✦ Shanita Miller ✦ Proposition 1007 ✦ No Words ✦ The New South ✦ Déjà Vu ✦ Spoke and Word ✦ Best Bets ✦ Welcome to The ATL Arts Collective, powered by ArtsATL. This is your new home for stories from Atlanta’s arts scene, with reporting from ArtsATL writers, conversations with artists, and voices from across the creative community. Each week, Kim Drobes will be joined by a rotating co-host: someone you may already know, or someone you’re about to be very glad you met. And today…Shanita Miller! photo credit: Rebecca Carmen ✦ Shanita Miller is an Atlanta native and the visionary founder of the Black Girl’s Guide to Atlanta platform. As a community & lifestyle influencer, she’s on a mission to highlight women and black-owned businesses in our city and beyond. She’s also an event coordinator and curator, and her 90 thousand-plus followers know she’s the real deal. Shanita recommends checking out: Juci Jerk The Betty Hambidge Rep. Todd Jones, Rep. Kim Schofield and Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver on the Georgia House floor on March 12 discussing HR1007. (Photo courtesy of Georgia House of Representatives) ✦ Georgia Prop 1007: Redefining the Arts as Mental Healthcare We’ve all heard the legend of Mister Rogers testifying before the Senate. The soft-spoken man in a cardigan argued that twenty million dollars was a small price to pay for the 'inner life' of a child. The defense of public broadcasting framed the arts not as a luxury but as a necessity for a healthy mind. And for decades, that’s been the battle cry: please, don't cut the arts. But here in Georgia, the conversation just underwent a radical shift. Lawmakers recently passed Proposition 1007, which redefines the very purpose of a stage or a symphony, moving the arts out of the 'leisure' column and directly into the world of mental healthcare. Arts reporter Jordan Owen has more. Photo by Ben Garden ✦ No Words Festival Takes Over Little Five Points This Saturday, No Words returns, and this time, it’s a free festival and takeover in Little Five Points. It’s a day where the lyrics are stripped away to make room for pure, unadulterated instrumental sounds. The day includes music, art, dancing, film, and a parade. Joining us now to help us navigate the jam-packed event are Ann Wood, the architect of the 'No Words', and Kelly Stocks, President of the L5P Cultural District and a lifelong guardian of the neighborhood's legacy. Hi Kelly and Anne! photo credit: Rebecca Carmen ✦ The New South Collective: Spotlighting Minority Chefs In 2024, a group of young Black chefs came together to launch a collective that creates a space for collaboration, creativity, and support for minority chefs. They not only wanted to showcase the depth of southern cuisine but also to put the food and talent of minority chefs in the spotlight. Today’s guest co-host, Shanita Miller, talks to the chefs of The New South Collective. photo credit Mitali Singh ✦ Déjà Vu Exhibition at Spalding Nix Fine Art We’ve all had that fleeting sensation-the feeling that a moment, a color, or a shape is something we’ve encountered before, even if we can’t quite place where. At Spalding Nix Fine Art, the new exhibition Déjà Vu leans into that mystery. It's a presentation of four shows featuring artists working in abstraction, connected by their explorations of movement, memory, and the intangible. Arts reporter Mitali Singh took a walk through the gallery to see how these artists are blurring the lines between the seen and the unseen. ✦ Spoke & Word: Bike-Themed Storytelling Weekend Whether you feel like life is just one big uphill climb or a flat, easy road, there is a new bike-themed storytelling event that wants to hear from you. Mercy Montgomery, the founder of Spoke and Word, says the idea for this bike-themed storytelling weekend has been a long time coming. ✦ArtsATL Weekend Best Bets with Shane Harrison ArtsATL’s executive editor Shane Harrison stops by with his picks for this week's Best Bets. Today, his mix includes a lantern parade in Sandy Springs, multiple arts festivals, and comedy with Rickey Smiley. Special thanks to today’s sponsors: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Opera The ArtsXchange Swan Coach House Gallery Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective. Let's lift the artists shaping Atlanta together. Show up, spread the word, and be part of the community. And if you’re able, consider donating to the ATL Arts Collective. Your support helps cover production costs and keeps this show going strong for years to come. Our theme music is K Michelle Dubois' Hit the Deck from her album Astral Heart, courtesy of Wicked Superb Records. The ATL Arts Collective is part of the Wordplay Collective podcast family. Check out our sister show, In Pieces with R Land, for conversations with artist R. Land. Thank you for listening! 00:00 Special Sponsor Message & Show Support 00:21 Opening and Weekly Welcome 02:55 Georgia Prop 1007 Report: Arts as Mental Healthcare 13:42 Co-host Shanita Miller & Black Girl’s Guide to Atlanta 22:28 No Words Festival Preview: Little Five Points Music & Parade 32:49 Culinary Feature: The New South Collective Chefs 39:21 Déjà Vu Abstract Exhibition at Spalding Nix Fine Art 45:54 Spoke & Word Bike-Themed Storytelling Weekend 47:42 Weekend Event Picks: ArtsATL Best Bets 52:25 Closing Remarks, Studio Credits & Next Week Preview
