Atlanta: Art, Tech, Crime and Zombies
Jasper Seabold and Tyson Brown
Free Art Scene
Home to cultural hubs like the Atlanta High Museum of Art, the Museum of Design Atlanta, the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia, and many more, Atlanta is known for its rich art culture. But museums are only one part of the story. The city embraces its artistic tradition at all levels. In fact, the street art scene alone in Atlanta contains hundreds of pieces, including murals, paintings, sketches, and more. Spots like the Krog Street Tunnel boast stunning displays of graffiti contributed to by well-known street artists such as Greg Mike as well as anyone else with something to share. Perhaps most incredible is Atlanta’s Free Art Friday movement. Ordinary people create art just to leave it around the city for someone to find and keep, never even meeting the recipient. While the movement isn’t exclusive to Atlanta, it’s mostly fizzled out in other cities, such as New York. The phenomenon has really taken hold in Atlanta, however, with 72,000 photos of free art have been posted to social media since 2011 using the #FAFATL hashtag. Blockhead, an active creator in the FAFATL community, has described this process of creating art not to market or sell but just to let go as a “really pure form of art”.
King Street Tunnel
History of Crime
Atlanta’s reputation of crime dates back to the early 1900s when the FBI began to have a presence in the city. Since then there have been many notable crimes such as the “Atlanta Child Murders.” It began in 1979 with the murder of 14-year-old Edward Hope Smith and by May 1981, a total of 29 children, teens, and young adults were found dead. Because all the victims were black, racial tensions began to rise. Another crime that made worldwide headlines was the “Atlanta Olympic Bombings.” In the summer of 1996, all eyes were on Atlanta as they hosted the Olympic Games. Even though security procedures were in placed, a bomb exploded at Centennial Park in the center of downtown. The bombings sparked a media frenzy over who the suspect was, who eventually was caught and sentencved to life in prison in 2005. These crimes are the most famous, and some might argue they are a rare accournace. Yet, they represent a theme of crime in this city that is fueled by a history of racial and political tensions that still have an impact on the city today.
Convicted Serial Killer Wayne Williams
Aftermath of Olympic Bombing in Centennial Park
The Silicon Valley of the South
Atlanta has been referred to by some as "the Silicon Valley of the South". Home to several unicorn startups, the city seems to be living up to this moniker. It has a plethora of young talent to pull from, trained at universities such as the Georgia Institute of Technology. Furthermore, Atlanta has been on the world stage ever since it found itself under the spotlight during the 1996 summer olympics, the interest generated by which being a factor in driving capital into the region. And it has more than just startups—Atlanta is also home to the headquarters of monolith Coca-Cola as well as enterprise technology leader NCR.
Coda at Tech Square in Atlanta
Zombie Apocalypse
Atlanta is home to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Headquarters and Laboratories. One of the CDC’s key missions is to control the spread of infectious diseases. Recently, we’ve seen the effect that the coronavirus disease has had on the city, and how Atlanta served as the center of the fight against the outbreak. After watching the fictional zombie apocalypse in The Walking Dead, we have seen a worst-case scenario of an infectious disease. Yet, the CDC will not make any changes, so that is why they made a guide on how to prepare for this kind of disaster. It serves as an example of what might happen and also provides a checklist for how to prepare. In short, the portrayal of Atlanta as the center of a zombie apocalypse on TV, yet the center of the CDC in real life shows a sharp contrast which highlights the city’s preparedness and willingness to be a southern hub for this kind of medical work.
Scene from Walking Dead Season 1, episode 1
CDC Emergency Checklist
Work Cited
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