The arts in Atlanta are well-represented, with a particularly prominent presence in music, fine art, and theater.
Music
Atlanta has played a major or contributing role in the development of various genres of American music at different points in the city's history. Beginning as early as the 1920s, Atlanta emerged as a center for country music, which was brought to the city by migrants from Appalachia. During the countercultural 1960s, Atlanta hosted the Atlanta International Pop Festival, with the 1969 festival taking place more than a month before Woodstock and featuring many of the same bands. The city was also a center for Southern rock during its 1970s heyday: the Allman Brothers Band's hit instrumental "Hot 'Lanta" is an ode to the city, while Lynyrd Skynyrd's famous live rendition of "Free Bird" was recorded at the Fox Theatre in 1976, with lead singerRonnie Van Zant directing the band to "play it pretty for Atlanta." During the 1980s, Atlanta had an active Punk rock scene that was centered on two of the city’s music venues, 688 Club and the Metroplex, and Atlanta famously played host to the Sex Pistols first U.S. show, which was performed at the Great Southeastern Music Hall. The 1990s saw the birth of Atlanta hip hop, a subgenre that gained relevance following the success of home-grown duo OutKast; however, it was not until the 2000s that Atlanta moved "from the margins to becoming hip-hop’s center of gravity, part of a larger shift in hip-hop innovation to the South." Also in the 2000s, Atlanta was recognized by the Brooklyn-based Vice magazine for its impressive yet under-appreciated Indie rock scene, which revolves around the EARL in East Atlanta Village.
Atlanta is home to a growing, established visual arts community. In 2010, the city was ranked as the ninth-best city for the arts by American Style Magazine. Most of the city's art galleries are located in the Castleberry Hill and West Midtown neighborhoods. While every type of visual art is represented in the city, Atlanta is a major center for contemporary art, public art, and urban art. The growing Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design has brought in a steady stream of artists and curators.
The city's Office of Cultural Affairs administers a public art program, which include works such as Atlanta from the Ashes, and Thornton Dial's The Bridge at John Lewis plaza in Freedom Park. The office also sponsors temporary exhibitions of art in public spaces such as "Elevate" in 2011. The also promotes public art in the city and stages occasional exhibitions. The city's Aviation Arts program administers and art program at Atlanta's airport, including and the Deborah Whitehouse mural Spirit of Atlanta, which welcomes passengers as they arrive at baggage claim from the peoplemover. The BeltLine corridor, a former rail corridor gradually being developed into an improved biking and walking trail, is home to the annual exhibition. In 2011 66 visual and performance pieces were exhibited.
Street art
Although historically never a haven for street art like New York City or Los Angeles, street art is becoming more prominent in Atlanta. Hotspots for viewing Atlanta street art include:
The Krog Street Tunnel
The 22-mile BeltLine path which circles the inner city along industrial and residential spaces
In Cabbagetown, Atlanta along Tennelle St and the Wylie Street wall of the CSX railroad's Hulsey rail yard.
In Inman Park around the intersection of Krog St. and Edgewood Ave.
In East Atlanta surrounding the intersections of Flat Shoals Road and Edgewood Ave.
In Little Five Points surrounding the intersections of Euclid Ave. and Moreland Ave.
In Sweet Auburn along Edgewood Ave.
Images and locations of over 200 works of Atlanta Street Art can be found on the . In 2011 the city hosted the Living Walls street art conference and will co-host it with Albany, New York in 2012. In May 2011 Atlanta established a Graffiti Task Force. Though in October 2011 the police arrested 7 persons designated as vandals, city officials assert that they have no intention of stifling the street art scene. The city's Office of Cultural Affairs selected 29 standout murals to avoid whitewashing including murals commissioned as part of the BeltLine, works created during the Living Walls conferences, but not the most famous street art space in the city, the Krog Street Tunnel. Many street artists and members of the arts community interviewed by Creative Loafing believe the city's efforts are misdirected or futile. See also .
There are small concentrations of galleries in the intown neighborhoods, including but not limited to Castleberry Hill, Buckhead, the Westside Arts District in West Midtown, at Studioplex in Old Fourth Ward, and along Ponce de Leon Avenue in Poncey-Highland. Each of those areas sponsors an art walk, usually monthly.
Theater
Atlanta is one of few United States cities with permanent, professional, resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines: opera, ballet, music, and theater. Atlanta also attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions catering to a variety of interests. Atlanta’s performing arts district is concentrated in Midtown Atlanta at the Woodruff Arts Center, which is home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Alliance Theatre. The city also frequently hosts touring Broadway acts, especially at the Fox Theatre, a historic landmark that is among the highest grossing theaters in of its size. Other theater groups include the internationally known Center for Puppetry Arts, Theatrical Outfit, Seven Stages Theater, Horizon Theater Company, improv group Dad's Garage, Actor's Express, the Shakespeare Tavern, and True Colors Theatre. Theater companies in metro Atlanta include the Georgia Ensemble Theatre and Conservatory in Roswell, Onstage Atlanta in Decatur, the Academy Theater in Avondale Estates, Performing Arts North in Alpharetta, Theatre in the Square and the Children's Garden Theater in Marietta, and Act 3 Productions in Sandy Springs. The Suzi Bass Awards and the are two annual ceremonies honoring outstanding achievements in local theater. The Atlanta Radio Theatre Company preserves, promotes, performs, and educates people about the art of audio theater.
Performing arts and music venues
In the city of Atlanta:
Woodruff Arts Center - contains the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art, Young Audiences and the 14th Street Playhouse
Fox Theatre - theater, musical theater, concerts, award ceremonies and other special events
Atlanta is the home of many influential writers of the 20th century, including Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, one of the best-selling books of all time; Alice Walker, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning and critically acclaimed novel The Color Purple; Alfred Uhry, playwright of Driving Miss Daisy, which deals with Jewish residents of Atlanta in the early 20th century; and Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Brer Rabbit children's stories. Famous journalists include Ralph McGill, the anti-segregationist editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper. Atlanta is also the home of contemporary editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich, who is syndicated nationally to 150 newspapers.
