Atlanta cultural affairs director Adriane Jefferson reflects on first six months

Mayor s Office of Cultural Affairs Executive Director Adriane Jefferson outside the Pearl Cleage Zaron Burnett Center in Atlanta Photo by Sherri Daye Scott On a current bright summer morning I met Adriane Jefferson Atlanta s executive director of the Office of Cultural Affairs at the newly opened Pearl Cleage Zaron Burnett Center for Creativity Tradition in the West End She greeted me with a smile and an offer Do you want me to give you a walk and go As we moved through the renovated building Jefferson pointed out what she s the greater part proud of and what was still in progress A podcast studio wired for future recording A gallery showing works from the city s collection alongside pieces by artists who had lost their studios The center s backstage area with proper green rooms and bathrooms She proved me the swag her association had designed joked about putting her sprinkle on the space and certainly led me into the Black Box Theatre where we sat down to talk Jefferson began leading the Mayor s Office of Cultural Affairs in February Six months in she is thinking about how Atlanta tells its cultural story and what legacy she wants to leave behind Here s particular of what she shared Coming Together What surprised you the greater part about Atlanta s cultural landscape I came in knowing Atlanta was a cultural mecca especially for Black people What I didn t expect was how siloed it all feels Everything is here music fashion fine arts entrepreneurship but not invariably in conversation with each other I see that as an opportunity not a dilemma The Office of Cultural Affairs should be the convener bringing people together through roundtables population sessions and town halls That s our first job What does convening look like in practice We re planning an Atlanta Creative Summit two days of strategy sessions with artists developers policymakers hospitality leaders sports and entertainment figures We ll come out with a one- to two-year cultural action plan immediate measures to strengthen the creative market and lay the foundation for a longer cultural plan We ll center cultural equity housing healthcare and sustainability for artists That s my lane I call myself a cultural equity strategist We re also introducing new programs We just introduced the Cultural Ambassadors effort which is both a volunteer and paid opportunity that engages influencers and content creators podcasters journalists people who tell stories to help us reach more people We have two different pathways an Ambassador pathway for supporters who are really involved in their group and a track for influencers who would be paid to use their reach How are you rethinking Elevate this year This year we ve condensed it into one strong weekend with the theme Rooted Rising It s about honoring the legacy of Black Atlanta while acknowledging how Gen Z and millennials are shaping lifestyle now Afterward we ll host think tanks and focus groups to decide what Elevate should look like going forward Equity Beyond the Stage Page or Frame You often talk about cultural equity What does that mean for Atlanta artists It means livability Too countless artists can t afford housing or healthcare Particular pass away because they couldn t afford medicine That s unacceptable I believe artists should have insurance and I want to build public-private partnerships that provide wraparound services housing backing healthcare and sustainability Cabinet can t do it alone but we can convene the partners That s the work Scenes from the Pearl Cleage Zaron Burnett Center for Creativity Civilization including the new podcast studio Photo by Sherri Daye Scott How do you see the Mayor s vision of cultural districts unfolding in Atlanta A lot of cities have signature cultural districts and Atlanta should too But we must design them with an anti-gentrification anti-displacement lens It can be done Sweet Auburn s place-keeping work is a good model Cultural districts can help us package Atlanta s story for the world but they have to preserve the communities that built that story How do you pursue bold goals in a tight funding context The nonprofit model isn t sustainable if everyone s chasing the same foundations and grants We need to flip philanthropy on its head I believe in crowdsourcing corporate commitment and public reinvestment Atlanta should lead in redefining how the arts are funded Looking Ahead Six months in what do you hope Atlanta is celebrating by The th Jazz Festival Cultural districts that are already designated Murals and activations from the World Cup that remind people that Atlanta is a global creative capital I want us to be celebrating how we connected the dots and indicated the world who we are Why are you the right person to lead that work I wasn t looking to leave New Haven I came here because I felt called My husband my daughter and I moved because we believe in this city My agenda is what s best for the population Atlanta has everything we just need to connect the dots And I see myself as a unifier That s who I am The post Atlanta cultural affairs director Adriane Jefferson reflects on first six months appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta