When Jim Alexander came to Atlanta in 1976 at the call of Mayor Maynard Jackson, he did not simply take pictures, he bore witness. As photographer-in-residence at the NAC from 1977 through the 1980s, he moved through rehearsals, hallways, stages, and moments of stillness, capturing the work as it lived. His lens ensured these memories of the NAC would not be lost.

 

The Neighborhood Arts Center was a beautiful demonstration of the fact that Atlanta’s cultural heartbeat was built not only by legends, but by everyday people who created extraordinary community through art, activism, music, poetry, and love. Alexander’s NAC collection features rare images of Romare and Nanette Bearden, Maynard Jackson, Shirley Franklin, Xernona Clayton, Ojeda Penn, John Riddle, Thomas Byrd, Jomandi Theatre, Toni Cade Bambara, Michael Lomax, Carol Mitchell-Leon, and many more who helped build a sanctuary for the Black Arts Movement in Atlanta.