Black Zeitgeist: Atlanta, the Visual Arts, and the National Black Arts Festival exhibition opens in Atlanta
Wadsworth Jarrell (1929) Untitled, 1974. Courtesy collection of Black Art in America.
ATLANTA, GA.—
Two of Fulton County's premier legacy organizations, Hammonds House Museum and the National Black Arts Festival, partner to present Black Zeitgeist: Atlanta, the Visual Arts, and the National Black Arts Festival. The exhibition reflects a confluence of visionary leadership, artistic excellence, and institutional power: the bold cultural agenda of Mayor Maynard Jackson, the strategic foresight of Fulton County Commission Chairman Michael Lomax, the founding of NBAF, and the influence of the Black Arts Movement and the Atlanta University Annuals. These efforts were amplified by the support of African American owned businesses like Atlanta Life Insurance Company, the advocacy of cultural leaders such as Jenelsie Walden Holloway, Alice Lovelace, and Dr. Richard A. Long, and the collecting vision of pioneers like Paul R. Jones. Together, they helped shape a dynamic arts ecosystem powered by the creativity and determination of Black artists and communities.
This exhibition will be on view from July 18 through December 14, 2025.
Black Zeitgeist: Atlanta, the Visual Arts, and the National Black Arts Festival presents the works of Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Hale Woodruff, Norman Lewis, Louis Delsarte, Samella Lewis, Kevin Cole, Lynn Marshall Linnemeier, Faith Ringgold, Charles White, Mildred Thomas, Kojo Griffin, Wadsworth Jarrell, and many others. The exhibition demonstrates how Hammonds House Museum expands the reach of NBAF through its visual arts programming, and features pieces from both institutions’ permanent collections.
Dr. Richard A. Long (1927–2013) was a renowned scholar of language and the arts and for nearly fifty years he was a central figure in Atlanta’s art communities. As a professor, raconteur, author, and collector, he shared his deep knowledge of African Diaspora expression through lectures, literature, tours, and informal gatherings at his home. While serving as the Atticus Haygood Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Emory University, he directed over thirty dissertations, and often hosted graduate seminars in his living room, beginning each semester with a tour of his personal art collection. He was also the founder of the Center for African and African American Studies at Atlanta University and a guiding force behind the National Black Arts Festival.
Dr. Long’s influence extended beyond academia. He hosted luminaries such as Romare Bearden, James Baldwin, and Maya Angelou, as well as supporting local and regional artists. His legacy endures in the generations of artists, scholars, and communities he inspired, making him a pivotal figure in Atlanta’s Black Zeitgeist and the ongoing celebration of Black creativity and intellect.
