The word “no,” never phased her, and a closed-door never stopped her. She’s as sedulous as they come, and even though Lauren Jackson Harris has taken many hits, somehow she has managed to find her footing in an art world filled with “heavy weights.” Shadow-boxing her way through, embracing both traditional and non-traditional routes, in an effort to mold a rewarding career focusing on her love for the arts and giving back to the community.

You are unauthorized to view this page.

If art is visual poetry then contemporary fine artist Shanequa Gay is the Virgil of the 21st century. She has her paintbrush on the pulse of the people. Embedded into the essence and fiber of her work are stories of community. An Atlanta native and alum of the Art Institute of Atlanta, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Georgia State University, a key element of Gay’s multifaceted work is hybridity. She told Georgia State University Magazine that, “Atlanta culture as a whole is a hybrid, and as Americans, we’re all a mesh of things.” 

You are unauthorized to view this page.

Few fashion designers can say they began their career by ripping up doll clothes. After sketching outfit ideas for most of her youth, Atlanta based designer Adorr Reynolds-Jessie started to sew at age thirteen by creating new designs for her first clients— her toy dolls. “I loved it so much that I would cut up old clothes of mine just to have more fabric options for my dolls,” she told Savannah College of Art and Design student magazine SCAN. “I knew then I was destined to design.”

You are unauthorized to view this page.