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2026 Earth Day Celebration Recap - April 18, 2026

  • Writer: Darrin Johnson
    Darrin Johnson
  • 1 day ago
  • 3 min read
Visitors walking by the EJ Storytelling Bank at the 2026 ArtsXchange Earth Day Celebration
Visitors walking by the EJ Storytelling Bank at the 2026 ArtsXchange Earth Day Celebration

Connection is the heart of the ArtsXchange community and that includes connection with the natural world around us. This past Saturday, the AXC 2026 Earth Day Celebration was a hallmark collection of environmental conservation efforts across members of our community and the larger metro-Atlanta area. 


For those who don’t know, Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970 and has now spread to a global audience. Institutions and individuals around the world come together to learn about environmental awareness and advocacy. When we think about what it means to be environmentally conscious and ethical, that includes everything from what we eat to the infrastructure of our cities.


Here at ArtsXchange, leaders within the environmentalism sphere showcased a wide range of stories, practices, and ideas for how to lead lives that are a little bit greener and more sustainable. And what an amazing turnout we had from the nearly 100 visitors of all ages and backgrounds. 


Over at ArtsXchange, we like to get a little creative with it and bring something new and exciting. Here are some of the activities visitors go to experience over the course of the day!


Creative Workshops: Inside our artists studios, visitors engaged in visual art experiences focused on upcycled and sustainable materials with AXC studios artists Kenneth Zakee (below, left) and Lisa Tuttle (below, right).



Culinary Excursions: Whether it was cooking or eating, our Earth Day was full of food. Outside, visitors were able to learn nutritional recipes from culinary experts Tamie Cook, Lorrie Green, and Gloria Jenkins w/ East Point Thrive (below, left). For those wanting a little more, visitors were also able to purchase fresh produce and cooked food from agriculture expert Charlie Robinson’s OOOWEE Fresh Market (below, right).



EJ Storytelling Bank & Information Market - The ArtsXchange parking lot was transformed into a collection of organizations showcasing information about environmental justice, conscious cooking, and activism (slideshow below).


Hosted by Opal Baker with Forward Together East Point, organizations included were: 


Film Festival: Inside the Paul Robeson Theater, visitors viewed a series of documentaries related to environmental justice in the South East United States along with Q&A sessions after each film (Hosted by Opal Baker with Forward Together East Point). (below)



Gardening Workshops: Outside in the Fresh Oasis Garden, visitors learned about rain water collection with community leader Tenisio Seanima with CLEAN, INC. For those interested, our Ebon Dooley Room was the space for our permaculture seminar from Brandy Hall with Shades of Green Permaculture.



Connection Experiences: Visitors had moments to engage with community members via yoga classes with Instructor Spurgen Brown (below), literary discussion with Author K Rashid Nuri (below), and personal interviews with Yvonne Boone from SouthSide Environmental Justice Alliance Corporation (SEJA).



Thank you to all of the amazing contributors and exhibitors who shared all their knowledge and experience with us. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers working behind the scenes to make events like this possible.


Student Volunteers from Repair the World standing in front the AXC Back Garden Mural
Student Volunteers from Repair the World standing in front the AXC Back Garden Mural

We would like to give a shout out to the Volunteers from Repair the World (pictured above). This amazing group of college students helped us move our archives and get things set up for Earth Day. More updates to come regarding our AXC archives!


And last but certainly not least, thank you to all the visitors who came and spent the day with us. This was truly a testament to how important it is that we all come together and learn how to tend the earth and ourselves better.


Want to get more involved and learn more about gardening? Check out the Fresh Oasis Community Garden page and sign up today to join our growing number of personal garden beds! 


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