Non-profit The Creatives Project is the latest to join the 31-studio artist community
The former factory warehouse turned artist community, Guardian Studios at Echo Street West, has fully leased its 31 studios to local artists with a variety of mediums and focuses, from mural painting and custom upholstery to fine arts and photography. The latest artist group to join the community is The Creatives Project (TCP), Atlanta’s first non-profit formed to support artists through affordable housing programs and studio space.
TCP’s first initiative at Guardian Studios is a series of community outreach events with four of the TCP artists – Tim Short, Tracy Murrell, George Galbreath and Kara Jenelle – and CoLab, a community-led resource located at Echo Street West dedicated to the personal and professional advancement of Westside residents. English Avenue families are invited to the lunch and learn series beginning April 29 at noon, where they will have lunch, tour the gallery and studios, listen to an artist talk about their career and artwork, watch a demonstration and then make some art.
“Art can connect with viewers and inspire change through challenging them,” said TCP artist Tim Short. “In witnessing radical imagery and discovering foreign sounds, you open yourself to challenge what can be possible within your own situation.”
Jessica Helfrecht, studio manager at Echo Street West, added, “Since I started as studio manager last summer, it’s been my mission to fill our studios with a diverse and vibrant group of creatives – and I’m proud to say we’ve done just that. We’re a close community here, and I hope our visitors will come experience the beautiful work of our talented artists during our open studio hours or at one of our gallery opening receptions.”
Guardian Studios launched in the summer of 2021, with studio spaces ranging from 200 to 1,000 square feet. Guardian Studios also features a 3,000-square-foot open gallery space, Echo Contemporary Art, that hosts up to 12 exhibits per year. Guardian Studios’ regular gallery hours are Wednesdays through Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m and Saturdays from noon to 5:00 p.m. The gallery hours are free and open to the public to explore and purchase local art.
“The lease-up of all 31 maker stalls at Guardian Studios marks an exciting milestone for Echo Street West as we move closer to the completion of Phase One,” said Tony Bartlett, executive vice president of Lincoln Property Company. “With a robust line-up of events and exhibits at Guardian Studios, Guardian Works and Westside Motor Lounge, Echo Street West is establishing itself as the go-to destination for the community to gather and experience the vibrancy of the Westside.”
For more information on Guardian Studios, please visit https://echostreetwest.com/
About Echo Street West
Echo Street West is a 19-acre, mixed-use community rising in Atlanta’s Westside at the intersection of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and Northside Drive. Echo Street West is located in short proximity to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the World Congress Center, State Farm Arena, Georgia Tech and the new Westside Park and is directly on The Atlanta Beltline Westside Connector, not far from where Microsoft, Apple and Amazon are making investments. Echo Street West is a multi-phase project with the initial development consisting of 300,000 square feet of creative office space, 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 292 multifamily units, an events venue, artist colony and 3.4 acres of outdoor entertainment and greenspace, including Westside Motor Lounge. Future phases will bring additional office, retail, residential and hotel components to the site.
