Artist in Focus
The Old Fourth Ward has always been a place shaped by stories — stories of resilience, culture, and transformation. At BLVDNEXT, the former site of the Atlanta Medical Center, we’re creating space for those stories to be seen and heard through the work of emerging Black and Brown artists in Atlanta.
In partnership with NEXT, an Atlanta-based cultural agency, we’ve turned our construction fencing into a rotating open-air gallery. Throughout the BLVDNEXT project, local artists will be featured — transforming a transitional space into a platform for creativity and connection.
Here, art isn’t just decoration. It’s a foundation. These artists are storytellers — helping define what this place has been and what it can become. Something beautiful is taking shape, and it starts with them.
Explore the featured artists below — and check back often. Something beautiful is taking shape.
FeaturedARTISTS
Tracy Murrell is an Atlanta-based visual artist whose signature silhouettes celebrate the grace, strength, and resilience of Black women. Through bold color and layered form, she reimagines ancestral narratives with a contemporary voice rooted in community and cultural memory.
Though her work has shown internationally, Murrell’s creative roots are firmly planted in Atlanta. She has exhibited at institutions like the Hammonds House Museum and Albany Museum of Art, and her work is held in permanent collections at the headquarters of Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Microsoft, and several Atlanta public libraries.
A respected civic arts leader, Murrell serves on the Atlanta Beltline Public Art Advisory Council, where she helps shape the city’s cultural landscape through public art selection and advocacy.
Now, as the inaugural artist featured on the BLVDNEXT construction wraps, Murrell brings her practice into this historic Atlanta community— transforming a site of change into a canvas of remembrance. Her work stands not only as a tribute to those who came before, but as a beacon for what’s to come—a community reclaiming space, history, and beauty. Stronger together.
Curated by NEXT for BLVDNEXT
Let’s Connect
Have questions about BLVDNEXT? Want to learn more about opportunities for residents or businesses? Need to share your thoughts about the project? We’re here to listen.