Spelman College Students Open Art Exhibition at the Atlanta Contemporary
Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
On February 5, 2026, at 6 p.m., Atlanta Contemporary will present a public opening celebration of its 2026 Winter/Spring exhibition cycle. The opening celebration will include Rejoice, Resist, Rest: Images of Black Liberation, a selection of artworks, archival photographs, texts, and zines by students of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective and the Spelman Photography Program (produced through access to the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, an initiative supported by the Getty Research Institute).
For the exhibition, students engaged with historical photographs and other ephemera symbolic of the 20th century Black American experience and responded via themes of freedom and liberation. The results include a variety of interpretations and responses dependent upon a student’s personal, artistic, and academic interests. The exhibition will be on display from February 1, 2026, through May 17, 2026.
WHO:
Cheryl Finley, Ph.D., is the inaugural director of the Arts and Visual Culture Department at Spelman and a distinguished art historian, curator, and contemporary art critic with an extensive academic background.
Nydia Blas is an assistant professor for photography in the Arts and Visual Culture Department at Spelman. The Rejoice, Resist, Rest: Images of Black Liberation project
Chad Dawkins, Ph.D., is a visiting assistant professor in the Arts and Visual Culture Department at Spelman. He is a critic, curator and educator specializing in contemporary art and exhibitionary practices. The Rejoice, Resist, Rest: Images of Black Liberation project
WHEN:
Opening Reception: February 6, 2026, at 6 p.m.
Exhibition on View: February 1, 2026, through May 17, 2026
WHERE:
Atlanta Contemporary (navigational address: 535 Means St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318)
RSVP:
Media interested in covering the exhibition should RSVP by emailing publicrelations@
