If the Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett Center becomes office space by default—without a plan, programming staff, or public accountability—it won’t just be a missed opportunity. It will be a broken promise.

“We promised to build an arts center. Well, bring your paintbrushes and canvases because we’ve opened the Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett Center for Culture and Creativity in West End,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in February in his State of the City address.

Four months later, on June 23, the newly renovated arts center was scheduled to relaunch a program once rooted in neighborhood youth and creative mentorship, ARTSCool. But the power wasn’t even on—literally. Facilities staff were on-site when the center opened that day, but the lights weren’t.

The opening felt rushed and under-communicated. No lights. No announced application process for neighborhood kids. No community outreach. What should have been a bright reintroduction was left in the dark.

This comes on the heels of the closing of Gallery 992, the long-standing neighborhood arts center and home of Music in the Park ATL, just across the street.

Before the pandemic, the teen arts program—run by artist Michi Meko—was a community gem. Neighborhood students created projects like the driveway retaining wall mural at 945 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard which introduced the building to the neighborhood. The mural itself envisioned the arts corridor’s future—with MARTA lines connecting the performing arts center to cultural spaces like Hammonds House Museum and Gallery 992, which opened nearby in the years that followed. It was one of the few arts corridors in Atlanta intentionally visualized with public transportation at its core, making arts access possible for youth and families across the Westside.

The return of that energy and the reopening of what was once the West End Performing Arts Center might have been highly anticipated—had the neighborhood been invited to participate.

The City held a ribbon‑cutting last December, celebrating the site as a hub for artists, featuring a podcast lab, recording studio, and black box theatre. Dickens touted the center as “opened” in February.

But in June, even as the city leaders passed a nearly $3 billion budget toward FY 2026 services, it wasn’t clear when the city planned to fully fund and staff the center.

According to Monica Prothro, Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the center is currently being used as a site for the Summer Youth Employment Program, alongside the John Hope Community Center and WorkSource Atlanta, the city’s workforce development center on Pollard Boulevard. The internship program for teens focuses on creative writing and dance, running from June 23 through July 18. Prothro described it as a “soft opening,” explaining that no permanent staff have been hired yet.

During the July 18 ARTSCool closing showcase, enthusiasm for the space was evident in the strong turnout of youth, families, and community members. Every seat was filled, with more attendees standing in the aisles.

“This is the first event we are doing under this newly renovated center,” said Adriane V. Jefferson, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, in her opening remarks. “And we are excited about the programming that is to come.”

Her words offered a hopeful tone—even as the program concluded without a clear plan for what comes next.

According to District 4 Councilmember Jason Dozier, the center is set to open weekdays starting August 4, with space available for small gatherings, rehearsals, and workshops during this interim phase.

“This is a temporary plan as the City continues to develop a long-term strategy,” Dozier posted on Facebook.

But if the Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett Center is to become what was promised, the next step must include real community partnership. With Music in the Park ATL returning this October and Gallery 992 shuttered, the center could serve as a vital staging ground for one of West End’s signature arts events.

The path forward is clearer now—but only if the City commits to collaboration, transparency, and sustained investment in neighborhood creativity.

Editor’s Note: When this story was initially published on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the date of the ARTSCool opening was incorrectly stated as June 30, rather than June 23. The date was corrected on July 24, 2025.

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