A Photographic Analysis of Artwork on the Atlanta Beltline
Disciplines
Geographic Information Sciences | Spatial Science
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The Atlanta BeltLine is a unique restoration project which seeks to build an accessible urban green path on top of discontinued rail lines, connecting corridors to many of Atlanta’s major neighborhoods. Some portions are still under construction, but we can see how the built sections completely renovated areas of the city, most notably on the Eastside trail. Once the Eastside was finished, many shops, restaurants, and other local businesses popped up; this transformed the once run-down area into an affluent and gentrified hub. Public art often embodies local cultural, political, environmental, and social ideas in such gentrified landscapes. This project conducted a photographic census of all art works and recorded various attributes of each piece located on the Westside Trail, Westside Connector, Northwest Trail, and Northside Trail of the BeltLine. These attributes include organic or inorganic features, as well as political, religious, racial, or LGBTQ+ representation. Each photograph was organized and labelled in an excel spreadsheet along with the respective attribute data. It was followed by mapping the spatial distribution of the artwork found across the Westside, Northwest, and Northside trails. Different types of art were separated according to their respective categories to determine the distribution of art with organic-based content. The result augments our understanding of dominant themes in the artwork along the BeltLine and furthermore emphasizes the extent of environmental components in such displays.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Geography & Anthropology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Ranbir Kang
A Photographic Analysis of Artwork on the Atlanta Beltline
The Atlanta BeltLine is a unique restoration project which seeks to build an accessible urban green path on top of discontinued rail lines, connecting corridors to many of Atlanta’s major neighborhoods. Some portions are still under construction, but we can see how the built sections completely renovated areas of the city, most notably on the Eastside trail. Once the Eastside was finished, many shops, restaurants, and other local businesses popped up; this transformed the once run-down area into an affluent and gentrified hub. Public art often embodies local cultural, political, environmental, and social ideas in such gentrified landscapes. This project conducted a photographic census of all art works and recorded various attributes of each piece located on the Westside Trail, Westside Connector, Northwest Trail, and Northside Trail of the BeltLine. These attributes include organic or inorganic features, as well as political, religious, racial, or LGBTQ+ representation. Each photograph was organized and labelled in an excel spreadsheet along with the respective attribute data. It was followed by mapping the spatial distribution of the artwork found across the Westside, Northwest, and Northside trails. Different types of art were separated according to their respective categories to determine the distribution of art with organic-based content. The result augments our understanding of dominant themes in the artwork along the BeltLine and furthermore emphasizes the extent of environmental components in such displays.