Atlanta: Visualizing the City

Ross Steelman and Katherine Kremer

Art for All

Walking through the streets of Atlanta you cannot help but notice the vivid colors that paint the city. From Cabbagetown to Chamblee, the city’s rich culture and history blends with a diverse group of artists’ individual styles. What sets Atlanta’s art scene apart from so many other cities is the communal nature, in which anyone can enjoy displays. One piece of Atlanta’s rich art scene is the street art, or graffiti, that scatters the city. Although illegal, many areas of the city embrace the art as a way to color their city.

Roadside Haiku

John Morse, a local Atlanta artist, is a perfect example of creativity flowing through Atlanta. His signs, posted around intersections, seem like fast-grab business promotions, yet reflect traditional Japanese Haiku poems, including the amount of syllables. While Haikus typically depict a seasonal tone, these poems reflect an urban capitalist tone

While Atlanta's reaction has been across the board, some threatening fines if not taken down, the signs provide insight on the city. The art critiques the fast-paced urban lifestyle, aided by bustling industries, in order to encourage individuals to step back and appreciate simple things, such as art.

Civil Rights (Art) Movement

Walking through the streets of Atlanta you cannot help but notice the vivid colors that paint the city. From Cabbagetown to Chamblee, the city’s rich culture and history blends with a diverse group of artists’ individual styles. What sets Atlanta’s art scene apart from so many other cities is the communal nature, in which anyone can enjoy displays. One piece of Atlanta’s rich art scene is the street art, or graffiti, that scatters the city. Although illegal, many areas of the city embrace the art as a way to color their city.

Atlanta's Growing Tech Scene: Big vs Small Businesses

While companies such as Coca-Cola and Home Depot are known Atlanta natives, others are expanding their Atlanta offices because of the diversity, talent, and lifestyle the city has to offer.

Why ATL?

Many companies have their eye on Atlanta because of the amount of black talent available in the area. With many historically black colleges in the area, the amount of technology graduates is through the roof. Many tech companies are looking for employees in order to gain greater representation from all customer groups. Listen to Aboubacar Barrie, a Georgia Tech student, who had dreams of working in Silicon Valley, but now has new ideas.

Small Businesses: Start-Up Incubators

It all started in 80s, when Georgia Tech founded The Advanced Technology Development Center, a program meant to help bright students develop and grow potential startups. This program not only excelled the school, but it launched the city's startup scene. Now, new startup hubs, such as Atlanta Tech Village, with many eyes from investors, grow ventures into multi-million dollar businesses.
Large companies do not miss out on the value of these startups. Many, such as Cox and Airbnb, have created startup programs where they bring in smart minds in order to create new ideas to invest in. Atlanta's location with many colleges surrounding allows companies to locally source their talent and continue to grow the city

Crime in the City

Crime and the city of Atlanta are synonymous. Throughout the city's history, there have been rampant cases of child abduction, notoriously trigger happy citizens, as well as white-collar crimes as the city has grown to what it is today. In the last 15 years, according to the Atlanta Police Department website, there are thousands and thousands of crimes committed each month within the city limit

Child Abductions

"Between 1979 and 1981, approximately 29 African-American children, teens, and young adults—mostly boys—were kidnapped and murdered."

Atlanta: The Cultural Capital of the Nation

After Tyler Perry opened the first African-American owned entertainment studio, black culture took off in America. The studio was founded in Atlanta, with Perry saying "while y'all are fighting for a seat at the table, I'm going to build my own table in Atlanta."

Cultural Centers

H Mart: Korean Store
Little Italy
East Atlanta

Work Cited

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