Travel

The Scene: Craft in Atlanta

Local artists share the people and places that define Atlanta, a city that thrives on diversity, community, and rich craft traditions.

Introduction: Cinqué Hicks

Artist contributors: Robell Awake, Ashley Buchanan, Molly Dudley, Kate Pak, Ato Ribeiro, and Dawn Williams Boyd

Contributor and location photos: Ben Rollins

Story producer: Jennifer Vogel

May 5, 2025

Summer 2025

Destinations

Free To Read

Downtown Atlanta Mural with the word ATLANTA in block letters filled with scenes.

Photos by Ben Rollins

Buckhead Muralsʼ downtown Atlanta mural draws visitors with its depiction of the cityʼs commerce, sports, and cultural landmarks.

Each edition of The Scene provides an in-depth look at craft in a single city. Published twice per year, this special section goes beyond traditional travel articles, offering an in-depth look at a city’s craft scene through the voices and perspectives of its artists.

In the following pages you’ll find lists of artists and craft-related spaces in Atlanta that are based on the recommendations of local contributors. This coverage is not comprehensive and we encourage you to continue exploring more of Atlanta’s craft scene. —The Editors

In this Scene:

ARTIST CONTRIBUTORS:
Robell Awake, Ashley Buchanan, Molly Dudley, Kate Pak, Ato Ribeiro, Dawn Williams Boyd

EXPLORING CRAFT IN ATLANTA: PLACES AND SPACES
Fairs, Festivals, Markets; Shops; Art Spaces, Centers, Resources; Schools, Associations, Studios; Galleries; Museums, Institutions

Ceramics by Kate Pak

Introduction

by Cinqué Hicks

Soon after the closing ceremonies of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, an idea was proposed to Atlanta’s Olympic planning committee: give quilts as gifts to the visiting delegations of all nations who would be arriving in 1996. It seemed fitting that this signature art form of the region would represent the city as the entire world came to its doorstep.

The idea gave rise to a massive statewide project involving hundreds of quilters. These dedicated craftspeople fashioned approximately 400 unique quilts, one for each Olympic Chef de Mission (the individual responsible for the well-being of that nation’s athletes) and one for each delegation’s flag-bearer. The exercise was repeated for the 103 nations participating in the Paralympic Games that same year.

“Atlanta,” the motto goes, “influences everything.” This was certainly true of the Olympic gift-giving tradition which, before 1996, had consisted mainly of the presentation of small mementos characteristic of the host country. The gift of two full-size, handmade quilts for each participating nation was a significant departure from the past. In 1998, this new, grander practice was taken up in Nagano, Japan, at the Winter Olympics, as the Japanese quilting magazine Patchwork Quilt Tsushin fostered the creation of more than 2,300 mini quilts, enough to give each visiting athlete a unique gift.

Then and now, Atlanta collectors and artists alike have evinced a significant commitment to maintaining and advancing quilting along with other Southern crafts. The Souls Grown Deep foundation, headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the primary organizations collecting and preserving the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Quilts also feature prominently in the High Museum of Art’s Southern Objects collection, housed within the Decorative Arts and Design department. Gorgeous 19th- and 20th-century examples by makers Black and white, known and no longer known, serve as reminders of the centrality of quilts as storytelling engines and memory storage devices. Other objects in the High’s collection include seminal ceramic works by the enslaved Edgefield potters of South Carolina; a range of furniture such as pie safes and cabinets; and pristine turned wood vessels by Edward Allen Moulthrop, the father of modern woodturning, who—although born in New York state—spent many years teaching at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Detail of work by Dawn Williams Boyd

Contemporary practitioners in Atlanta have extended these craft traditions. In addition to artists featured in this edition of American Craft, Etienne Jackson and Corrina Sephora have produced metalwork in both functional and fine art in national and international venues. Textile traditions have been pushed forward by artists such as Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier and Amanda Greene. And Brandon Franklin, one of the premiere hatmakers in Atlanta, has made the craft compatible with contemporary lifestyles, including by making hats for big hairstyles like dreadlocks and Afros.

