museum of Art, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. I could write this entire blog about the Woodruff Arts Center! The monthly Frequency Fridays at the High Museum of Art, where patrons can walk the galleries, sip wine, or dance to the tunes of a live DJ playing hip-hop, trap, and pop tunes is a blast. The Alliance Theater presents stunning live theater including my absolute favorite, theater for the very young productions where children ages 0-5 are immersed in an interactive story. I have seen several of these productions multiple times! They’re that good! Additionally, the Foxx Theater is just a few miles away. Phenomenal national headliners grace the stage of the Foxx each season. I recently was deeply moved and inspired watching the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform. I already have my tickets to see The Wiz live! I truly can’t wait. 

Piedmont Park which is adjacent to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens displays stunning artistic installations of plants and living materials is nearby. My favorite is the Garden Goddess and the Mad Hatter installation from Alice in Wonderland. Oh, I can’t forget the annual festival of lights which includes an awe-inducing display of LED lights strung throughout the forest including a section set to orchestral music that simulates the forest being overtaken by a great storm and eventually a forest fire. I attend this light festival multiple times a season to relish in the joy of the lights and watch others experience it for the first time. Sheer joy.

In close proximity, is Ponce City Market, where the city combines with a cultural space, shopping center, food hall, and arts venues. I had an opportunity to visit City Winery Atlanta recently to see Poetry vs. Hip Hop, a mash-up live performance event of slam poetry, a rap battle, and a soul concert, all with interactive audience participation and a live visual artist. Champion poet, and founder of Poetry vs. Hip Hop, Queen Sheba, hosts the event. Inside City Winery, all the guests enter into a space that looks like a speakeasy and are escorted to a performance space that suggests something really special will take place soon.

Downtown Atlanta

I also had a choice to live in Downtown Atlanta which is home to the beautiful urban green space, Centennial Park, in the smack-dab middle of the city. Nearby is the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. It's a stunning place of a special type of art. The lighting displays in each tank take me to a tranquil place. There is one huge aquarium display that fills the entirety of a large room where visitors can sit and watch the sea life. As a city pass holder, I make it a priority to go sit in front of this tank at least once a month and just be. The stillness of the underwater world brings me a peace that reminds me all is well. Each time I’m sitting in front of this tank with my earbuds in and my pen in hand I find myself surrounded by travelers from all over the world who come to witness this marvel, I smile and feel really grateful I have access to this space. 

After much debate, I decided to make my first home in Atlanta in the metro Atlanta downtown area. This part of Atlanta houses the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCU), the world’s largest consortium of African American private institutions of higher education. It includes the prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and Spelman College. Georgia Tech University and Georgia State University are just a few minutes up the road from the AUCU. This rich history and cadre of undergraduate scholars bring a unique 20-something vibrancy and energy to downtown. I love to catch a great lecture or guest speaker at any of these campuses. I recently had the deep pleasure of hearing famed scholar and activist Angela Davis speak live at Morehouse College. 

Castleberry Hill

The neighborhood I chose to live in is called the Historic Castleberry Hill Art District. I should say it chose me. When I toured condos in this area, I learned there are numerous stunning art galleries and studios in this neighborhood. It is noted for having the largest concentration of black-owned businesses in the nation. There is a monthly Arts Stroll when artists of all genres take over the sidewalks with pop-up galleries, food trucks, creative goods vendors, DJs, and community members roam from gallery to gallery drinking wine and connecting with one another. It felt like a home place for me as a multi-hyphenate artist in a new city seeking to connect with this new place and people. My absolute favorite gallery is the ZuCot Gallery, the largest African-American-owned fine art gallery in the Southeast. This gallery features some of the most prolific contemporary artists of our time. I essentially lived above this gallery so daily I was able to stand outside its windows and admire the wall-sized artwork. Almost monthly I was able to pop in during the Art Stroll, attend an opening reception for a new collection, or even take a class on investing in visual art. This gallery really expanded my vision of and appreciation for visual art. In addition to the formal galleries, this neighborhood, and Atlanta more broadly has a thriving mural scene I was able to experience while walking or driving. 

In addition, Historic Castleberry Hill is home to some of my favorite Black-owned coffee shops that feel like sanctuaries for me as a writer. Black Coffee ATL sits diagonal from Zucot Gallery and a few fast steps around the corner sits Brooklyn Tea. I love to sit in these coffee shops with my notebook open and just vibe out the uniquely Atlanta vibes! 

There’s so much to say about my time in Castleberry Hill! It’s also a part of Atlanta that is frequently featured in TV shows and films. Much of the Walking Dead series was filmed here. During my time living here and walking to work, I would frequently walk through a curbside movie set or witness a music video shoot. Close by is the famed Atlanta marquee at State Farm Arena which you’ll see in lots of films and videos. On the same street sits the Mercedes Benz stadium where the Atlanta Falcons play and even bigger touring artists perform such as the beloved Beyonce! I was elated to see Beyonce perform live at the Mercedes Benz stadium back in 2018 primarily because I lived so close I could walk to the stadium. I could hear the music from the rooftop of my building. 

The examples I've shared here are just a snippet of the diverse and often unapologetically Black creative scene in Atlanta that I feel so privileged to have daily access to. With all the shine, there are still storms and trouble in this southern city. Even so, I think the art of this city keeps us breathing and dreaming. I can say for sure, it keeps me sane.