Three Atlanta artists are turning stretches of the Beltline into new public art this summer, each piece rooted in a different corner of the city’s story. In English Avenue, Poetry Jackson and Nick “Turbo” Benson are painting murals just blocks apart, while Brandon Sadler brings a third piece to the Eastside Trail.
All three are part of this year’s Atlanta Beltline Art exhibition, with work expected to wrap by late August.
A public call becomes three new works
Atlanta Beltline selected the three muralists through a public call earlier this year. The nonprofit runs the largest outdoor temporary art exhibition in the Southeast, activating roughly 12 miles of the Beltline’s eventual 22-mile corridor with sculpture, murals, dance, music, photography, fashion, film and more. It’s commissioned more than 90 projects since launching, along a trail organizers say draws more than 2 million visitors a year.
Community, history and sound across the map
In English Avenue’s Westside Beltline Connector, self-taught painter Poetry Jackson is putting up “Rooted & Rising” at Jones Ave NW, created with artist Melissa A. Mitchell. Jackson, who has more than a decade of professional experience and international acclaim for community-centered work, describes the piece as “a celebration of community, inspired by the people, stories and spirit of Atlanta’s Westside.” The mural explores how mentorship, education, creativity, entrepreneurship and collective care build strong communities.
On the Eastside Trail, interdisciplinary artist Brandon Sadler is painting “As Above So Below” at the Virginia Avenue Bridge in Virginia-Highland. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Sadler blends bold graphic storytelling with folkloric imagery from around the world; SCAD named him a Distinguished Alumnus in 2019, citing his work on Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” and his career since.
