Always Free: Atlanta Contemporary Art Center hosts several new exhibitions

Atlanta Contemporary is opening its 2026 Winter/Spring exhibition cycle on Thursday, February 5, with a reception from 6 PM to 9 PM. It's a big night for the museum, with several new exhibitions going up at once. The whole cycle centers on storytelling, materiality, identity, and embodied experience, and you can see how those themes play out across a few different shows.

One of the anchors is Georgia Women to Watch 2026: A Book Arts Revolution, curated by Cynthia Nourse Thompson and featuring Eliza Bentz, Hannah Israel, Cynthia Lollis, Serena Perrone, and Eileen Wallace. Beside it is the group show Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language, with Bethany Collins, February James, a'driane nieves, and Gabi Madrid. There are also three solo exhibitions: Dokafleh by Brittany Adeline King, Bleed by Jean Shon, and A Litany for Shelter by Natalie Rose Eddings. Between the group shows and the solo work, there's a lot to move through.

During the reception, you're invited to walk the galleries, grab a cocktail, and talk with the artists and other people there. It's a good way to get a first look at everything in one go. If you're coming with kids, the museum also runs Contemporary Kids, a family-friendly art workshop where children of all ages can explore their creativity and engage with the themes of contemporary art.

Atlanta Contemporary is a nonprofit 501(c)3 museum in the city's historic Westside corridor, right next to the Georgia Tech campus and close to the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and Centennial Olympic Park. It's an inclusive space that stays open every day, and it houses a shop with local art, prints, and gifts. Admission is always free. The reception runs from 6 PM to 9 PM on February 5 at 535 Means St NW.