Cobb County Arts Commission

Cobb County Arts Commission
Name	Cobb County Arts Commission
Formation	1980s
Type	Arts council
Headquarters	Marietta, Georgia
Region served	Cobb County, Georgia
Leader title	Executive Director

Cobb County Arts Commission is a local arts body serving Marietta and the broader Cobb County, Georgia area. It operates at the intersection of county cultural policy, municipal programming, nonprofit arts organizations, philanthropic foundations, and civic planning. The commission collaborates with museums, galleries, theaters, universities, and festivals to present visual arts, performing arts, public art, and arts education across neighborhoods and historic districts.

History

The commission traces roots to county-level cultural initiatives influenced by models like the National Endowment for the Arts, Georgia Council for the Arts, Metropolitan Cultural Council, and peer agencies in Fulton County, Dekalb County, Gwinnett County, and Chatham County. Early partnerships involved local institutions such as the Marietta Museum of History, Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, Kennesaw State University, Emory University, and the University of Georgia museum networks. Civic leaders drew on precedents set by the Arts Council of Atlanta, Woodruff Arts Center, High Museum of Art, Alliance Theatre, and regional presenters like Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Ballet to develop festivals, grant programs, and public commissions. Over decades the commission worked alongside foundations including the Cobb Foundation, Woodruff Foundation, Lassen Foundation, Kendeda Fund, and grantors such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Bank of America Charitable Foundation to expand outreach. Historic preservation partners included Marietta Square, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and local historical societies.

Mission and Programs

The commission's mission emphasizes support for arts organizations, individual artists, and cultural access in partnership with stewardship models used by entities like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Americans for the Arts, Grantmakers in the Arts, and municipal arts agencies in cities such as Savannah, Georgia, Charlotte, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Programs have included grant awards modeled after the NEA Grants to Organizations and Creative Placemaking initiatives, artist residencies analogous to programs at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and Sculpture/Object/Installation venues. The commission administers project grants, operating support initiatives, technical assistance seminars, and convenings with partners like Americans for the Arts, Arts Education Partnership, League of American Orchestras, and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources mirror the mix used by peer institutions: local government appropriations from the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, matching funds inspired by the Georgia General Assembly, grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from private donors and corporate sponsors such as Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, Cox Enterprises, Mercedes-Benz USA, and regional banks like SunTrust Banks and Regions Financial Corporation. Governance structures echo practices from the National Council on Nonprofits and include advisory panels, juried review panels drawing on experts from High Museum of Art, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and arts administrators from institutions including Alliance Theatre and Little Five Points collectives. Fiscal oversight aligns with nonprofit accounting standards used by GuideStar-listed organizations and compliance frameworks tied to the Internal Revenue Service tax-exempt regulations.

Public Art and Cultural Projects

The commission has commissioned and overseen public artworks and cultural projects in public spaces, plazas, and transit corridors similar to commissions managed by Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Public Art Fund, and municipal public art programs in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.. Projects include site-specific sculptures, murals, performance series, and heritage markers adjacent to landmarks like Marietta Square Historic District, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Roswell Historic District, and transit stops on regional networks such as MARTA and planned expansions of CobbLinc services. Collaborations with artists tied to institutions such as Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, SCAD, Georgia State University, and national practitioners have produced commissions resonant with initiatives like Percent for Art programs and civic placemaking exemplified by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk.

Education and Community Outreach

Education and outreach activities are coordinated with school systems like the Cobb County School District, higher education partners including Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, Emory University, and community organizations such as Junior League chapters, Boy Scouts of America councils, and neighborhood associations. Programs echo national models from Turnaround Arts, VSA (organisation), Arts for All, and Teaching Artists Guild with workshops, in-school residencies, summer intensives, and intergenerational arts access projects. The commission also works with media outlets and cultural presenters including FOX Theatre, Atlanta Film Festival, Atlanta Opera, True Colors Theatre Company, and community festivals like Marietta StreetFest to broaden participation.

Partnerships and Impact

Partnerships span municipal entities like the City of Marietta, Cobb County Department of Transportation, and tourism boards such as Explore Georgia, alongside cultural institutions including the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Kennesaw State University Department of Music, and nonprofit producers like Actors’ Express and 7 Stages Theatre. Economic and social impact assessments referenced peer studies from Americans for the Arts, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and regional planning agencies such as Atlanta Regional Commission. Outcomes reported include increased cultural tourism, strengthened arts ecosystems comparable to those in Athens, Georgia, Savannah, Georgia, and Asheville, North Carolina, and enhanced civic vitality through public art, creative placemaking, workforce development, and arts education partnerships.

Category:Arts organizations based in Georgia