Atlanta's Changing Public Art Landscape
Atlanta's Changing Public Art Landscape
by D. Amari Jackson
"Safari" by John Rhoden -- Hammonds House Museum photo: Najee Dorsey
Think the Washington Monument, the 555-foot marble obelisk soaring above the skyline of our nation’s governing city; think Mount Rushmore, where four 60-foot-high granite faces of America’s iconic presidents are sculpted into a mountain in the Black Hills region of South Dakota; or the Gateway Arch, the 630-foot-tall monument clad in stainless steel dominating the horizon in St. Louis, Missouri.
Though colossal in scale, these high profile expressions are just a few of the countless examples of public art adorning cities and towns across the nation. Others may be smaller, but certainly no less potent. For example, on a serene hilltop overlooking the city of Montgomery, Alabama, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice commemorates the legacy of those Black Americans enslaved, lynched, discriminated against, and unjustly incarcerated.
Here in the Metro Atlanta area, such expressions range from “People of Atlanta,” Elizabeth Catlett’s monumental bronze sculpture gracing Atlanta City Hall, to BAIA’s own gallery-side murals and sculpture garden in East Point. On September 20, Hammonds House Museum—a fine art institution in Atlanta’s West End established in 1988 and dedicated to African diaspora and African American art—opens the John Rhoden Sculpture Garden, a tribute garden honoring late American sculptor John Rhoden.
Black Art In America sculpture garden featuring Nnamdi Okonkwo
“Unlike traditional sculpture gardens, which often focus on a variety of artists and styles, this garden is dedicated solely to the works of John Rhoden,” says Halima Taha, a well-known art curator and author appointed Artistic Chair for Hammonds House in January. “All the sculptures are gifts from the John Walter and Richanda Phillips Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,” notes Taha, qualifying Hammonds House as a “unique institution that has evolved into a cherished art destination” further distinguished by its new public art. “This garden offers visitors a tranquil space to relax, reflect, and appreciate the work of one of the nation’s most important Black American sculptors from the 20th century, marking the museum’s first permanent outdoor installation.”
Since joining Hammonds House, Taha has sought to establish a “vibrant cultural oasis where the global intellectual and creative diversity of artists of African descent can be seen, studied, and celebrated by students, scholars, collectors, art enthusiasts, and all who visit.” She sees the institution and its new garden as a “labor of love” that “celebrates art, culture, and community, in contrast to the elitism often found in traditional museums, which can alienate the very people they should serve.”
“We believe art is meant to be experienced by all, not just the wealthy patron,” insists Taha.
Consistently, public art is a key part of this more accessible, creative process. “As an aesthetic form, public art can transform urban and public spaces, infusing them with beauty, creativity, and visual interest,” says Taha, promoting how “public art reflects a community's identity, history, and values. It serves as a visual manifestation of a people's collective experiences, struggles, and aspirations. By showcasing the work of local, regional, and international artists,” continues Taha, “public art celebrates the diverse cultural tapestry that makes a community unique. It can also serve as a tool for cultural preservation, ensuring that marginalized or underrepresented groups' stories, traditions, and artistic legacies are recognized and honored.”
Generally defined as any media form created for and occupying public spaces, there exist a myriad of reasons for public art. Such monuments and displays are well known to bring beauty, culture, identity, and value to the communities they adorn. They commemorate important historical events, be they triumphant or tragic; they educate and raise awareness around important issues and cultural practices, often stimulating local economies through tourism and associated investment. Further, public art can reflect the evolution of a community or society by incorporating the technologies of the day at a particular moment in time, or showing this evolution over time. Ultimately, its impact is aesthetic, economic, social, and cultural.
“I always go back to ancient history before I talk about now,” offers Kevin Sipp, Director of Visual Production at Sipp Creative, a fine art consulting, design and production studio. A former curator of Hammonds House and the Cultural Affairs and Public Art Coordinator for the city of Atlanta, Sipp advances that, when people think about “what you know about a culture, you usually find that culture preserved in its arts, how people thought, how people felt about the times they were in, and how they expressed that through their art.” He points out how “we would not know about Greek or Egyptian culture without knowing about the art production. Any culture that has been a grand culture in history has invested in public art to showcase its spirit and its soul. So, as part of the public art program, it is our duty to use taxpayer dollars so that it actually is the city's art collection, and it is the citizens' art collection.”
“We go out and purchase works from regional, local, and national artists that basically best represent us as an international city,” explains Sipp, promoting that “the beauty it brings to a city and, oftentimes, the commentary it brings to a city, I think, is necessary dialogue.” Further, “we must make sure we showcase and represent equity in representation so that artists across the board are represented from various genders, cultures, nationalities, as all those things are an important part of a public art program.”
Jamaal Barber with "One of many" at Freedom Park - Credit John Stephens @jasphoto
Consistently, the City of Atlanta, in collaboration with its Park and Recreations, has turned Freedom Park into a rotating sculpture gallery. Along with permanent sculptures by the likes of Thornton Dial, a temporary public art program now graces the park as temporary sculptures are put on display for a year. This year's rotation, installed later this month, features two Atlanta-based artists, Jamaal Barber and Alex Brewer.
“Both artists will put in four sculptures each, and they will be on display for a year,” details Sipp, noting “we're really excited about it” especially given “Barber’s work and its relationship to civil rights, social justice, and freedom.”
While both Sipp and Taha recognize the role and value of such public displays, they present a mixed bag when it comes to the current status of public art in America.
Flowers for Baldwin and Tangled by Jamaal Barber at Freedom Park - Credit John Stephens @jasphoto
“Public art in the U.S. has faced challenges with funding and public support in recent decades,” reports Taha. “Government funding for public art programs has declined since the 1980s. However, significant private and nonprofit funding for public art remains, especially for major cities” as “corporations, developers, and arts organizations commission public works.” Upon comparing the American scene with European countries, which generally “provide stronger public funding and policy support for public art”—and African countries that frequently use art for “political activism, memorialization, and affirmation of marginalized cultural identities” and commonly rely upon “support from nonprofit organizations, artist collectives, and international donors”—Taha acknowledges the “mixed public reception to public art in the U.S., with some pieces generating controversy or lacking broad community engagement.”
That said, Sipp is encouraged by the increased engagement of public art here in Atlanta. “I think it is going through a steady increase in the sense that every mayor I've worked under since I've been a member of the city have all been supporters of the arts, and it shows not only through their leadership, but the leadership of the city staff who are also more involved in public art,” he maintains. “I often joke that it is almost more difficult to do my job now because so many people love the art, where, in the past, I think people could just put art on the wall and say, ‘you gotta live with this,” laughs Sipp.
“And I think Atlanta, ” he adds, “if it is going to maintain its status as an international city globally, art is going to have to be a part of that.”
