Atlanta mayor’s office showcases children’s memorial portraits

These portraits of Clifford Jones, one of the Atlanta Missing and Murdered Children victims, align the hallway into the Mayor’s office. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms thanked all of the artists who submitted their work in honor of the children who’s lives were taken at a ceremony Thursday, Jan. 16. COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA

These portraits of Clifford Jones, one of the Atlanta Missing and Murdered Children victims, align the hallway into the Mayor’s office. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms thanked all of the artists who submitted their work in honor of the children who’s lives were taken at a ceremony Thursday, Jan. 16. COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom’s Office of Cultural Affairs showcased Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits on Thursday, Jan. 16.

Partnering with the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce, the curated gallery exhibition represents artworks from the more than 100 submissions by Atlanta visual artists for the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits RFP.

This exhibition was hosted in the Mayor’s Gallery at City Hall and will remain on display through to Feb. 6.

In addition, the winning portrait artist Dwayne Mitchell was introduced. His portraits memorializing victims of the Atlanta Child Murders will be displayed in the Atrium of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from May 28 - July 22.

In 2019, Mayor Bottoms issued an Administrative Order to establish the “Mayor’s Advisory Committee: Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce.” The Task Force — comprised of mayoral appointees from the community — was charged with determining an appropriate acknowledgment of the lives cut short during the Atlanta Child Murders. The Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits was one of two projects determined by the Task Force to acknowledge the memory of the lives lost. The second project, the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Eternal Flame, is currently under review and will be installed on the grounds of Atlanta City Hall.

Information: atlantaga.gov