Arts in Atlanta

Atlanta has played a major or contributing role in the development of various genres of American music at different times in the city's history.

[citation needed] The city was also a center for Southern rock during the 1970s: the Allman Brothers Band's hit instrumental "Hot 'Lanta" is an ode to the city, while Lynyrd Skynyrd's live rendition of "Free Bird" was recorded at the Fox Theatre in 1976, with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant directing the band to "play it pretty for Atlanta.

[8] The growing Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design has brought in a steady stream of artists and curators.

[11] The city's Office of Cultural Affairs administers a public art program,[12] which include works such as Atlanta from the Ashes (The Phoenix), and Thornton Dial's The Bridge at John Lewis plaza in Freedom Park.

Though in October 2011 the police arrested 7 persons designated as vandals, city officials assert that they have no intention of stifling the street art scene.

The city's Office of Cultural Affairs selected 29 standout murals to avoid whitewashing including murals commissioned as part of the BeltLine, works created during the Living Walls conferences, but not the most famous street art space in the city, the Krog Street Tunnel.

Many street artists and members of the arts community interviewed by Creative Loafing believe the city's efforts are misdirected or futile.

[citation needed] There are small concentrations of galleries in the intown neighborhoods, including but not limited to Castleberry Hill, Buckhead, the Westside Arts District in West Midtown, at Studioplex in Old Fourth Ward, and along Ponce de Leon Avenue in Poncey-Highland.

The city also frequently hosts touring Broadway acts, especially at the Fox Theatre, a historic landmark that is among the highest grossing theaters in of its size.

Atlanta is also home to the Honda Battle of the Bands which is the most popular collegiate marching arts event in the nation.