Speakeasy with - Helena Reckitt

After seven years exhibiting a mix of prestigious international artists and upstart locals at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Director of Exhibitions and Education Helena Reckitt has left for the bright lights of Toronto. But her influence on the arts scene will undoubtedly be felt long after her departure.

If you were setting the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center up for a date, how would you describe her?

She'll try anything once.

What does Atlanta have to do better to continue to make progress in the arts?

I'm afraid it's what everyone says: funding. Government funding is drying up. For all the corporate money here, very little trickles down to the arts. And wealthy arts supporters generally want their names on big, mainstream institutions like the Symphony and the High. And while I'm on the soapbox, how about some decent arts coverage on NPR? I mean, could the cultural agenda of WABE be any more conservative?

You are constantly sent slides and approached by artists who want to show their work at the Contemporary. Is there something they could do better to attract your attention?

Don't wait for institutional approval; organize something yourself. Younger artists seem to grasp this entrepreneurial approach. Local collectives like Dos Pestaneos have ambition and verve. A new group, Golden Blizzard, which includes the fabulously twisted Alex Kvares, is making collaborative drawings and plans to open its own exhibitions/recording space.

Sometimes you have to make a bit of a racket if you want to get noticed.