Atlanta, a city for which relentless renewal is almost a religion, also embraces new technologies and practices. Samuel Thurman, founder of Maygra Studios, is pioneering AI-assisted furniture design that results in one-of-a-kind chairs and lamps from beyond human imagination. Georgia Tech’s Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking exhibits a steady stream of innovative paper craft at the edges of engineering. And the region’s academic art programs—including those at Georgia State University, Savannah College of Art and Design, University of West Georgia, and University of Georgia–Athens—push students toward newer and fresher approaches to textiles, ceramics, and more.

The Atlanta craft ecosystem is fed by a robust network of support infrastructure. Major studio complexes such as The Goat Farm and South River Art Studios host several artists working in textiles, jewelry, metal, and wood. A central feature of the Hambidge Center in North Georgia is its prized ceramics studio, which receives a steady stream of Atlanta artists seeking to advance their craft while bouncing ideas off the many painters, poets, photographers, and dancers also on the campus.

The Olympic quilt gift tradition began in Atlanta but has continued with versions taking place in Sydney, Australia; Salt Lake City; and Torino, Italy. It’s just one of the many ways that Atlanta—already a magnet for artistic talent across the South—not only takes in global influence but returns it out to the world.

Cinqué Hicks is the former editor in chief—now editor at large—of ArtsATL. He has written for numerous national and international publications and cofounded Idea Capital, an organization facilitating small cash grants to Atlanta-area artists. Hicks has called Atlanta home since 2005.

Detail of work by Ato Ribeiro

American Craft, 2025

Robell Awake

Furniture maker, researcher, and author

robellawake.com | @robellawake

I was born in Boston, grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, and have been living in the city of Atlanta for 20 years, since I was 19. I make chairs using hand tools, traditional green woodworking techniques, and regional hardwoods that I split and process myself. In my current body of work, I use this approach to explore two chair-making traditions that reflect my Ethiopian American identity: ladder-back chairs, developed by enslaved African American artisans, and Jimma chairs, traditional in Ethiopia.

By merging and reinterpreting these forms, my work offers a distinctive furniture aesthetic rooted in Black traditions and histories. These narratives are often overlooked, appropriated, or overshadowed by dominant Eurocentric perspectives, and my practice seeks to celebrate and reclaim their significance. Earlier this year, I published a book called A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects [Princeton Architectural Press] that sheds light on some of these important histories (see page 79).

What inspires me most about Atlanta’s art and craft scene is its diversity. Over the past few years, I have traveled to teach at various craft schools, many of which can feel very monocultural. These experiences have deepened my appreciation for just how vibrant Atlanta’s creative community is. Currently, I have my own shop space, but when I was starting out, I worked out of MASS Collective, a community makerspace in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood. For me, MASS Collective represents the heart of Atlanta’s craft community. They offer excellent weekend workshops on a wide range of skills, serving as the closest thing to a craft school in the city. This space has become a hub for countless talented artists. They’ve done such a great job at fostering a creative and collaborative environment within Atlanta’s craft scene.

Awake in his Atlanta studio.

Robell Awake's Left in the sons, raisins explode differently, 2023.
Robell Awakeʼs 2024 chair America Online.

Ashley Buchanan

Metalsmith, jewelry artist

ashleybuchananjewelry.com | @ashleybuchananjewelry

I’m sort of from Atlanta. I grew up about 25 miles south of the city in Fayetteville, went to college in Athens—where I received my BFA in jewelry/metals—and bartended in Atlanta on the weekends. My partner and I lived in Tennessee for seven years after college, then moved to Marietta, about 20 miles north of Atlanta, in 2017.

My work focuses on image, pattern, and decoration to reference ornamentation and historical jewelry. I cut iconic silhouette shapes from brass and silver sheet metal using a traditional jeweler’s saw and apply color using an industrial process called powder coating. My goal is to speak with a fresh voice by creating wearable works of art that push the boundaries of jewelry while maintaining a clean, contemporary aesthetic.

I would say the most inspiring and unique aspects of life in Atlanta are its cultural diversity and its tradition of community support. The city itself is so spread out, many of us consider the suburbs around the city proper to be part of Atlanta. And because of this, the range of artists and materials is vast and you get a little bit of everything contributing to one great community.

