VISUAL ARTS: ‘Road to Freedom’ led the way

> Best all-around show: “Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement 1956-68” at the High Museum of Art. “Road” examined the role of photojournalism in the success of the civil rights movement. Kudos to curator Julian Cox, who conceived this stirring landmark exhibition and made it an opportunity to build a collection of 250 photographs, which will bolster the city’s cachet as a center for civil rights archives.

> Memorable solo shows: “Jack Whitten: Memorial Paintings” at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Curator Stuart Horodner’s timely introduction to a senior artist who is re-emerging after a period of obscurity. Whitten’s monumental “9/11/01,” one of the most impressive (so far) responses to the twin-towers tragedy.

> Memorable shows group: “Cinema Remixed and Reloaded: Black Women Artists and the Moving Image Since 1970, Part II” at Spelman College Museum. Director Andrea Barnwell Brownlee continued to build the museum’s standing with the landmark survey of black female media artists. “Mergers and Acquisitions” at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. A dynamic mix of modern and contemporary masters from private collections and younger artists from Atlanta and beyond, curated by Horodner, is an exemplar of what the Contemporary can and should do.

> Public art: “Within Our Gates” in the Old Fourth Ward. Bradley McCallum and Jacqueline Tarry’s multisensory evocation of the civil rights era in an old water tower was a resonant matching of subject and site. Curated by Lisa Kurzner, it was sponsored by Atlanta Celebrates Photography, which continues to expand its contributions to Atlanta’s cultural life.

> Political art: “Hand to Hand” at Spruill Gallery. In 2003, Atlanta artist Cecelia Kane decided to keep a daily diary of the Iraq war via drawings on white gloves. Her project, conceived, supplemented by a slew of Georgia artists, made a powerful impression visually and emotionally, not only in humanizing the war but also as a testament to the power of community.

> Hollywood blockbuster: “Tutankhamun: The Golden King & the Great Pharaohs” at the Atlanta Civic Center. Art at its glammest, but with substance.

> Old Master moment: Vermeer’s “The Astronomer” in “The Louvre at the Masterpiece” at the High Museum of Art. A rare treat to see this artist’s rare and magical work without going somewhere else.

> Atta girl: Rocio Rodriguez at Fay Gold Gallery. The Atlanta artist resisted the temptation to play it safe and came up with new imagery and beautiful paintings.