Atlanta is buzzing with excitement this fall as it gears up for a vibrant lineup of art events including the highly anticipated Atlanta Art Fair, Atlanta Art Week, and a variety of festivals, murals, and exhibitions.
The Atlanta Art Fair (AAF) is set to return to Pullman Yards from September 25 through September 28. The fair promises a diverse program that encompasses panel discussions, artist talks, installations, and live performances. Building on the success of its inaugural event, which drew over 3,500 VIP guests and more than 12,000 visitors, this year’s fair features more than 60 exhibitors.
One of the highlights will be a curatorial presentation by Melissa Messina, showcasing works from three female-identifying abstract artists—Krista Clark and Sonya Yong James from Atlanta, along with Vadis Turner from Nashville. Their large-scale works will pay tribute to the late abstract artist Mildred Thompson, a significant figure in Atlanta’s art scene.
In addition to local galleries such as Jackson Fine Art, Johnson Lowe Gallery, Spalding Nix Fine Art, and whitespace, the AAF will feature exhibitors from across the country and internationally, including galleries from San Francisco, New York, Dublin, Johannesburg, and Uganda.
Meanwhile, the Hammonds House Museum has partnered with the National Black Arts Festival to launch the exhibition Black Zeitgeist: Atlanta, the Visual Arts and the National Black Arts Festival. Opening on September 20 and running through December 14, the exhibition will celebrate a rich legacy of activism within Atlanta’s Black art community and honors the contributions of influential leaders like Mayor Maynard Jackson and Michael Lomax.
Panel discussions featuring prominent figures such as Dr. Amalia Amaki and Anne Collins Smith are scheduled to accompany the exhibition on September 20, followed by a public program with Amaki on October 4. Tickets for these events will be available through the Hammonds House website.
Adding to the excitement, the world’s first art amusement park, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, will make its way to Atlanta for a limited engagement at Pullman Yards, commencing September 24. Originally launched in Hamburg, Germany in 1987, Luna Luna featured works by iconic artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dali, and Keith Haring, among others. After being tucked away for years, the project was revived in 2022, and Atlanta is set to be its next location following showings in Los Angeles and New York.
Michael Goldberg, chief creative officer and co-founder of Luna Luna, expressed enthusiasm about bringing this unique project to Atlanta, emphasizing the city’s vital role as a cultural innovator.
As fall approaches, the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces has outlined an array of art festivals and markets for the remainder of the year. Following the recent Piedmont Park Arts Festival, upcoming events include the Sandy Springs Fall Arts and Craft Festival on September 13-14 and the Buckhead Arts Festival on September 20-21, along with the Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival taking place the weekend of September 27-28.
The Fall Festival on Ponce is scheduled for October 11-12, while the Chastain Park Fall Arts Festival will occur on November 1-2, with the Piedmont Holiday Gift Market slated for November 29-30. Each event is free and family-friendly, featuring over 100 artists showcasing their work along with food and drink vendors, children’s activities, and live music.
Additionally, South River Art Studios is hosting a series of events this fall, including group exhibitions and workshops. Highlights include the group show Tilt Your Face to the Kissing Sun running from August 22 to September 10 and a book launch for Jonathan Imafidor’s autobiography on September 22. Later in the year, they will offer a woodcut workshop with Big Ink on November 1 and 2.
Cat Eye Creative will present its inaugural Don’t Be Square! cultural crawl in Decatur on August 22, alongside its last exhibition at the original South Downtown location titled Eye Get By With A Little Help From My Friends from September 13 to October 24. Ericka Sobrack’s solo exhibition, Witching Hour, will coincide with the Decatur Book Festival from October 4 to October 26.
In the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum, the group exhibition After the Moment We’re In will run from August 23 to September 27, featuring artists like Jamele Wright Sr. and Julio Mejia. Additionally, ABV Gallery is showcasing three separate exhibitions including a size-limited show titled One By One, which showcases work from over 50 artists and runs through September 7.
Hidden Gallery 333 currently features the group exhibition Adaptation, available through September 10, while Spalding Nix’s show In Media Res highlights works by various artists through September 12. Continuing the vibrant exhibition scene, One Contemporary will present Finding My Rhythm, a solo exhibition by Brill Adium, through September 6.
Charity Hamidullah’s solo exhibition Healing House is featured at Old Rabbit Gallery and runs until September 10. Nina Baldwin Gallery’s exhibition includes works by Kiara Gilbert and others, on view through September 10.