Support for the arts is expressed in many ways, from shops featuring local makers, to workshops, to galleries, to fairs. My experience with the local craft scene began early in my career, around 2010, with the Indie Craft Experience. This was one of the first craft shows I ever participated in, and the organization is still around today, producing markets, workshops, summer camps, and more. One of my earliest and proudest craft experiences was with the American Craft Council. In 2011, I participated in the ACC Show in Atlanta as an “alt-craft” artist and got to experience a big-time show for the first time as an exhibitor.

LOCAL ARTISTS BUCHANAN ADMIRES:
Ceramic artist Mariella Owens; ceramic artist Charlotte Smith; ceramist and jewelry artist Sonia Rose McCall of Rose Grown; Eileen Braun, who works in sculpture, paper weaving, and ceramics; sculptor and jewelry artist Donna D’Aquino; fiber artist Lynn Pollard; craft writer Ashley Callahan; and jewelry artist and metalsmith Mary Hallam Pearse, who was my mentor and very important to my career as a contemporary jeweler.

Ashley Buchanan in her studio.

A prototype for Buchananʼs Folded series.
Buchanan's Square Chain, a powder-coated brass chain.

Molly Dudley

Textile artist and weaver

modutextiles.com | @modu_textiles

I have called Atlanta home for almost 13 years, after moving here from the Carolinas. Through my brand, MODU, I make handwoven home textiles on traditional floor looms and create sewn garments and accessories. My work focuses on exploring and blending traditional weaving techniques with a modern aesthetic. I prioritize the use of natural fibers, incorporating yarn grown and spun in Georgia, as well as locally sourced fabrics whenever possible.

What I find most inspiring about Atlanta’s vibrant art and craft scene is that the city’s incredible diversity influences every aspect of its culture—a multitude of traditions and backgrounds are represented. The people of Atlanta are an endless wellspring of inspiration, contributing to a city filled with resilience, creativity, and passion. Activism, often channeled through art, has deep roots in Atlanta’s history, shaping it into a city with a powerful voice.

Community support is a special aspect of Atlanta’s ethos, with frequent pop-ups, markets, and special art events year-round. The city always seems to be buzzing with activity and creative happenings. Small businesses in Atlanta are increasingly collaborating with local artists for their branding and other needs.

The materials unique to Georgia are also exciting. As a weaver in the South, I’m able to source cotton grown in my own state. Georgia has a landscape rich with native plants that are great for natural dyeing, too. I also find a lot of inspiration in quilting, especially because it has such a rich history in the region.

LOCAL ARTISTS DUDLEY ADMIRES:
Alice Serres, who works in textiles, ceramics, and sculpture; ceramist Aleisha DuChateau, who founded the studio Utility Objects; Karen Horn Smith and Jenny Watts of Fossil & Hide, who make jewelry; ceramist and jewelry artist Sonia Rose McCall of Rose Grown; and functional ceramist Charlotte Smith of Charlotte Smith Studios.

Molly Dudley in her studio.

Molly Dudley
Molly Dudley

Kate Pak

Ceramist

katepak.com | @kate.pak

I was born in South Korea and immigrated to the US with my family when I was 11, initially living in Philadelphia and later in Seattle, before settling in Decatur, Georgia, in 1996. With a degree in international communications from the University of Washington, I began a career in public affairs, eventually transitioning to graphic design.

My journey into ceramics began in 2016, when some friends encouraged me to take a class at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta. Since then, I have participated in numerous juried and invitational shows, both national and regional. Currently, I am a resident artist at Callanwolde, where I continue to explore and refine my artistic vision.

I absolutely love the experience of shaping clay into functional and beautiful pieces of art. Making objects that feel good to hold and touch is an integral part of my practice. I achieve this by shaping and carving each vessel to engage the tactile senses. Often, I leave the surface of my work unglazed to highlight the humble beauty of the clay.

Atlanta’s diversity of makers is a constant source of inspiration for me. The city offers an intriguing blend of nature, with its changing seasons, and a mix of historical and modern architecture. The aromas from different neighborhoods and markets, the variety of flowers, and the constantly changing sky—all of these things spark my creativity. I am particularly inspired by how gray concrete walls are transformed into canvases, with captivating murals in various styles. These visual changes make me pause and reflect on my own work, and how my approach may align with or differ from the vibrant culture around me.

