Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture in Fulton County

Fulton County is a Southeastern hub of art and cultural activities. From Broadway shows to superstar concerts, filmmaking, poetry, and drama – there is a multitude of cultural events taking place in Fulton County any day of the week.

International art exhibits, award-winning theatre, a Grammy Award-winning symphony, intriguing public arts installations, and museums with broad ranging themes from art to history or targeted to specific or niche interests keep residents and visitors continuously entertained.

Musical Arts

With a variety of venues large and small, Fulton County pulses with live music. Huge, multi-day music festivals take place at Piedmont Park and Centennial Olympic Park.

Long-time residents will be happy to regale you with stories of concerts they attended at such places as the historic, Moorish-flavored Fox Theatre, the music lovers’ social hangout at Chastain Park Amphitheater, or the big-name shows at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood. And this doesn’t even take into account the mega concerts at Center Parc Stadium and State Farm Arena downtown or the intimate shows at places like Smith’s Olde Bar, The Masquerade, or any of the many bars, lounges and dance halls in the city.

Municipalities in Fulton County have performance venues of their own, including the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta and Wolf Creek Amphitheater in South Fulton.

Classical artists aren’t left out, either. The Woodruff Arts Center hosts the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, among other performances.

Theatrical Arts

Fulton County performance venues aren’t just reserved for musical acts. Virtually every stage in the county is home to exciting presentations of everything from touring professional Broadway shows to cutting-edge experimental drama, ballet, and improvisation. Whether performances are presented by local professional theatre companies or by neighborhood groups who just love theatre, audiences are assured of seeing the latest plays and other spoken-word acts put on by talented actors and directors, many of them local.

Visual Arts

Visual arts thrive in Fulton County, too. Art enthusiasts will find masters old and new at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia.

SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film offers tightly curated fashion collections and films that spark discussion afterward. The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) is the only museum in the Southeast exclusively devoted to the study and celebration of all things design.

The 7,000-square-foot Oglethorpe University Museum of Art is home to an impressive collection of significant works from ancient to contemporary, and from all over the world. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art has been recognized for groundbreaking and scholarly exhibitions that amplify art by Black women artists.

There is a plethora of commercial art galleries throughout Fulton County. Those who wish to add a piece of art to their personal collection will have no trouble finding the exact artwork they desire.

Several of the communities in Fulton County have established art centers that allow their local creators to connect with each other, practice and teach their art, and exhibit their works to the public.

Museums

Culture does not mean only art. So many aspects of life in Fulton County are celebrated with a local museum. Immerse yourself in local history at the Atlanta History Center, in Black history at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Apex Museum and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park, in presidential history and world affairs at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and in Jewish history, culture and arts at The Breman Museum.

Museums interpret far more than history. Check out the World of Coca-Cola for a showcase of the world’s favorite beverage company, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta where the kiddos can explore the world around them hands on, and the Delta Flight Museum, an aviation and corporate museum for Atlanta’s own Delta Air Lines. Many other museums feature unique interpretations of people, places and things that came together to make Fulton County the vibrant community that it is today.