Image via Erinn Gardner

By: Erinn Gardner, Staff Writer 

On Oct. 4, Atlanta Art Week graciously collaborated with the Atlanta University (AUC) Art History and Curatorial Studies Collective to provide participants the opportunity to broaden their scope and discover the highly treasured historical art legacy that the AUC offers. This behind the scenes tour delved into how the arts and culture feeds into the way students learn.  

Carla Michalove is an elderly native of Atlanta, who grew up during segregation. Though she was raised in an environment where Black art history was not celebrated, she took the initiative to engage in self-education by being a participant in this tour and remaining captivated through its duration. She.said her expertise in the curating field made it easy for her to be a sponge, and appreciate the culture that the AUC brings to the table. 

“My background is in art history, and I worked as a museum educator throughout my entire career.  Since I got involved with working in interracial dialogue working at the Breman Jewish museum, I have really been trying to educate myself about African-American history these past few years. This campus has always been a mystery to me, so this tour was a golden opportunity for me,”  Michalove said.

Around 1p.m., a small group of individuals gathered in the Cosby Academic Center to experience the tour that Spelman College’s Cheryl Finley prepared for them. Finley is a reputable historian, author, curator and also serves as the Director of the AUC Art Collective. 

Finley unpacked the rich and extensive history of the buildings residing on Spelman’s campus, along with the symbolic nature and artistic choices regarding many of them. She then led the group to Clark Atlanta University’s campus, where she touched on the significance of a handful of the buildings on campus. Finley ended the tour at the Robert W. Woodruff library— an establishment where art collections, exhibits and archives are housed. 

This tour holds great importance for the AUC, as it is a relatively new initiative on campus as of 2019. AUC Art Collective Associate Director and Spelman Alumna Rachel Brown assisted in organizing the tour, ensuring a smooth process. She is a firm believer that The AUC Art Collective’s mission is to ensure that students understand the rich artistic and cultural legacy surrounding them throughout their matriculation. 

“The tour highlights other influencers in the art world in the cultural industry who wanted to be change makers and use art and imagery to put forth new ideas that we seek to continue today through our art and collective program,” Brown said.

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