Culture of north Atlanta and North Georgia come together at Woodstock Arts

The arts are often valued for what they create — performances, exhibitions, music and stories. Less frequently discussed is what they create between people.

At Woodstock Arts in north metro Atlanta, artistic participation serves not only cultural goals but also community ones, connecting residents through shared experiences, volunteerism and civic engagement.

Woodstock Arts functions as a central driver for the expanding arts community in north metro Atlanta. Originally established in 2002 as the Elm Street Cultural Arts Village by area advocates Ann Littrell and Gail Barnes, the organization initially served as a localized, volunteer-led theater group. As the area’s creative community grew, the nonprofit scaled its operational capacity under former Executive Director Madeline Briggs, who professionalized productions and introduced stipend-supported roles.

“Pulp: The Fluid and the Concrete” was the spring exhibition at Woodstock Arts' Reeves House Visual Arts Center. (Courtesy of Ashly Hospodka/Woodstock Arts)

This institutional expansion led to a 2019 rebranding and the 2021 addition of the Reeves House Visual Arts Center. Today, under Executive Director Christopher Brazelton, the organization manages a multidisciplinary network spanning theater, music, dance and culinary arts for all ages — both through experiencing the art and through learning opportunities.

However, the organization’s objective extends past simply providing varied arts experiences; it aims to actively build and sustain a hub for its residents.

“We really do try to focus on our mission, which is engaging the community,” Brazelton says. “We have a kind of a framework for how we can catalyze the community to get involved. Part of this involves low-entry barriers for volunteers who can participate in everything from ushering to costume design to sound production.

Christopher Brazelton, executive director of Woodstock Arts. (Courtesy of Meg Davidson/Woodstock Arts)

“We have a large percentage of our volunteers who will say that we were the first place they volunteered when they moved into the area,” Brazelton says. That leads to a high rate of those people becoming more involved in a variety of capacities. “I think we all have an innate ability to create. Everybody has the opportunity and ability to create in some capacity and maybe there’s some people with more natural, refined craft around that. I do think that we get to beautiful moments through discovery.”

It’s not just involvement with the many opportunities for classes and experiences. For instance, Brazelton says, “We’ve done theatrical shows with mental health, or we’ve done concerts where we bring in musicians who were through the foster care program. So they work with our foster care students in the community. And then our volunteers end up getting involved in foster care as foster parents or another way.”

This idea runs deep in the vision of Woodstock Arts. “The arts can become a catalyst to be involved in civic engagement and other needs in the community,” Brazelton says.

While cultivating the engagement of the casual arts lover is a priority, supporting north metro creators is equally vital to the organization’s ecosystem. The Reeves House Visual Arts Center champions this through its annual “Small Town: Small Works” exhibition.

The concept is intentionally precise: It invites artists living within a 15-mile radius of Woodstock to submit original pieces that measure 15 inches or smaller. By keeping works small, the gallery keeps price points accessible, encouraging residents to support their creative neighbors.

Zach Stolz (left) and Ashley Huber on stage in 2025's "Constellations" at Woodstock Arts. (Courtesy of Isaac Breiding/Woodstock Arts)

As within any community or organization, differences can arise. “Any time there’s, like, social commentary and then somebody gets uncomfortable, that’s an opportunity for us. I say, ‘Let’s have a cup of coffee, you know, and sit down and talk about it,’” the executive director says. “That’s an invitation for community building.”