Gallery 100 will display All The Roads Taken, a solo exhibition by Géoving Gérard II, until September 25. The Atlanta Contemporary will present Plastic Reimagined: Material Agency & Circular Design until September 7, followed by Jiha Moon’s Ten Moon exhibition from September 26 to December 21.
Memento Mori, an exhibition focusing on mortality, will be curated in collaboration between city planning and cultural affairs, and will run until October 17. MODA invites visitors to their exhibit BITTERSWEET: The Design of Chocolate, open through October 12, while the Center for Puppetry Arts honors Jim Henson’s collaborators with their exhibition Affectionate Anarchy through October 26.
Spruill Gallery in Dunwoody will feature its Student & Instructor Biennial Juried Exhibition until September 12, then Preternatural opens on September 19 and showcases artists Pam Longobardi and Dana Montlack.
The Michael C. Carlos Museum has two significant exhibitions: Continuum, focusing on futurism through an indigenous lens, and Insistent Presence, featuring contemporary African art, each running until December.
AvantBeetle’s Ctrl, Alt, Resist – Videogames as Protest exhibition will be on display at The Supermarket in Poncey-Highland from August 22 to 24, while Atlanta Downtown and Dashboard Atlanta will celebrate Xernona Clayton at Hardy Ivy Park with a public art exhibition on August 28.
December is shaping up to be a cultural month, as the Hambidge Center will feature their fall Hambidge Hive program celebrating local artists, and Fernbank Museum will showcase Lost in Sight: In Search of the Flint’s Headwaters by Virginie Drujon-Kippelen.
Georgia State University’s Faculty Triennial 25 will kick off on September 4, featuring various faculty works. Simultaneously, ADAMA will host Patacones, Paintbrushes, and Power from September 5 to November 1, celebrating African Diaspora retreats.
Nuestra Creacion returns with its Latin Heritage Month exhibition at Echo Contemporary Art from September 5 to 28. Other exhibitions include Resonant at Gallery 1740 featuring Gabriel Williams and Joel Pasquarelli and To Speak in Pattern featuring Roxie Fricton’s textile works at Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance.
This season also features the works of self-taught artists Howard Finster and Harry Underwood in The Art of Belief at The Sun ATL, exploring themes of faith through their art.
Upcoming shows include Color Block Synthesis 47.142 by David E. Peterson at Marcia Wood Gallery and Miya Bailey’s solo exhibition Before I’m Gone, scheduled for September 12.
Living Walls will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a Quinceañero fundraiser on September 13 and will return with Forward Warrior, honoring street art with a vintage/artist market on September 13-14 as well.
The Queer Arts Collective FRANK will debut its exhibition Being FRANK: It is Because I Am from September 14 to 17, while Equinox Autumn 25 opens on September 21 showcasing various artists.
Photography enthusiasts can look forward to multiple exhibitions at the Atlanta Photography Group, including Eyes on Atlanta: Women Photographers and Mark Armbruster’s Gain of Function solo exhibition.
The Goat Farm Arts Center will host SiTE on September 27, an event full of art installations and performances, and will also present the Pollinator Art Space with The Missing Algorithm from September 27 to November 1.
Georgia State University’s Clarkston Campus will feature Lisa Alembik’s From Ruin in a solo show starting October 6. The Decatur Arts Alliance will present an exhibition celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from September 20 to October 20.
Meanwhile, The High Museum of Art will host the 20th anniversary Driskell Prize gala on September 20, with a performance from John Legend, alongside exhibitions like Viktor&Rolf. Fashion Statements from October 10 to February 8.
In line with this celebration of art, the Miami Circle Gallery Stroll is set for September 21.
The Savannah College of Art and Design will roll out several exhibitions this fall including SCAD AnimationFest from September 25 to 27 and André Leon Talley: Style is Forever, opening October 15.
Atlanta’s West End will debut its new mural jam, “The Drip Invitational,” on October 4, coinciding with the unveiling of the second mural in the Thriving Together Atlanta series along the Atlanta Beltline Southwest Trail.
Atlanta Art Week returns for its fourth edition from October 3 to 5, featuring diverse art experiences across participating galleries throughout the city.
In addition, Echo Contemporary presents two solo exhibitions in October: Eddie Farr’s tech-driven artwork and Tee Roy’s pop-art inspired paintings.
As the spooky season approaches, the Little Five Points 2025 Halloween Festival + Parade kicks off on October 18 and 19, followed by Chantelle Rytter’s Where the Wild Things Are in Old Fourth Ward Park on October 25.
December will wrap up with the All Souls Altars + Parade of the Dead in Little Five Points on November 1, closing a magnificent season filled with creative expression across Atlanta.
image source from：artsatl
