The Art Center Wins Several 2026 Best of North Atlanta Awards
Every year the Appen Media Group holds a competition for thousands of businesses in the North Atlanta region. They collect public nominations, then those that are nominated to onto the ballot in their nominated category to be put to public vote over the course of a month. The Art Center was honored to be nominated in many of the categories and beyond honored to go on to win several of those! Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us. We are so grateful for all of you because The Art Center would not be what it is without our community, the students and teachers, artists and visitors that have made this such a delightful place to be for the past 30 years.
Winning Categories
Best Art Lessons/Studio
We are so excited to have been voted for the Best Art Lessons/Art Studio in the North Atlanta area! Our instructors work extremely hard to create a robust catalog of classes for both adults and youth, covering a wide range of artistic disciplines. Several of our instructors have been a part of The Art Center for decades, including Leslie Murphy, Susan Calderon, Cathi Brostrom, and Debra Yaun. All of our instructors are incredible artists in their own right, but they are also inspiring and thoughtful teachers.
Our Fall II Adult Classes are starting up soon, and we have some seats available in many of our classes. Our adult students are an integral part of our community here, and many have become good friends with us and each other over the years. We'd love to have you join us and find new friends and skills you can be proud of here!
Best Place for Kids to Have Fun
We are honored to have been voted as the Best Place for Kids to Have Fun! We love having young artists here, learning in a playful environment and sharing their creative thoughts with us. We have classes for K-12th grade in The Art Center space, and we run a free Small Small World program at Ocee Library for Pre-K students.
Our Fall II Youth Classes are now open for registration! Check out our drawing, ceramics, and performing arts classes that will help your child build new skills while having a great time with their peers!
Best Summer Camp
We are delighted to win Best Summer Camp again! We work hard to put together a robust collection of more than 60 camp options for rising K-12th graders every year. Our camps are designed to foster a love of art and pride in their creations while keeping a fun and lighthearted atmosphere. For our older campers, the week of camp is an excellent opportunity to dive deep into their creative interests and really hone their skills.
Our summer camps typically go live for registration in February, so be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to keep yourself in the know!
Best Boss
Our Executive Director, Stephanie Donaldson, received a very well-deserved Best Boss award! She has been brilliantly steering The Art Center since even before she was promoted to the Executive Director position. Her dedication to The Art Center, its mission, and all the people within its walls shows in the continuing growth of this studio. She brings so much sunshine into the building, and she brings a deep caring energy to all of her interactions with staff, students, and instructors. We are truly lucky to have her at the helm.
1st Runner Up Categories
Best After-School Programs
The Art Center also received a 1st Runner Up recognition for Best After-School Program. We run after school art classes in 7 local elementary schools, bringing our teachers and their supplies into the classroom to provide further enrichment and instruction to the 1st-5th graders who join. Given the number of after school programs now available in the North Fulton area, we are especially grateful to receive this recognition.
Best Art Gallery/Retailer
Finally, we were recognized as a 1st runner up for Best Art Gallery/Retailer. While our building's footprint prevents a traditional gallery experience, we use our space to host 7-9 gallery exhibitions a year, now featuring artists from as far away as the UK! We are able to borrow pieces from major collections, and we have been privileged to showcase artists who later went on to be big names in the field with work included in the collections of places like MOMA and The High.
Our current exhibition, Beyond Borders II: Global Voices, is running until October 17, 2026. It is a stunning showcase of many artistic perspectives, and it's completely free to come see the work.
Thank you again to everyone who voted for us, and thank you to Appen Media Group for these awards! It means the world to us to be an active and appreciated part of this community.
