The AAWC Newsletter

Established in early 1976, the Atlanta Art Workers Coalition Ltd. was a non-profit organization dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information among Atlanta-based artists. The first issue of the AAWC Newsletter (see photo), published in February 1977, was a single-page, hand-typed flyer containing several classified ads for items such as studio space, exhibition listings and opportunities. The second issue was similar but contained a photocopied reprint of an article from the Medical Tribune on lead and toxemia risks for artists. By mid-1977, AAWC received long-awaited grant money for two staff positions: the NEA-funded Director of Activities, to which Julia Fenton was appointed, and a curatorial position funded by CETA, for which Dan Talley was hired. Consisting of a gallery space and informal offices, the coalition held regular meetings to discuss local, regional, national and international art issues while organizing exhibitions of artists from Atlanta and beyond. The newsletter continued to be published almost monthly, and by the end of the first volume it had expanded to several pages and contained a significant amount of information including employment opportunities, workshops and classes, and news from similar Southeastern organizations.