ARC’s Cultural Forum Addresses the Intersection of Atlanta’s Arts Funding and Housing in 2024 Project

Atlanta Art EventsCulture

Jan 3

On November 13th , ARC’s Cultural Forum group celebrated the launch and live re-

creation of their interactive storytelling website titled “Making a Case for Creative

Atlanta Region” at the Goat Farm.

Typically held potluck style on the second Wednesday of each month, the Cultural

Forums centers Queer, Trans, Disabled, Black, Indigenous and People of Color

(QTDBIPOC) with the goal of turning conversations around arts and culture into civic or

social action. This year’s group chose to focus on the intersection between Equitable

Arts Funding and Housing.

Interactive exhibits adorned with ambient music, lighting, and creative directional arrows

and signage, set the stage for a night of community stories, art making, and community

action. Set-up living room style, zone 1 invited attendees to listen to the recorded stories

of community members who have struggled with finding housing in the metro Atlanta

region. Zone 2 featured a collaborative art board, where attendees completed the

phrases “Art Funding Creates...” and “Affordable Housing Provides...”. The next zone

featured a projected video series entitled Broad Strokes on Broad Street, created by

cultural forum member Jose Awo. It showcased first person accounts of the struggles of

Atlanta’s un-homed community. The final zone, an action zone, provided custom-

designed postcards to mail to local representatives to join advocacy efforts calling for

Georgia to allocate it’s $11B Surplus in their state budget to Arts funding and Georgia’s

Housing Trust Fund.

During the final portion of the event, musician and poet Trey Carlisle performed an

original spoken word piece titled “Birdhouses”, before the night was capped off by a

panel discussion on the state of housing for artists.

To view the Story Map, follow the link below:

Puppetry NOW with Atlanta’s Raymond Carr: A Must-See Exhibit at the Center for Puppetry Arts