A Look at Black Arts in Atlanta

Atlanta has been a point of origin, a platform of propulsion, and a place of investment for major American artists from W.E.B. DuBois to August Wilson, Gladys Knight to Janelle Monae, Babyface to Usher, Arrested Development to the Migos, Alice Walker to Tayari Jones, and Spike Lee to Tyler Perry. Not to mention that in the past 20 years, Atlanta has become a capital of American culture through the work of artists who are either from here or whose art was made here, including Outkast, TLC, Donald Glover, Saycon Sengbloh, Kenny Leon, Amy Sherald, Tyler Mitchell, Ciara, and Lil Baby. 

And it’s worth noting that, like the city’s Civil Rights history, much if not most of Atlanta’s cultural legacy is because of Black folks.

The world over, these artists are known as significant contributors to the rich tapestry of American art, and Atlanta is largely at the center of their notoriety. With this mapping project, we attempt to capture the rich diversity of Black-led, identifying, and serving arts and cultural organizations and businesses in metro Atlanta.