◼ OUR PURPOSE ◼

The ArtsXchange cultivates a vibrant community where artists and audiences connect, create, and thrive. Through accessible studios, exhibitions, performances, and public programs spanning literary, visual, and performing arts, we foster intergenerational, multicultural engagement rooted in equity and environmental sustainability. Our shared spaces and resources—including community gardens—reflect our deep commitment to cultural resilience and environmental stewardship. We represent a variety of cultural expressions and engage audiences from diverse backgrounds, ages, and life experiences. Our programs accommodate varied learning styles and artistic interests. Our facility is ADA-compliant, and our programs are open to the public, with 80% offered at no cost. We are a safe and inclusive environment where artistic skills and human connections flourish.

◼ OUR VISION ◼

We consider cultural empowerment a pathway to equity, so we provide platforms for underrepresented artists to share their stories and creative work. By elevating local, culturally grounded art, the organization challenges dominant narratives and affirms the value of diverse experiences, essential for achieving racial and social equity..

◼ OUR COMMITMENT ◼

Cultural Empowerment for Equity: Providing platforms for underrepresented artists to share their stories and creative work, we elevate local, culturally grounded art that challenges dominant narratives and affirms the diverse experiences essential to racial and social justice.

Access and Inclusion: Offering free or low-cost programs, workshops, exhibitions, and performances removes barriers related to income, geography, and background. We nurture emerging talent from under-resourced communities and celebrate African American heritage through our gallery exhibits that also create economic opportunities for artists.

Economic Empowerment through the Arts: By supporting artist development with discipline-specific workshops and training, creating job opportunities in creative industries, and organizing community networks, we advance economic equity and sustainability.

Civic Engagement and Movement Building: Rooted in an activist legacy, we host forums, film screenings, and public art projects that mobilize community participation around housing justice, environmental health, and cultural preservation—using art as a catalyst for healing and systemic change.

Land and Environmental Justice: Through community-led land stewardship initiatives, including gardens and green space development, we model sustainable responses to displacement and food insecurity, integrating cultural identity into environmental justice and land use.

◼ OUR HISTORY ◼

Southeast Community Cultural Center (SECCC) was incorporated in the early 1980s when Atlanta’s Neighborhood Arts Center, founded by Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, closed. In 1984, Ebon Dooley and Alice Lovelace—pioneers in community-based arts—opened The Arts Exchange facility in the former Grant Park Elementary School with support from the Atlanta Board of Education. Doing so transformed the landscape of the city’s art scene into an inner-city artist colony with a powerful mission. The first Summer Arts Enrichment Institute, launched in 1985, marked the beginning of our commitment to nurturing emerging artists and making space for black artists historically excluded from the Atlanta arts scene.

As gentrification displaced many communities in Atlanta, we had to reconsider our role as an art service organization. In 2016, we rebranded the facility as ArtsXchange. We relocated to a one-story Jere A. Wells Elementary School (later Romar Academy) in East Point, filling a void in a section of Fulton County that has long been underserved and under-resourced. In 2025, we celebrate 41 years of community service. Rooted in community, we remain dedicated to cultivating culture, land, and liberation.