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Shirley Franklin to be named Atlanta Arts World Changer at Ebon Dooley Legacy Awards Oct. 12
- Angela Oliver
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
AXC Blog
By Angela Oliver | ArtsXchange
Atlanta’s cultural landscape — the jazz festival that pulses through Piedmont Park, the films carried into neighborhoods by a traveling movie-mobile, the arts centers that transformed shuttered schools into living canvases — didn’t happen by chance. It happened because, in the 1970s, city leaders insisted that the arts were not a luxury, but a necessity.
One of the arts’ greatest catalysts will receive a special award at this year’s Ebon Dooley Legacy Awards on Oct. 12.
Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Clarke Franklin has been named Atlanta Arts World Changer by the ArtsXchange for her role in building that foundation. Long before she made history as the city’s first woman mayor, Franklin was the first director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, shaping a civic commitment to arts and culture that still resonates globally.
“It actually started as an office,” Franklin recalled in a recent interview. “Mayor Maynard Jackson campaigned on increasing city support for the arts, and he asked me to chair a committee of artists, civic leaders, and arts organizations to create a plan. From there, we established an office (led by Michael Lomax). That became a bureau. And when I was in the position, it became a department.”
Maynard Jackson’s Vision
The late Mayor Maynard Jackson was one of the fiercest champions of the arts, Franklin said. Under his leadership, Atlanta shifted from treating culture as an afterthought — funded only if there was money left over — to making it a line item in the city’s operating budget.
Previously, the city spent about $60,000 annually on arts programming. With the committee’s push, that figure jumped to $250,000, giving rise to artist grants, outdoor symphony concerts, film series in various neighborhoods, and the city’s now-renowned jazz festival.
“We knew success was possible,” Franklin said, “but the success of what we see today far exceeds what I could have imagined.”
Breathing Space for Artists
Funding was only part of the equation. Franklin also helped negotiate with Atlanta Public Schools to repurpose closed school buildings as homes for arts organizations. That decision seeded several institutions, including the Neighborhood Arts Center, the Center for Puppetry Arts, and the ArtsXchange — two of which continue to thrive today.
“The ArtsXchange is an example of how a good idea can be realized with collaboration and partnership,” Franklin said.
Why the Arts Matter
For Franklin, the arts are not a frill but part of the very fabric of a city.
“From the earliest civilizations, art and culture have been as much a part of life as family, religion, and industry,” she said. “The expression of creativity is part of life. If you want a healthy community, you must incorporate arts and culture.”
Atlanta’s flourishing creative scene — its theaters, murals, film festivals, music venues, and grassroots collectives — stands as proof of that philosophy.
A Legacy That Endures
Decades later, the impact of Franklin’s work is everywhere. The city’s cultural infrastructure continues to expand, with organizations from True Colors Theatre to the Alliance Theatre and countless community-based arts groups carrying forward the momentum.
“The foundation was already here,” Franklin said. “It just needed to be amplified by the city’s work,
and the benefits have been many.”
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A special Award will be presented to Shirley C. Franklin during a VIP reception for the Ebon Dooley Legacy Awards. Join us in the Jack Sinclair Gallery at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. Your membership is your ticket! Become a member today at the $100 level or above for admission to the VIP reception and the Legacy Awards program.
BECOME A MEMBER: https://www.artsxchange.org/memberships
RSVP TO RECEPTION: https://www.artsxchange.org/event-details/vip-reception-2025-ebon-dooley-legacy-awards
Below, Shirley C. Franklin is pictured at ArtsXchange in December of 2024, as mistress of ceremony for the 7th Annual Ebon Dooley Arts & Social Justice Awards. ALL PHOTOS BELOW BY TAFAWA HICKS. (BLOG COVER PHOTO BY SHARON B. DOWDELL)
