Growing up in the wide-open spaces of Denver, Colorado can be an isolating experience. For a young Black girl, though, the silence can be even more stifling. Courtney Brooks, an artist, and the first curator-in-residence for the Atlanta Beltline, as well as the first Black woman public art curator in Atlanta---took inspiration from her surroundings, like her parents’ love for Black culture magazines like Ebony and Jet and soul vinyls. Now, she is eager to share her story -- and the story of other black women -- through her three-part art exhibit Journey of A Black Girl.

You are unauthorized to view this page.

In the game of chess the queen can move across the board any way she sees fit. It might be straight forward when she comes at you directly with no small talk and lets you know what time it is.
Her approach could be diagonal when she moves right pass a barrier in order to get the job done. Sometimes she has to take a step backward return to the drawing board, and re-evaluate the plan. 

No matter her direction, every step she takes, every move she makes is calculated and premeditated.

You are unauthorized to view this page.

At 15 years old, Melissa Alexander (aka Phyllis.Iller) was convinced she was going to be a DJ. She had the passion, the love for music and the rhythm to make it happen. All she needed was the equipment. So when her father asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she made sure to ask for two turntables and a mixer. To her surprise, she received a small digital camera instead. “I was slightly disappointed,” she recalls, “but, little did I know, this would be the beginning of a love affair documenting the life I saw before me.”

You are unauthorized to view this page.