Decatur Arts Alliance

Join us on Friday, May 29th from 6:30-9pm for an opening reception celebrating the second volume of HOME, a new exhibition which seeks to inspire conversation and consideration for the challenges we face as a community to ensure access to dignified housing options. This juried show features nearly 60 artworks from across the nation by both professional and student artists.

Presented in partnership with the Decatur Land Trust, Georgia Center for the Book at DCPL, and the Decatur branch of the Dekalb County Library System.

Made possible through the generous support of Ameris Bank, Chad & Christina Carter Real Estate, Lockman Homebuilding, and Russell Elam Mortgage. THANK YOU to these local businesses for sponsoring important community initiatives!

Galleries, retailers, businesses, and restaurants are invited to join the fun of the 2026 Summer Solstice ARTWALK, a single-night, city-wide art experience that is free and open to the public. Engage with the Decatur community through a unique after-hours event that showcases your business while supporting the arts!

Businesses in and around the Decatur downtown area are invited to register as a “SunSpot” and commit to hosting an exhibition of handcrafted work (2D, 3D, Wearable Art, etc.) or a live arts experience (digital drawing, acoustic music, etc.) while providing light refreshments (wine, cheese, etc.).

"SunSpot" posters will indicate ArtWalk participating businesses - including a QR code that links to a digital map, helping folks find their way between locations. Each participating business will receive a limited number of glow in the dark goodies for ArtWalk patrons to collect, so the public is incentivized to visit all of the participating stops along the way!

Find more information and register on the Decatur Arts Alliance website. Application deadline: Thursday, May 28.

Submit up to 3 applications by June 17 📣
Fri. Sep 11 - Sat. Oct 24, 2026
Total of $2,200 gallery awards
Opening Reception on Fri, Sep 11 from 6:30-9pm

The Book As Art: Ghosted 👻 is the fourteenth edition of an art show celebrating books: objects that, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive.

In stories and folktales, ghosts are harbingers, haints, and often horror-inducing specters tied to places and sometimes people. In modern times, being “ghosted” refers to the sudden disappearance from social media or digital connections. Unlike the phantoms of old returning because they refuse to break connection to the physical world, people now retreat from contact, disappearing instantly, or fading away.

The book is a medium of practical expression and also a vessel for creative interpretation. Artists are invited to explore the limitless possibilities of the form and its impact. What is physical and phantom? What line is walked between folklore and figment? How do we transform language to fit the digital age?

The objects in this exhibition should interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where ideas, words, and symbols are transformed and transfigured. Artists are challenged to embrace the dualities and paradoxes of communication—to celebrate the macabre and the mysterious, the familiar and the fantastic, the clear and the cryptic.

Apply exclusively on CallforEntry.org.

AWARDS
First Place Award - $1,000
Second Place Award - $700
Third Place Award - $500
Dorothy Moye Memorial Award

Join us Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. as the Hyatt Cottage artists open their studios to the public as part of "Community Day"—a celebration of connection, sustainability, and the organizations helping shape a greener Decatur.

Hosted by Legacy Decatur, the event features the Decatur Earth Day Festival, hands-on activities, live music, food, and opportunities to connect with local nonprofits and community groups.

Highlights include:
• Interactive exhibits and demonstrations
• Tree giveaway, plant swap, and garden resources
• Organic and handmade goods from local vendors
• Bike tune-ups, art activities, and wildlife education
• Plus, the Trellis Spring Plant Sale & Open House

Come meet your neighbors, discover local initiatives, and be part of a more connected, sustainable Decatur. More information at

Join us Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. as the Hyatt Cottage artists open their studios to the public as part of "Community Day"—a celebration of connection, sustainability, and the organizations helping shape a greener Decatur.

Hosted by Legacy Decatur, the event features the Decatur Earth Day Festival, hands-on activities, live music, food, and opportunities to connect with local nonprofits and community groups.

Highlights include:
• Interactive exhibits and demonstrations
• Tree giveaway, plant swap, and garden resources
• Organic and handmade goods from local vendors
• Bike tune-ups, art activities, and wildlife education
• Plus, the Trellis Spring Plant Sale & Open House

Come meet your neighbors, discover local initiatives, and be part of a more connected, sustainable Decatur. More information at Decatur Legacy Park

The culmination of a year of learning and developing their artistic ability, the Hyatt Cottage in Legacy Park is showcasing the impressive artwork created by students in the IB Art Class at Decatur High School. Join us for an opening reception on Wednesday, March 25 from 5-7pm for a chance to meet the student artists and discuss their work!

On view March 25 - April 18
Thursday - Saturday
1-5pm

Looking to support community art collaborations? Have a teen that needs service hours? Sign up to GALLERY SIT using the link in our bio!

OPEN CALL 🌟 Artists are invited to submit their qualifications for a public art project of FIVE exterior murals at “Halo Decatur,” a new mixed-use development by Northwood Ravin in Decatur, GA. Total project budget: $178,500.

This is a two-phase selection process. The RFQ invites artists to submit qualifications only. Finalists will be invited to develop site-specific concepts in Phase Two.

Find more information and apply at the link in bio or decaturartsalliance.slideroom.com.

Looking to put a spring in your step this spring? 🌷 Why not enroll in an art course with the Decatur Arts Alliance? Small class sizes allow for individual instruction, so everyone is welcome, regardless of skill or experience level! Find more details about the courses and register via the link in bio or at DecaturArtsAlliance.org/art-classes.

OPEN CALL ALERT 📣 Professional and student artists are invited to submit up to 3 artworks for consideration in HOME v.2: Homeland. This national, juried multimedia exhibition is produced in collaboration between the Decatur Arts Alliance, The Decatur Land Trust, and the Decatur Library. $20 application fee waived for students. ⏰ March 29th deadline to apply. 🏆 Cash awards: 1st $1,000, 2nd $700, 3rd $500, Student $500. Exhibition run: May 29 - July 18, 2026 in the Fourth Floor Gallery of the Decatur branch of the Dekalb County Public Library in Decatur, Ga. APPLICATION LINK IN BIO or at Callforentry.org.

HOMELAND
A person's or a people's native land, we look to explore “homeland” as a geographical point of origin and a state of being. Works should express cultural and ethnic elements, and elucidate the view of “home” from the immigrant to the expatriate, the displaced to the indigenous. How do we find “home” when we are away from the land of our forebears? What do newly arrived peoples do to preserve their culture and heritage? How do we honor and acknowledge the indigenous inhabitants of the lands upon which we all now live?

We encourage artists to explore these themes and more. Let your creativity illuminate the diverse ways we experience and define "home," and your connection with a “HOMELAND."