Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs has issued two big signals: expanded city arts funding and the newly announced 2026 Atlanta Jazz Festival lineup. WABE Arts & Culture Editor Sherri Daye Scott talks with Executive Director Adriane Jefferson about her first year in the role — from distributing more than $2 million in grants to building a community-shaped creative action plan. Jefferson also explains why she wants an Atlanta Creative Summit, what “cultural equity” looks like as a group project, and why arts advocacy can’t live only inside City Hall.

Podcast Tags / Keywords: Adriane Jefferson, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, City of Atlanta, Atlanta arts funding, Atlanta Jazz Festival 2026, cultural equity, creative action plan, Atlanta Creative Summit, arts advocacy, WABE Arts, Sherri Daye Scott

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Broadway classics, reimagined in Atlanta. “Broadway Sideways” comes to the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, featuring members of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and Atlanta Women’s Chorus performing songs by Broadway composers in unconventional casting. Musical director Jason Wynn and Breman executive director Leslie Gordon discuss representation, partnership and how Atlanta’s arts community continues to collaborate in new ways

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When “School Daze” premiered in 1988, it was controversial before most audiences ever saw it. Written and directed by Spike Lee, the satirical, music-driven film examines life at Mission College, a fictional historically Black campus, and sparked debate among HBCU leadership even before cameras rolled.

Why ‘School Daze’ faced pushback before filming

Some administrators objected to the film’s portrayal of campus politics, colorism, and internal conflict, concerns that ultimately shaped where and how the movie was filmed.

“It wasn’t a little bit,” Lee said of the reaction at the time. He pointed to Hugh Gloster, who was then president of Morehouse College. “He refused to let us shoot on campus. Also, Spelman said, ‘Hell no.’”

Denied permission to film at his alma mater and at Spelman, Lee instead shot much of “School Daze” on the campus of what is now Clark Atlanta University, as well as at Morris Brown College

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After nearly five decades of publishing contemporary art criticism from Atlanta outward, Art Papers is preparing for its final year. WABE Arts & Culture editor Sherri Daye Scott speaks with executive and artistic director Sarah Higgins about how the publication is choosing to “end well” — from planning its final issue to preserving its archive and creating space for reflection ahead of 2026. 🎭

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Ahead of a special screening at Art Farm at Serenbe, WABE Arts goes inside AILEY, the documentary that reconnects choreographer Alvin Ailey to his life, voice, and legacy. Director Jamila Wignot and former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company member and educator Nasha Thomas reflect on hearing Ailey in his own words, the role of rehearsal as sacred space, and why Atlanta audiences have long embraced his work

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Quiet mornings, creative resets, and playful reinvention. As Pete the Cat takes the stage at the Center for Puppetry Arts, creator James Dean joins WABE Arts to talk about working in silence, remixing The New Yorker, finding inspiration around Atlanta, and what he hopes young readers carry with them. Hosted by Sherri Daye Scott as part of our “What’s Feeding You?” series

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‘MJ the Musical’ returns to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, and for cast members Michael Nero and Zuri Noelle Ford, it’s a homecoming. The two Atlanta-connected performers talk with WABE Arts & Culture Editor Sherri Daye Scott about stepping inside Michael Jackson’s creative process, from rehearsal-room discipline to the collaborators who shaped the Dangerous World Tour. 🎧

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Atlanta-based jazz pianist Joe Alterman expresses his deep appreciation of jazz and swing in his performances and compositions. Now he shares that love of jazz on The Upside of Jazz, celebrating the legendary performers of jazz and exploring what makes the music so timeless and endearing to listeners.

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Blue Man Group returns to Atlanta with a refreshed national tour — and a new character audiences are seeing in the U.S. for the first time. WABE Arts talks with drummer and composer Ursula Sargent, who performs as the show’s new Rockstar, about the energy behind the role and touring life. 🎧

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At the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, a new exhibit invites kids to explore aviation history through movement, imagination, and hands-on play. “AIM HIGH: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen” blends real artifacts with STEM learning to help young visitors connect to a legacy of flight — and possibility.

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