Two new contemporary art galleries are set to open in January in Atlanta's King Historic District near the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. One Contemporary Gallery and The Sun ATL will join a cluster of established art spaces in the area, including the Atlanta Center for Photography, aKAZI, September Gray Gallery and whitespace. The new galleries will share a public grand opening reception and host four days of art-related events over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend.
One Contemporary Gallery is a curator-led space founded by Faron Manuel, previously a grant manager at the High Museum of Art and director of the Black Art in America Foundation. The gallery focuses on early career artists and contemporary art in the city and beyond. The opening exhibition, The Start of Something, will feature a group of millennial artists with ties to Atlanta at a pivotal moment in their artistic journey.
"This pivotal moment puts into context serious practicing artists in the midst of the city's rapidly changing landscape," said Manuel via email. "As a whole, the exhibit cites the rise and fall of old and new art institutions and even gives a nod to legacy spaces and new experimental models."
The Sun ATL was founded by Atlanta gallerist Shawn Vinson, who describes the space as "a hybrid business model that combines the elegance of an art gallery, the historical depth of a museum and the versatility of a premier meeting, event and content creation space." A longtime fixture in Atlanta's art scene, Vinson is also the proprietor of Different Trains Gallery in Decatur and was gallery director of The Waddi in Inman Park.
"When I was presented with an opportunity to open a gallery so close to The King Center and Ebenezer Baptist Church, in the heart of Atlanta, I couldn't pass up the chance. There has been an uncanny amount of serendipity along the way, which has reinforced my belief that we're doing something special," said Vinson.
First Light, The Sun ATL's inaugural exhibition, will feature 16 local and international artists, creating a dialogue between the established and those emerging. The show includes a mix of paintings, photography, printmaking, collage, mixed media and sculpture by 16 artists, including Purvis Young, Jim Alexander and British-born, Atlanta-based artist Ruth Franklin.
The dual opening reception takes place on Friday, January 17, leading into artist talks, film screenings and more, through Monday, January 20.
