Atlanta’s art scene has never felt more alive. This year’s Atlanta Art Fair, now in its second edition, unfolded not just as a marketplace of ideas and works but as a stage for recognition, celebration, and bold new initiatives. Across the city, artists and institutions unveiled prizes and residencies that signal Atlanta’s growing influence in the cultural landscape across — from the South to across the globe.
Things kicked off the week before, when the High Museum of Art awarded the 2025 Driskell Prize to Alison Saar. Established in honor of the late artist and scholar David Driskell, the award is the first national prize dedicated to African American art and art history. Saar’s practice — sculptures and installations layered with themes of identity, spirituality, and diaspora — embodies the very spirit the prize seeks to honor. This recognition not only situates her in a lineage of groundbreaking recipients but also affirms Atlanta’s place in championing Black artistic excellence on a national stage.
By midweek, attention turned to Pullman Yards, the sprawling industrial landmark turned cultural hub in the city’s Kirkwood neighborhood. During the fair’s VIP Preview on September 25, Pullman Yards announced the recipients of its newly launched art and film residency: Anthony Akinbola, Robert Choe-Henderson, Elfreda Fakoya, and Atlanta-based artist Adana Tillman. Selected by a panel of curators, collectors, and cultural leaders, the four artists represent a dynamic cross-section of practices, from Akinbola’s large-scale durag sculptures to Tillman’s quilted portraits reimagined as immersive installations. With on-site housing, studios, stipends, and opportunities for community engagement, the residency aims to transform Pullman Yards into a living laboratory of creativity. For Atlanta, it marks another step in reimagining the city as a nexus for experimentation and exchange.
The fair also introduced a new honor: the Balentine Prize, established by the Atlanta-based wealth management firm. This year’s inaugural prize was awarded to Nashville-based, native-Atlantan artist Caroline Allison for her work Book of Hours (Nones), a photograph that’s part of her recent series of Southern skycapes. Inspired by medieval devotional texts, Allison’s piece turns fleeting moments of light and cloud into objects of contemplation. For Balentine, acquiring the work into its collection is as much about corporate patronage as it is about fostering the region’s creative future.
And the celebration didn’t end there. The Atlanta Center for Photography (ACP) hosted a special event honoring two figures whose contributions have shaped both local and national conversations: Mickalene Thomas, whose vibrant and layered work has redefined representation of Black women in contemporary art, and ACP co-founder Corinne Adams, whose vision helped build a foundation for Atlanta’s photographic community. Together, their recognition was a reminder that art in Atlanta is as much about sustaining legacies as it is about discovering new voices.
What tied these events together wasn’t simply the distribution of awards, but the atmosphere of momentum. Prizes like the Driskell and Balentine, initiatives like the Pullman Yards residency, and celebrations of visionaries like Thomas and Adams collectively painted a picture of Atlanta as a city investing in the power of art — not only as cultural capital but as civic energy.
In the end, the Atlanta Art Fair 2025 felt like more than a gathering of galleries. It was a constellation of moments that underscored how recognition, when paired with resources and community, can ripple outward. From Saar’s national honor to Allison’s emerging recognition, from the residency’s promise of experimentation to ACP’s celebration of legacy, Atlanta is staking its claim as a city where art is honored, nurtured, and propelled forward.
Written by Jameelah Nasheed