One unique aspect of Atlanta’s craft scene is how each neighborhood, despite being part of a large metropolitan area, retains a sense of warmth and community. This can be seen in the colorfully painted electrical boxes on street corners, the striking murals, and the sculptures that capture your attention with their intricate lines.

LOCAL ARTISTS PAK ADMIRES:

John Roberts, who makes handcrafted pottery and sculpture; multidisciplinary artist Michelle Laxalt, who works in ceramics, textiles, and paper; ceramicist and sculptor Julia Burns; jewelry maker Priscilla Fritsch; and weaver Katie Miller of Revival Handwoven.

American Craft, 2025

Kate Pak in her studio in Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
Brushes and tools in her porcelain vessels.

Ato Ribeiro

Sculptor and multidisciplinary artist

atoribeiroart.com | @ilaama99

I was born in Philadelphia and spent my formative years living in Accra, Ghana. In 2003 my mother and I moved to Atlanta to be near my older brothers, who were attending Morehouse College. I went on to become a “Morehouse Man” myself—as my mother wished—and also earned an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.

In my work, I use practices of collecting, joining, and refining natural and repurposed materials. My wooden kente quilt works, mixed-media installations, and prints provide opportunities to seek out new points of reference, while preserving layers of African cultural heritage and varying ethnic perspectives. The central query of my work is looking into torturous separation—of peoples, of facts from accounts—and seeking rectification through remembrance. These works are the result of a process that aims to preserve invaluable communities and explore alternate methods of making home.

Morehouse College led me to Atlanta, but I later learned about the city’s long history of attracting national and international talent, in all fields, simply because of the presence of spaces such as the Atlanta University Center Consortium, a cluster of historically Black colleges and universities located in the city’s West End neighborhood. For more than a century, Black artists and craftspeople have found a home in these spaces, where their contributions to a larger craft and fine arts culture was not only recognized but appreciated. Although most of us still exist in a space between craft and fine art, Atlanta is littered with wonderfully rich collections, archives, and social spaces for communal learning—many because of the city’s unique relationship and proximity to these HBCUs.

LOCAL ARTISTS RIBEIRO ADMIRES:

Visual artist Dawn Williams Boyd; multimedia artist and sculptor Grace Kisa; Kelly Taylor Mitchell, an artist and educator who focuses on textiles, printmaking, and papermaking; multidisciplinary artist Sonya Yong James; and ceramist, weaver, sculptor, and activist Zipporah Camille Thompson.

Ato Ribeiro in his studio, wearing overalls over a sweatshirt, with artwork behind him.

Ato Ribeiro in his studio. Behind him is DUBle Up, 2023, repurposed wood, wood glue, 72 x 192 x 1.25 in.

American Craft, 2025
American Craft, 2025

Dawn Williams Boyd

Visual artist

dawnwilliamsboyd.com | @dawnwilliamsboyd

I was born in Neptune, New Jersey. My father’s family lived in Asbury Park, though they were originally from Climax, Georgia. I grew up in the Mozley Park and Adamsville neighborhoods of Atlanta, my mother’s home. I moved to Denver in the late 1970s and moved back to Atlanta in 2010.

Since 2001, I’ve worked in fabric. I refer to my textile works as “cloth paintings” because their creation combines both my painting and sewing skill sets. Lately my work has been talking about the political and cultural rigors we are coping with right now: women’s rights, immigration, climate change, institutionalized racism, pollution, voting rights, democracy, and so on.

The best part about the Atlanta art and craft scene is the diversity and the sheer number of talented artists and craftspeople who call it home. Unlike many large metro areas where artists are concentrated in a neighborhood or specific enclave, Atlanta has art venues scattered all over the city and surrounding communities.

Dawn Williams Boyd in her studio.

In addition to the various fine art institutions, Fulton and DeKalb counties exhibit contemporary works by local artists in their libraries, government buildings, and regional art and senior centers. In the warm months there is an art festival somewhere in the metro Atlanta area every weekend, in addition to major summer events like the Piedmont Park Arts Festival.

