Chris Appleton

Executive Director, WonderRoot

Atlanta native Chris Appleton, 31, was just out of Georgia State University in 2004 when he co-founded WonderRoot, a nonprofit organization that brings artists and the community together to inspire positive change.

Accomplishments: "Creating, growing and sustaining WonderRoot," Appleton says. Also, among a host of accolades, Appleton won the 2014 Americans for the Arts National Emerging Leader Award.

Upcoming: WonderRoot moves into a 54,000-square-foot former school building in Reynoldstown, which will be renovated this fall into 50 private studios. The WonderRoot Center for Arts and Social Change will also offer space for film screenings, performances and exhibitions. Event-wise, WonderRoot participates in a public art project called "Deconstructing Binaries" at Atlanta Pride festival (Oct. 11-12) that seeks to challenge long-standing notions of who exactly should be allowed to use which restroom.

About the Author

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