New Public Art Transforms Midtown’s Commercial Row Commons Into an Evolving Kaleidoscope
04/03/2025
Midtown Alliance and Dashboard are thrilled to announce Suspended Spectrum, an aerial installation by Micah and Whitney Stansell set to transform Midtown’s Commercial Row Commons into a dynamic display of color and light capturing the evolving nature of time and space, on view from April 12, 2025 through November 14, 2025.
Suspended Spectrum features hundreds of colorful translucent acrylic panels suspended above Commercial Row Commons. Arranged in gradients, the panels refract light to create vibrant, shifting patterns that trace time’s passage. Wind adds another dynamic element, making the installation feel alive as swaying panels blend colors into a vibrant spectrum. At night, integrated lighting further transforms the experience, casting a luminous glow that bathes the space below in color.
Suspended Spectrum’s arrival continues the legacy of Midtown Alliance’s “Heart of the Arts”– an initiative that aims to make art a central part of daily life in Midtown, an urban district that is home to more than 80 compelling public artworks in a one square mile area.
The installation will be hosted on a catenary overhead system at Commercial Row Commons in the center of the district. Formerly a narrow sidewalk until it was reimagined by Midtown Alliance and the Midtown Improvement District in 2022, Commercial Row Commons now exists as a bustling public plaza, serving a variety of people, from restaurant goers and nearby residents to daytime workers and commuters who access the Midtown MARTA station. The incorporation of the installation in this space aims to encourage patrons and pedestrians to slow down, notice the subtleties of their surroundings, and interact with their environment in a new way.
"We've been following Micah and Whitney's work for a while and are excited to finally bring them to Midtown," said Lauren Radman, Project Manager for Urban Design and Placemaking at Midtown Alliance. "This colorful installation will provide a beautiful focal point for the plaza, and even though it's temporary, it will have lasting impact. Immersive installations like this one invite people to a unique and dynamic experience that deepens connection to place, and ultimately, boosts public life."
As sunlight continuously filters through Suspended Spectrum, the installation invites new experiences of immersion and reflection, allowing visitors to become attuned to the rhythms of the seen and unseen, and the ephemeral beauty that unfolds around them.
“We are excited to bring new work to the Midtown Commercial Row Commons,” said artists Micah and Whitney Stansell. “Installing work in public spaces where people can happen upon something unexpected has always been an important part of our work. We hope that this work, suspended overhead, will invite viewers to slow down and engage with the work and their surroundings.”
Suspended Spectrum is free and open to the public, day and night, activating Midtown Atlanta’s Commercial Row Commons from April 12, 2025, through November 14, 2025.
Suspended Spectrum Viewing Details
Where: Commercial Row Commons
92 Peachtree Pl NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Presented by Midtown Alliance
Produced by Dashboard
A public celebration for Suspended Spectrum is scheduled for June 20 from 6-8pm. Please follow @midtown_atl and @dashboard_us on Instagram for the official event announcement.