One unique aspect of the craft scene in Atlanta is the emphasis on quilting. I am most familiar with local quilters due to my association with the Atlanta Quilt Festival. That medium is enjoying prominence partly because of the High Museum of Art’s recent additions to its collection of Black quilts and the exhibition Patterns in Abstraction: Black Quilts from the High’s Collection. The High purchased several quilts from local artists, including myself, O.V. Brantley, and the late Marquetta B. Johnson. I will also emphasize that Atlanta artists are buoyed by the support of the community. Many of the art and event spaces I frequent are jam-packed with art lovers. Thanks go out to the many generous local artists who welcomed and embraced me when I arrived here like a guppy new to the ocean.

LOCAL ARTISTS WILLIAMS BOYD ADMIRES:

Wood and metal sculptor Irvin Wheeler; basket artist and sculptor Carrie Gambrell; quilter Aisha Lumumba; mixed media artist Wycliffe “Linc” Bennett; sculptor Tae Earl-Jackson; wood and metal sculptor Etienne Jackson; quilter Sandy Teepen; sculptor and knife maker Lorenzo Lollis of One Sun Knife Designs; mixed media artist J. Stacey Grayson; quilter O.V. Brantley; fiber artist and jewelry designer K. Joy Peters; painter Marcella Hayes Muhammad and her sister, jewelry designer Dianne Hayes Quarles, who together run Maruva DQ; mixed media artist Renae Simmons Walker; quilter Jan Hollins Sullivan; stained glass artist Marlina Hullum; and the late quilter Marquetta B. Johnson.

Dawn Williams Boydʼs La Croix de Guerre, 2009, 70 x 46 in.

A silk ribbon and embroidery floss bouquet in La Croix de Guerre.
Fabric pinned and ready for sewing.

Exploring Craft in Atlanta: Places and Spaces

If you’re traveling to Atlanta or considering a visit, use this handy insiders’ guide to local craft hot spots to plan your itinerary. The fairs, galleries, schools, and organizations listed here are held dear by Atlanta-based contributing artists Robell Awake, Ashley Buchanan, Molly Dudley, Kate Pak, Ato Ribeiro, and Dawn Williams Boyd.

Fairs, Festivals, Markets

Atlanta Art Fair
Launched in 2024 by event planners AMP—which hosts similar fairs in San Francisco and Seattle—the Atlanta Art Fair features the work of artists in all disciplines, along with talks, performances, and installations. The 2025 event will be held at Pullman Yards in September.

Atlanta Art Week
This locally grown event, which runs from September 30 to October 6 this year, “brings together galleries, artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts to promote cultural exchange, education, economic development, and art appreciation.”

Atlanta Dogwood Festival
Celebrating its 89th year, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival takes place in April and features an artist market, music, dance, and a kids’ village. “It’s been nice to have people coming back together in the last couple of years, and craft shows seem to be getting back to normal, too,” says Ashley Buchanan, who urges craft fans to drop by the Dogwood.

Atlanta Quilt Festival
In its 17th year, this late-summer festival is “dedicated to the preservation and promotion of African American quilting and other textile art” and showcases quilts, dolls, and fiber arts in all genres. Dawn Williams Boyd recommends this event, which brings together professionals and beginners.

Community Market
Hosting makers markets in various Atlanta locations throughout the year, this organization aims to provide a “space of support and kindness” for artists looking to expand their businesses and “celebrate Queer joy in all of its facets.” Molly Dudley gives this endeavor a thumbs up, calling it “a nurturing community for everyone.”

Indie Craft Experience
Founded in 2005 by artists Christy Petterson and Shannon Mulkey Green, this organization produces craft and vintage markets throughout the year. Buchanan notes that it also hosts workshops, retreats, summer camps, and field trips.

Piedmont Park Arts Festival
Located in a 200-acre park in the heart of Atlanta, this annual two-day summer event features hundreds of artists and emphasizes “visual arts and family fun.” Williams Boyd gives the festival her endorsement.

Scott Antique Market
“We spend a lot of our weekends at Scott Antique Market and the Lakewood 400 Antiques Market, where youʼll find artisans plying their wares scattered amid the effluvium left over from grandmaʼs closet and great-grandpaʼs barn,” says Williams Boyd.

