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Emory partners with Midtown Alliance for artists-in-residence program
Muralist Patricia Hernandez

As part of Emory’s partnership with the Midtown Alliance, muralist Patricia Hernandez is painting a vibrant work on the brick wall of Emory’s property at 495 Peachtree Street NE.

— Midtown Alliance

Four Atlanta artists will spend the next 18 months working out of studio spaces located in commercial property owned by Emory University near Emory University Hospital Midtown, as Emory partners with Midtown Alliance for the next class of the Midtown Heart of the Arts Residency Program.

The initiative accelerates continued professional development for practicing Atlanta-based artists by providing studio workspaces inside various commercial properties from January 2023 through June 2024, a financial stipend, and the opportunity to increase visibility for their practice.

“We are excited to support Atlanta artists through this innovative program,” says David C. Payne, associate vice president of planning and engagement at Emory. “This partnership is the latest example of our long-standing relationship with Midtown Alliance, and we embrace their efforts to nurture Atlanta’s creative community.”

Demetri Burke is one of four Atlanta artists who will spend the next 18 months working in studio spaces in commercial properties owned by Emory. His studio will be located in the building at 493 Peachtree Street NE.

The four artists working in Emory properties are:

  • Demetri Burke – 493 Peachtree Street NE: oil painting, mixed media and collage
  • Sayma Hossain – 493 Peachtree Street NE: textiles and mixed-media
  • Kelly Taylor Mitchell – 530 W Peachtree Street NE: mixed media, installation, papermaking, printmaking, book arts and textiles
  • Deanna Sirlin – 489 Peachtree Street NE: canvas and large-scale installations, projections and other media

All of the studio spaces are positioned to host public events during the 18-month residency tenure.

In addition to these artists, muralist Patricia Hernandez is painting a vibrant work on the brick wall at 495 Peachtree Street NE.

Midtown Alliance held an open call for artist applications last summer and received nearly 50 submissions. In all, seven artists were chosen for this cohort and started moving into their studio spaces this month throughout Midtown.

“We are immensely proud of everything the residency program achieved in its first year and now are thrilled to welcome this latest class of artists to Midtown,” says Lauren Radman, project manager of urban design and placemaking at Midtown Alliance. “Extending the residency term to 18 months and expanding our footprint will create even more opportunities for collaboration with these artists and sponsoring partners on projects that make art a part of the daily experience in our district.”

Other property partners involved in the artist-in-residence program for this new term include Databank, Peachtree Pointe, Dewberry Foundation and Perkins + Will / MODA.

Midtown is widely recognized for its commitment to the arts. The district is home to more than 50 public art installations within one square mile and the largest concentration of arts and cultural venues in the Southeast. The Heart of the Arts initiative reinforced this commitment when it launched in 2020 with a series of temporary storefront installations, and Midtown Alliance introduced its artist residency program the following year.

At ground-level, along building facades and in the spaces between buildings, public art is an invitation for people to experience Midtown and a visual cue that Midtown is a place where art is both appreciated and created.

One way the Heart of the Arts program enriches the experiences people have in the public realm is through collaboration with property owners that yield new art installations. Another way the program adds to the experience in Midtown is through events and workshops led by artists sharing their perspective. Seeing these works along streets and sidewalks and meeting artists in their studios helps connect people to place and to each other.


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