
Greetings From the Executive Director
I hope this newsletter comes to you at the height of a great summer. We here at The Arts Exchange are very busy. Our visual artists are creating great work and exhibiting around the city, country and beyond. Our performing artists are holding events here and elsewhere, and honing their craft in their studios. As I write this at 7:40 pm on a Tuesday, there is a rehearsal for a play, “OPEN HOUSE”, in the Paul Robeson Theatre, Poets in the “New Wave” from around the country are joining the Atlanta Word Works poets in the new Ebon Dooley Board Room, preparing for their Brave New Voices performances; and another group of musicians have just come to play in Allen Welty Green’s Z Music Studio! The Arts Exchange is at an exciting point in its growth and development, poised to leap forward. Under the visionary spirit and leadership of the board of directors, and the dynamic commitment of our program volunteers/advisors, artistic services and programs are growing.
I am pleased and proud to be associated with The Arts Exchange, a facility, organization and institution that has done so much for so many in its 30 years of service to the arts community and the greater community. We have kept our commitment to social justice and it is an integral part of our programming as well as our mission. We have claimed this place as part of the beloved community, and we now declare it to be SAFE SPACE for our young people who feel so endangered in this society. I attended the opening program for Brave New Voices (see below) and the barrage of talented, passionate youth voices crying out for an end to police brutality and gun violence left me with an even greater resolve to work through the arts for social justice. We cherish and embrace Atlanta Word Works and other young artists who call The Arts Exchange their cultural home, a safe haven to grow and create.
Change is constant, and we say goodbye to cherished friends: Cheryl Odeleye, President of the Board of Directors and committed volunteer, gave tirelessly of her time and financial expertise as she worked to make The Arts Exchange stable and solvent. She will continue to be a treasured part of The Arts Exchange even though she has resigned from the board. Nayada Cowherd, our beloved volunteer extraordinaire who designed and produced our News and Notes Newsletter since its inception, is spending time in Sweden. She is a true arts angel and we will continue to hold her and her family in our hearts. Baba Taji Nanji, founder of The New World Martial Arts Fitness Institute has moved on as well. The vitality and dynamism he brought to this center will truly be missed. We wish him the very best in all of his endeavors.
We welcome others as we move forward: Alice Lovelace, an integral part of The Arts Exchange since its founding, has taken the helm as President of The Board of Directors. Her historical memory and administrative acumen will serve us well as we move forward toward 30 more years. Alicia Randolph, our summer intern, is receiving her MFA in Arts Administration from SCAD and will be designing our Summer and Fall issues of News and Notes. She has already proven to be an invaluable asset. We welcome Cassandra Greene to studio 102 that Marc Brotherton vacated for a larger studio, the former Ebon Dooley Board Room, studio 105. The new Ebon Dooley Board Room is now in studio 110.
All modern dancers should sign up for the exciting, new Arts Exchange dance class starting in September.
Please continue to read our quarterly newsletter. Various studio artists will be featured in each newsletter. Be sure to check out our events calendar and come out to as many of our featured events as possible, including our Xchange gallery exhibitions and theatre showcases and more!
Yours for the arts,
Malkia
Malkia M'Buzi Moore

Preparing for
30 More Years!
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