Shops

the beehive
Featuring Atlanta artists—like candlemaker Mari Davis and jewelry designer Cameron Kruse—this gift shop on Caroline Street is endorsed by Kate Pak. “Local shops, like HomeGrown in Decatur and beehive in Atlanta, offer eclectic, handcrafted art for sale,” Pak says. “And beehive hosts hands-on workshops for all ages. These local spots highlight the cityʼs deep appreciation for creative expression.”

Brick + Mortar
This shop highlights antiques and a line of house-made candles. Its staff also run a jobs program in partnership with social services nonprofit City of Refuge, teaching candle making to women transitioning out of crisis.

Factor’s
Based on Moreland Avenue, this clothing store launched in 2020 and is the brainchild of local musician Matt Lambert, who worked for years with legendary Atlanta clothing designer Sid Mashburn. Endorsed by Dudley, Factor’s features bespoke shirts, jackets, and pants, along with custom tailored suits.

Megan Huntz
Dudley recommends this line of fine clothing, produced in Atlanta and New York City by designer Megan Huntz. Her ethically produced dresses and separates can be found at Huntz’s shop in the Morningside Village neighborhood.

Wanderstate Mercantile
With its wide selection of handmade home goods, apparel, and stationary, this woman-owned Chamblee shop has earned Dudley’s seal of approval.

Young Blood
“Then you have small business stores around the city like Young Blood boutique, which represents local makers, craft artists, and designers,” says Buchanan. This boutique on McLendon Avenue—which is also favored by Dudley—features handmade cards, glassware, and jewelry.

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center hosts exhibitions, studios, workshops, and performances in a 27,000-square-foot mansion.

Art Spaces, Centers, Resources

Abernathy Arts Center
Offering classes and workshops in pine needle basketry, embroidery, painting, and other arts, this center, located in Sandy Springs, is recommended by Buchanan.

Art Papers
This Atlanta-based nonprofit, founded in 1976 as the Atlanta Art Workers Coalition, hosts programs and forums and publishes an online art magazine.

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
Callanwolde pretty much does it all. Located in a 27,000-square-foot Gothic-Tudor mansion, built a century ago by the son of the founder of Coca-Cola, it hosts exhibitions in its gallery, performances in its outdoor amphitheater, and art instruction and workshops in its many rooms and outbuildings. This cultural centerpiece is recommended by Williams Boyd, Dudley, and Pak, who is a resident artist.

Chastain Arts Center and Gallery
Established in 1968, this arts center is the oldest in Atlanta. Endorsed by Pak, it offers classes, workshops, exhibits in an in-house gallery, and shopping in its gift shop.

Doraville Art Center
At DART, “art is the point.” This center in Doraville, recommended by Pak, offers classes, workshops, and exhibitions—and facilitates fairs and public art installations.

The Goat Farm
This lively visual and performing arts complex with dedicated art/work studios recently added apartments. A portion of rent supports arts programming on the premises.

Hambidge Center
Located on 600 acres in Rabun Gap, in the North Georgia Mountains, the Hambidge Center enriches the artists of Atlanta with residencies, workshops, environmental initiatives, and community programs. Buchanan, Pak, and Ato Ribeiro endorse this center.

Harriet G. Darnell Senior Multipurpose Facility
“Iʼm impressed by the work being done with seniors by artists Kimberlie D. Wright and Jamal Jones at the Harriet G. Darnell senior facility,” says Williams Boyd. The programming is part of an effort by Fulton County to provide enrichment classes for people 55 and over.

Hudgens Center for Art and Learning
“The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning has excellent crafts programs and exhibitions,” says Williams Boyd. The Hudgens—with its art classes and workshops for all ages, sculpture garden, gift shop, and gallery—is also recommended by Pak.

Mildred Thompson Legacy Project
Honoring the work of renowned sculptor, painter, printmaker, and photographer Mildred Thompson (1936–2003), who spent the last decades of her life in Atlanta, this project sponsors a residency in the artist’s home in Grant Park and earns a thumbs-up from Ribeiro.

Southwest Arts Center
Offering exhibitions, classes, and performances, this cultural center in South Fulton is recommended by Williams Boyd.

Spruill Center for the Arts
Located in Dunwoody, 16 miles north of Atlanta, the Spruill Center provides classes, workshops, events, and exhibitions—and gets a gold star from Buchanan.

