December 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 61

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. briefs community
stakeholders quarterly about the ongoing
projects related to parks, trails, transportation and affordable housing.

" Another really big project the community loves and is involved with
is the art on the Atlanta BeltLine, "
says Jenny Odom. " It's grown to
be the largest public outdoor art
exhibition in the South. People can
come out to see performances for
free, to see art for free, and that is a
really huge draw for people. "
In July 2018, the city debuted a
thought-provoking outdoor art exhibit that stretched 4 miles along the
Eastside and Westside Trails, drawing attention to Atlanta's past while
embracing its future of urban renewal. Dr. Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, an
artist and historian, curated a walking history of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement, displaying 60
black-and-white photographs from
her 2017 book, Images of America:
Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement,
1944-1968, in an outdoor setting.
According to Higgs, " We look at
[this] not only as a deliverable to the
community, but [as] a way for us to
have conversations and engage the
community. " He adds that ABI's Arts
& Culture team reports to the Community Engagement department so
that they can assess how they engage
other segments of the community
that, perhaps, they wouldn't have typically reached out to in the past. " We
can use art as a way to have those conversations. That's something we're really excited about, " he points out.
Higgs says the Lantern Parade perfectly illustrates how art unifies communities, especially given this year's
turnout of 70,000-plus attendees. This
traditional event celebrates the annual
Art on the BeltLine exhibition, using
a procession of lights, music and color to set the Eastside Trail aglow.

PHOTO BY THE SINTOSES

Embracing the Arts

Twanna Harris, ABI's vice president of brand content and strategic
initiatives, says because of that art
component, " Many community
members engage with us and [it's]
how we get feedback from them. "
She adds that through a jury-panel
process, the team reaches out to local communities and others to solicit
art for the BeltLine. The panel then
votes on what kind of art will be displayed on exhibition throughout the
year. " That's representative of the
community and the culture for each
distinct neighborhood, " says Harris.

Sykes says they received about 6,000
responses. ABI was pleased to learn
the BeltLine had 80 percent favorability from the community.
McMillan adds: " We also do citywide conversations when there is a
point of education that we want to
provide to a community. " In addition, the agency is kicking off a new
initiative, called BeltLine University,
which will train and educate 35 people each year on the intricacies of the
project to create a base of volunteer
ambassadors who will relay information back to their communities.

The Community Connection

Moving Toward One Atlanta

Community outreach remains central
to the Atlanta BeltLine project. " We
have a staff here at ABI whose sole responsibility is that, and we have several different types of outreach to communities, " explains Beth McMillan.
ABI also presents quarterly briefings,
whereby the agency updates community stakeholders on ongoing projects
related to parks, trails, transportation
and affordable housing.
As Sykes puts it, " The feedback
and the partnership with residents
are critical to the success of this project. " For instance, when ABI sent
out a survey to gauge the top project concerns from the community,

Although total completion of the
Atlanta BeltLine project remains
several years away, one can already see the substantial progress
throughout the 22-mile loop, the
strong support among community
stakeholders, as well as how the
BeltLine is dramatically changing
people's lives. Sykes says ABI's
mission is " to develop this project
in a way that benefits all Atlantans
- regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, economic status or even
physical capabilities. "
Vitisia Paynich is a California-based Freelance
Writer for Parks and Recreation magazine.

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December 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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