A Milestone for Creating Art in Midtown: Residency Program Enters 3rd Term
Midtown Alliance Welcomes New Cohort of Artists + New Property Owner for 2025-26
02/06/025
Midtown Alliance’s artist residency program has reached a new milestone, bringing district property owners in the district and Atlanta's artistic talent together to create studio spaces and art for everyone to enjoy. The Heart of the Arts program now begins its third residency term, featuring a brand new cohort of artists and a new Midtown community partner that joins Emory in making studio space available.
Meet Midtown’s 2025-26 Artists in Residence
Midtown Alliance’s call for applicants last autumn was answered by 80 artists. The competitive review process resulted in the selection of five artists who will make up Midtown’s 2025-26 class. Get to know them:
Gavin Bernard: Bernard's current body of work focuses on reclaimed textiles and improvisational quilting, inspired by the legacy of Southern Black quilters.
Charity Hamidullah: With a 20-year background in tattooing, she empowers clients through self-expression, a theme she explores in her murals and contemporary art practice.
Nicole Kang Ahn: Nicole’s gallery and public works explore themes of cultural identity, motherhood, love and loss.
Nkolo Masela: His multidisciplinary practice spans installation, sculpture, textiles, and performance, rooted in his experiences as a native of Congo.
Aysha Pennerman: Aysha's art practice blends creative placemaking and mixed media with a mission to bring beauty, joy, and hope into public spaces.
Of note, program consultant Neda Abghari will work with Midtown Alliance staff and each of these artists will be involved during their residency to curate commissioned works of public art. That’s a win for the district because it further expands Midtown’s enviable inventory of 70+ public art installations located within a walkable one-square-mile area of the city.
SoNo? So Yes!
While the initiative has had a large footprint with artist studios located all across the district in prior years, the 2025-26 program stands out because of its tighter concentration of workspaces in the area south of North Avenue, known locally as “SoNo.” This clustered network of spaces means participating artists are all within a short walk of each others’ studios, leading to more collaboration. It also provides fertile ground for continued transformation in SoNo, including more public art opportunities and arts experiences for the area.
Emory will continue to host artists in the buildings it owns on Peachtree Street opposite Emory University Hospital Midtown and on Spring Street. Emory began its partnership with Midtown Alliance for this program in 2022 and has since enlivened the block with two active studio spaces and two large murals adjacent to Shakespeare Tavern.
New Studio Partner for 2025: All Saints’ Episcopal Church
Midtown Alliance has forged many successful partnerships with the faith community over the years. And new for this term, All Saints’ Episcopal Church is getting involved as the newest Heart of the Arts property partner, making studio space available near the corner of North Avenue and Spring Street. The church is hosting two artists in street-level studios adjacent to the nonprofit Midtown Assistance Center.
“All Saints' is proud to be a partner with Heart of the Arts,” said The Rev. Dr. Simon Mainwaring, Rector at All Saints’ Episcopal Church. “We believe that by inviting the Midtown community to share in the creativity and imagination of artists in our midst we can become a stronger, more celebratory, and generous people.”
Art Aficionados: Stay Tuned for Local Arts-Focused Events
Looking ahead, 2025 will feature a lineup of can’t-miss art events planned for later in the year, including open studio events and the return of Atlanta Art Week to Midtown in early October. These experiences create a direct link between the community and the creative individuals who are shaping the future of Atlanta’s art scene. Keep up with community events on Midtown Alliance’s events calendar.
Shared Wins for Artists, Property Owners, and Atlantans
Since inception in 2021, the Heart of the Arts studio residency program has now engaged 18 artists and 10 property partners. And the collaborations continue to deliver new experiences in Midtown rooted in public art. In 2024, Midtown welcomed new murals by Heart of the Arts alumnae Patricia Hernandez (Meraki) and a collaboration between 2023-24 participants Demetri Burke and Sayma Hossain (I Found my Future in the Wind) near Emory University Hospital Midtown. In addition. alumnus Jamaal Barber's storefront installation Everybody Loves the Sunshine was completed on 12th Street between Peachtree Street and Crescent Avenue in partnership with 1010 Midtown.
"The Heart of the Arts Residency Program continues to steadily add arts experiences to Midtown’s street level," said Lauren Radman, project manager at Midtown Alliance. "By transforming vacant storefronts into active workspace, welcoming the community to open studios and other events, and generating artwork for Midtown’s parks and plazas, our residency program and partners directly support vibrant public life in the district. We’re thrilled to continue this work with All Saints’ and Emory and to welcome five new artists to Midtown."
Special Thanks
Midtown Alliance thanks the volunteers who served on this year’s selection panel: Taylor Alxndr, Jamaal Barber, Laura Flusche, Patricia Hernandez, Sayma Hossain, Mary Kelly, Birney Lawrence, Catherine Manci, Samara Minkin, Laura Moody, Vanessa Toro, Anne Tracht.
In addition, Midtown Alliance would like to thank St. Luke’s Episcopal Church for donating parking to two of our resident artists, and our host sponsors for making this program possible.
