Annual Reports

Fiscal Year ‘22 Annual Report

Dear Friends and Supporters:

I am delighted to share a copy of the City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) fiscal year (FY) 2022 annual report with you.

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) made great strides during the past fiscal year, working under the leadership of Mayor Andre Dickens to Move Atlanta Forward toward a more equitable and inclusive city that supports our local arts organizations and independent artists while also creating opportunity for all of Atlanta’s citizens to see themselves in the art and the cultural experiences reflected throughout the city.

Through our Municipal Support for the Arts program, we were able to provide over $2 million in grant funding to 87 arts local organizations and through Contracts for Arts Services we provided financial support to local artists and community art projects.

Fiscal Year 2022 was a unique year for the Atlanta Jazz Festival (AJF). Due to the pandemic, we had to reschedule some of our classic offerings and in FY 22, we presented two Atlanta Jazz Festivals in one fiscal year. For the first time since the pandemic, we returned to Piedmont Park for Labor Day weekend, 2021, and in May 2022, we were able to return to Piedmont Park on Memorial Day Weekend to present the three-day festival we all regard as the city’s unofficial launch of the summer season.

As soon as we wrapped AJF, we reimagined ELEVATE and presented ELEVATE: Revival, a different approach to the festival, in the fall of 2021. Our first, full-fledged ELEVATE in public spaces since the pandemic, Revival took place over the course of two months – eight weekends in eight different neighborhoods. We contracted with local arts groups, utilizing remaining American Rescue Fund grants partnered with community happenings—such as festivals and plays—and included curated and produced events. ELEVATE Revival was our effort to REOPEN, REIGNITE & RECONNECT communities with art and culture in the city. This format was so successful that we have decided to keep the multi-week format for ELEVATE, moving forward.

Our Public Art Program made great strides during this fiscal year. We partnered with several city departments on city projects, working extensively on enhancements to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive corridor and expanded our utility box mural program to commission artwork from more visual artists.

Over the past year, it has been nothing short of inspirational to see the City reemerge as the cultural center of the south that it has become. As we move forward into the next year, my staff and I will continue our dedicated efforts in making Atlanta a beacon of art, culture and opportunity for the southeast.

Yours in art and culture,

Camille Russell Love, Executive Director