ART 180’s final exhibition of youth art opens Aug. 7 and runs through Aug. 14. The nonprofit organization ceases operations Aug. 28.
On Aug. 7, the sixth annual “summer programs” of the nonprofit ART 180 open at its Atlas Gallery in Jackson Ward. The show is the last to be held by the dynamic arts and culture agency, which for 28 years has been dedicated to inspiring creative expression in youths living amid challenging circumstances. Participants in the organization’s programs have delved into varied disciplines, including music, dance, writing and painting.
The exhibition’s theme is “Protect Ya Neck: We Gon’ Be Alright,” taking inspiration from a Wu-Tang Clan anthem and combining anime and manga influences with the idea of preserving an individual’s neck of the woods. “[It means] protecting communities that are important to you,” explains former ART 180 student turned teacher Niyah McGee-Hawkins. She also co-organized the showcase, which features the work of a dozen artists, ages 14-17.
ART 180 was co-founded by Marlene Paul and Kathleen Lane in 1998. Paul left the organization on her own terms in May 2025. The former executive director said she didn’t want to cling to her role and become a potential impediment to progress.
A year later, after having run 700 programs involving nearly 9,000 young people during its decades of operation, ART 180 announced its demise, citing “compounding financial strain.” Disagreement over how this happened, and when it began, appeared in print, primarily in Style Weekly. Paul’s final word on the matter came from a published statement: “What happened at ART 180 is not a mystery,” she said, “but it is a shame, and I believe it was avoidable.”
Multimedia artist and ART 180 mentor Brian Cannady II organized the last youth showcase with McGee-Hawkins. The installation is derived from a first-time summer program about curation. ART 180 Communications Manager Eric Tomlin describes how the students selected for the seminar took “field trips to galleries, museums and pop-up exhibitions, and learned from artists and curators about putting together this final show of ART 180.”
McGee-Hawkins, 20, began participating in ART 180’s programming at age 17. After completing a summer residency, she joined additional programs, including a 2024 mural class, one about printmaking and another on creating a zine. The workshops led her to the minority-focused local arts incubator The Art Seen, as well as the mentorship of local street artist Ron Stokes.
“I learned about the business side of art — talked with other artists, which was helpful,” she explains. “I got that opportunity through ART 180; they recommended me.”
Poet and performer Chris Oliver came up through various ART 180 programs and says he learned about the interconnectedness of creative disciplines. He was introduced to the institution at age 10, when his father took him to a First Friday event where his older sister Alexis was part of a dance performance.
Oliver notes that there are some students who’ve only now discovered the classes and others who won’t be able to complete their tenure. “It gave us the skills to gather and the people to gather with,” he describes, “and it should be projected into the future and not be a footnote. There was an experience like this for people who needed it.” Perhaps, he considers, another organization can fulfill some of ART 180’s programming, even if they are not as encompassing or cross-disciplinary.
McGee-Hawkins feels mixed emotions about the institution’s last days. “They cared about our well-being and creativity,” she reflects. “ART 180, Atlas, built a community of artists, providing a creative space, and there’s not a lot of places where Black and brown people can do that — especially for free. … ART 180 gave me a community of friends and peers that is very special to me, like family.”
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