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ARC Selects Diverse Group of Artists, Planners, and Civic Leaders to Participate in 2022 ALMA Workshop

Atlanta — Jan 07, 2022

The Atlanta Regional Commission announced today that 33 residents from across the Atlanta region have been selected to participate in the 2022 Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta (ALMA) Workshop.

This diverse group of artists, planners, civic leaders, and local government officials will work together to tackle real-world community planning challenges through an arts and culture lens, beginning in February 2022. ALMA Workshop participants will work in teams and present their final projects to a panel of experts in June.

“We are so excited about the quality and diversity of this year’s ALMA class,” said Josh Phillipson, principal in arts, culture, and creative placemaking at ARC. “Bringing artists and creativity into the community planning process will help engage communities to address challenges and engage their residents in creating solutions.”

ALMA was reimagined this past year to develop arts and culture-led approaches to address real-life challenges and have a greater impact in local communities. Recent ALMA projects, for instance, are informing plans for including public art in downtown Tucker’s alleyways and installing creative bus stops in Midtown and West Midtown.

“Arts and culture can be a tool to generate dialogues and understanding between communities, and this can be a step towards policy changes that improve equity,” Phillipson said.

Participants selected for the ALMA class of 2022 are:

Salondia Aveni, Cultural Affairs Manager, City of South Fulton
Tatiana Bell, Communications Manager, Living Walls
Jasmine Billings, Community Development Manager, City of Lawrenceville
Indya Childs, Dancer/Choreographer
EL Chisolm, Fine Artist/Muralist/Designer
Arelious Cooper, Executive Director, Art in the Paint
Stephanie Dowda DeMer, Executive Director, Atlanta Celebrates Photography
Sandy Feliciano, Campaign Manager, The Atlanta Opera
Lydia Fort, Theatre Director/Co-founder, Atlanta Green Theatre Alliance
Natalia Garzon Martinez, Community Engagement and Special Initiatives Director, We Love Buford Highway
Willow Goldstein, Founder, Owner, Operator, The Bakery
Brian Hebert, Executive Director/Chief Curator/Artist, Arts Clayton
Akbar Imhotep, Vice President, Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia
Nicole Kang, Artist
Margarita Kompelmakher, Director of Community Partnerships and Engagement, Alliance Theatre
Katherine Lehman, Executive and Artistic Director, Spivey Hall at Clayton State University
Vivian Lett, Marketing Operations Specialist, City of Union City
Rosemary Mafe, Planner II, Pond
Romy Maloon, Director of Programs, Dash Studio
Dr. Kirby Meng, Coordinator of Fine Arts, Rockdale County Public Schools
Kristin Norton, Theatre Events and Facilities Director, City of Canton – Canton Theatre
Aysha Pennerman, Artist & Founder, Impactful Brush
Jason Redmond, Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation, Rockdale County
Tiffany Ricks, Community Engagement Coordinator, Museum of Design Atlanta
Mala Sharma, President, Georgia Music Partners
Amber Smith, AMP Academy Program Coordinator, Atlanta Music Project
Charles Stephens, Executive Director, Counter Narrative Project
Ayanna Thompson, Art Educator, Clayton County Public Schools
Onur Topal-Sümer, Choreographer, Movement artists, Educator, Producer
Rosemary Watts, Business and Cultural Development Manager, City of Dunwoody
Julissa White Smith, Executive Director, MINT
Alexis Whitehead, Artist, Fulton County Arts & Culture
Wlanvi Zinsou, Director, Musical Strings

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the official planning agency for the 11-county Atlanta Region, including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale counties as well as the City of Atlanta and 74 other cities. The Atlanta Regional Commission serves as a catalyst for regional progress by focusing leadership, attention, and planning resources on key regional issues.

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Contact Name: Aixa Pascual
Contact Phone: 470-432-3091
Contact Email: apascual@atlantaregional.org

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33°n
CDAP
Community Planning Academy
ConnectA
Empowerline
Georgia Commute Options
Green Communities
LCI
LINK
MARC
Metro Atlanta Speaks
MNG Water Planning District
RLI
State of the Region
UASI
WorkSource GA