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
“We are also home to fantastic archives such as the Stuart Rose Library, Auburn Avenue Research Library, and For Keeps bookstore,” says Ribeiro. “These spaces are mostly free and easy to access for the public.”

The Tenth
“Some additional spaces for communal learning that I frequent include my favorite makerspace, MASS Collective, and a wonderful social club called The Tenth, both of which host workshops and deep-dive conversations into the work and practices of craft people, artists, and arts workers related to Atlanta,” says Ribeiro.

Schools, Associations, Studios

ArtsXchange
This community art and cultural hub in East Point, recommended by Williams Boyd, is located in a former elementary school and offers artist studios, classes, and event and performance spaces—all in the name of “encouraging, preserving, and sharing the voices and the arts that express our collective humanity.”

Atlanta Clay Works
Living up to its motto, “Where craft meets community,” this space in the Kirkwood neighborhood features a gallery, studios, classes, and the opportunity to purchase work directly from member artists.

Atlanta Glass Art Guild
Founded in 1979, this membership-based nonprofit is on a mission to connect glass art enthusiasts in the Atlanta area, whether they are focused on blown glass, stained glass, torch-worked glass, neon, or kiln-formed glass.

Atlanta Printmakers Studio
Offering printmaking classes, workshops, residencies, scholarships, community outreach events, and exhibitions, this organization—now in a new space in Hapeville, just south of Atlanta proper—aims to raise awareness of printmaking as an art form. Ribeiro suggests giving the studio a try.

Fabricate Studios
Dudley endorses this creative space in the West Midtown area, which offers sewing and craft classes for children, teens, and adults.

Georgia Association of Woodturners
A chapter of the American Association of Woodturners, this organization provides “education, information, and organization” to people interested in woodturning. GAW meets once a month in the Spruill Center for the Arts.

Grit Ceramic Studio
Promising “pottery for all,” this women-owned studio offers classes, workshops, and kids’ camps—and is recommended by Dudley.

The Mable House Arts Center
“In 2024, I gave myself a gift and started taking ceramics classes at the Mable House Arts Center,” says Buchanan. “The community fostered there is amazing and full of wonderful people of all ages and backgrounds. There, I met Mariella Owens, my teacher and new hero. She has the most energy of any person I know—she is incredibly knowledgeable about her craft and is a force in the studio.”

MASS Collective
Located in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood, this member-driven “inclusive community workshop for all of Atlanta’s artists and creators” offers a well-outfitted shop that’s available 24/7, classes on topics from woodworking to stained glass, apprenticeships, and more. Robell Awake describes this creative launching pad as the heart of Atlanta’s craft community, and Ribeiro calls MASS Collective his favorite makerspace.

Metal Arts Guild of Georgia
Founded in 1998 by a group of metalsmiths looking to network and sharpen their skills, this guild in Doraville, just north of Atlanta, offers workshops, classes, an artist-in-residence program, an annual show and sale, as well as “the best equipped metalsmithing studio in the region,” says Buchanan.

MudFire
This membership-based studio in Decatur offers residencies, classes, and a top-of-the-line workspace. Proprietors Deklan Ranlett and Daphne Dail have created an atmosphere that’s “diverse, inclusive, and inspiring.”

Roswell Visual Arts
This arts education program in Roswell, north of Atlanta, includes classes, workshops, exhibitions, residencies, and apprenticeships. With three facilities—one dedicated solely to ceramics—Pak gives this organization a thumbs-up.

Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance
Nurturing a regional fiber arts community through classes, tours, and exhibitions, this nonprofit also houses an impressive textile library.

Galleries

Black Art in America
This East Point–based organization—which features a gallery and sculpture gardens—is on a mission to “document, preserve and promote the contributions of the African American arts community” and is endorsed by Williams Boyd.

Cat Eye Creative
With multiple locations, this organization boasts over 3,000 square feet of gallery and studio space and is recommended by Dudley. The folks at Cat Eye believe “art is for everyone and without a community there is no art.”

Decatur Arts Alliance
“Metropolitan Atlanta consists of numerous cities and neighborhoods, each with its own community-based art centers or gathering spaces,” says Pak. “Decatur, where I live, has the Decatur Arts Alliance, which features a gallery space and public art in the form of murals and sculptures.”

