Created by Erin Machado
As an Atlanta-born artist, I was first exposed to the broader art world, and I first encountered other artists, disciplines, and ways of making through the city’s festivals. I was an art enthusiast with an intense desire to create when a teacher shared a lesson that has stayed with me: there will be times when artistic skill outpaces creative vision, and times when vision exceeds skill—but the goal is balance: to build both a practiced hand and a cultivated eye. To do this, I must witness as much art as possible including painting, photography, poetry, dance, architecture, music, and design. I quickly learned there is far more art in the world than one lifetime can absorb, but the joy lies in the process of learning, noticing, and
growing.
The Inman Park Festival is a yearly reminder that all art forms are connected, and that community allows them to thrive. The street signs you see in this year’s poster design ground the celebration in place and time—marking the site of the festival for 54 years. I was excited to highlight the Dance Festival Anniversary in both text and graphics by linking the dance of a ballerina with the flitting of the Inman Park butterfly. The design is unified through a retro-inspired color palette that favors a timeless visual language that feels both familiar and enduring—much like the festival itself, echoing the shared memories and histories of generations who have gathered in Inman Park.