Hartsfield-Jackson Honor Atlanta Child Murder Victims with Portrait Art Exhibit

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, The Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) announces the exhibition of the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport opening Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 3:30 p.m.

“This Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits exhibit at Hartsfield-Jackson, one of the busiest airports in the world, will honor these kids and be of great comfort to many of the families and residents of Atlanta,” said Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. 

Selected from a competition of over 100 regional visual art professionals, artist Dwayne Mitchell was commissioned to create 30 portraits memorializing each victim of the Atlanta Child Murders.

The OCA will exhibit Mitchell’s completed portraits at Hartsfield-Jackson in the Domestic Terminal atrium with a companion catalog. After the exhibit, the artwork will transition into the City’s Public Art Collection.

The Atlanta Child Murders were a series of killings committed between 1979 and 1981. At least 30 African Americans—mostly children and adolescents—were targeted.

“I want to thank Mayor Bottoms, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, The Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce, and our award-winning art program for honoring the lives that were lost during this horrific time with the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Portraits at Hartsfield-Jackson,” said Airport General Manager Balram “B” Bheodari.

In 2019, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an administrative order to establish the Mayor’s Advisory Committee: Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce. The Taskforce, 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 taskforce to acknowledge the memory of the lives lost. The second project, the Atlanta Children’s Memorial Eternal Flame, is currently under review and will reside on the grounds of Atlanta City Hall once complete.

The City of Atlanta thanks artist Dwayne Mitchell for sharing his artistic vision with us as we work to memorialize the lives lost during one of the City’s darkest hours. To learn more about Dwayne Mitchell and his art, visit www.dartportraits.com.

In 1974, Mayor Maynard Jackson established the Bureau of Cultural Affairs to highlight and promote the cultural and artistic contributions created by Atlantans. Now called the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the OCA has been a powerful force in the art world for more than 40 years. The OCA has educated and inspired new generations of homegrown, locally based artists in Atlanta and continues to transform the overall aesthetic of the City.

ATL Airport Art integrates art into the daily fabric of the Atlanta Airport for the benefit of passengers and employees. The Art program commissions site-specific artwork, produces and curates rotating exhibits, and manages performances and artist programming. With over 1,000 artworks in one of the largest public art sites in the Southeastern U.S., there is plenty to explore.