Echo Contemporary Art
Ribeiro points to this gallery on Echo Street, which showcases emerging to mid-career artists working in various mediums, including ceramics and textiles.

Hi-Lo Press
This Midtown printmaking studio and gallery provides exhibition space for emerging and established artists.

Memento
“New creative spaces are emerging,” says Pak, “from gritty artist studios and appointment-only galleries like Memento to transformed carriage houses that now serve as art venues, such as Whitespace, which is tucked into a quaint neighborhood.” Memento, a self-described “creative laboratory,” is located on Somerset Terrace.

Swan Coach House Gallery
Pak and Ribeiro recommend this gallery on Slaton Drive, which provides “a collaborative platform for a diverse community of artists and curators to bring their ideas to life.”

Whitespace Gallery
This gallery—located in a converted carriage house built inthe 1800s—exhibits work in all mediums with the goal of “promoting artistic innovation and inquiries into the relationships that define who we are, both collectively and as individuals.” Fans include Dudley and Pak.

ZuCot Gallery
Located in the Castleberry Hill section of Atlanta, this gallery was founded in 2009 by art collector Troy Taylor. He and his partners, Omari and Onaje Henderson, are known collectively as “The Art Brothers.” The three focus on exhibiting the works of living African American artists and hosting meaningful events.

Museums, Institutions

Atlanta Contemporary
Founded in 1973 as a grassroots artists’ cooperative, this institution presents the work of more than 200 artists each year, and also commissions new work. Admission is always free at this Means Street art center, which is recommended by Ribeiro.

Bernard A. Zuckerman Museum of Art
Located on the Kennesaw State University campus, this museum presents works from the school’s permanent collection and new pieces by local and national artists—and it’s endorsed by Ribeiro.

Clark Atlanta University Art Museum
This campus museum’s purpose “is to collect, preserve, research, and exhibit fine artworks that document the role of African Americans in American history and culture.” Ribeiro suggests visiting CAUAM, where the admission is free.

Hammonds House Museum
“The Hammonds House Museum is a wonderful place devoted to African American fine art,” says Pak. “The growing list of interesting and important art spaces in the city reflects Atlantaʼs ongoing growth and cultural evolution.” Ribeiro agrees.

High Museum of Art
With a collection of more than 20,000 works—including sculpture, contemporary folk art, decorative arts and design, and African art—and a calendar full of social and educational events, this world-class museum is recommended by Williams Boyd and Dudley.

Michael C. Carlos Museum
Located on the Emory University campus in the Druid Hills neighborhood, the Carlos makes its collections—which include art from Africa, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome, and the Indigenous Americas—available to students, researchers, and the public. Ribeiro says it’s worth a visit.

Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia
Founded in 2000, MOCA GA is devoted to collecting, archiving, and exhibiting the contemporary works of the stateʼs artists. It boasts a collection of more than 1,600 pieces by hundreds of local artists, including Home Coming 6 by Ribeiro.

Museum of Design Atlanta
Dedicated to the “study and celebration of all things design,” this museum features exhibits rooted in various design disciplines—including architecture, textile art, and graphic design—as well as a designer residency and a gift shop.

Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking
Visitors to this museum on the Georgia Tech campus gain access to the “most comprehensive collection of paper and paper-related artifacts in the world,” including manuscripts, hand and industrial papermaking tools, rare books, and paper samples.

This edition of The Scene was produced and edited by Jennifer Vogel, contributing editor to American Craft.

Discover more craft destinations by visiting the Travel category in the Stories section of craftcouncil.org.

This article was made possible with support from the Windgate Foundation.

Before you go!

We believe that making creates a meaningful world, and we hope you do, too. Deeply researched and impactful journalism on the craft community is in short supply. At the same time, being featured in a national publication can have a major effect on a maker’s or artist’s livelihood, particularly those who are just starting in their career. You can help support our mission and the work of makers around the country by becoming a member or by making a gift today.

Thank you!
American Craft Editors

Join Donate

1 - 6

The Spring issue of American Craft is still available! Get the magazine delivered right to your door.

The Scene: Craft in Atlanta

In this Scene:

Introduction

Advertisement