Photography by Martha Williams
In October 2021, seven dancers made 725 Ponce their stage as onlookers watched from the BeltLine Eastside Trail. The performance was more than daring acrobatics but also a commentary on the global textile industry. It was a quintessential event for Atlanta arts nonprofit Flux Projects. Since 2010, Anne Dennington has managed Flux, taking it from one-day installations called Flux Nights to projects executed over the course of years. But every project has the same goal: to make art more accessible and reflective of Atlanta while ensuring that everyone sees it for free.
When Dennington joined Flux Projects, Atlanta was deep in the recession and needed an outlet to fund the city’s creative talent and bring art to its communities. For the first five years, Flux’s name became synonymous with takeovers in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood for nights filled with public art ranging from vanilla milkshake– scented fountains to video installations. “People started saying to us, I’ve heard Atlanta was a diverse city, but this is the first time I’ve really seen it,” Dennington says.
After an event in Old Fourth Ward was nearly rained out in 2015, Dennington knew Flux Projects had to pivot towards investing in artists long term. “Mid-career artists often get overlooked because their work has outgrown smaller budgets, but there’s nothing to help them make the step to more ambitious projects,” Dennington says. For instance, when local artist Charmaine Minniefield applied to make one of her praise houses, an homage to historic Black religious worship, she envisioned building one in Grant Park, but Flux encouraged her to place it in Oakland Cemetery on Juneteenth. The resulting work enabled Minniefield to win awards and get even larger national grants.
The city has rapidly changed during Flux’s first 15 years, but the organization has always stayed the same to Dennington. Projects take place across the metro area, from East Point to Norcross, and include artists that represent those communities. Throughout it all, Dennington views her role as someone who helps artists find the funding and direction to manifest their visions. “Flux is how I explore the world,” she says. “I love working with artists and cities to bring communities together. Flux is at the perfect intersection.”
