the namesake

Mtamanika Youngblood is a renowned community development advocate emphasizing equitable, sustainable growth rooted in cultural heritage. As Chair Emeritus of Sweet Auburn Works (SAW), she led efforts to revitalize the historic Sweet Auburn corridor. She is also Chair Emeritus and past President and CEO of the Historic District Development Corporation (HDDC), guiding revitalization in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic District and Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. Youngblood champions the arts, founding Studioplex to provide space for artists in Sweet Auburn. Her work has earned accolades from local and national organizations. In addition to her trustee roles, she has served on various boards, contributing to community preservation and revitalization.

Youngblood holds a BA from New York University, an MBA from Atlanta University, and has completed prestigious fellowship programs. Recently, she transformed her historic home into short-term rentals, creating an enriching amenity for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic District.

The Initiative

Named in honor of Mtamanika Youngblood, the program offers a dedicated platform to emerging curators. It provides them with the opportunity to curate exhibitions that shed light on the rich tapestry of local, national, and international narratives surrounding Black history and culture.

Time & Space

The Curator-in-Residence is provided with a spacious office at Haugabrooks on Auburn, offering 24/7 access to an expansive 1,000 square feet of gallery space. The schedule is flexible, allowing for independent and self-driven use dedicated to scholarly research, curatorial project development, and building professional connections with local artists and arts professionals. Curators are expected to have office hours for the public at least once a week.

Financial Support

The chosen Curator-in-Residence is allocated a $15,000 budget to curate three exhibitions within a 12-month timeframe, with $5,000 earmarked for each exhibition.

Sierra King
2025 - 2026

Sierra King is an artist, archivist and curator based in Atlanta,GA. She is currently a Social Justice For Archivist Scholar in pursuit of a Masters in Library Science and Information Studies at The University of Alabama. She holds a BA in Art from Valdosta State University. She made curatorial debut in 2020 with MINT Gallery in Atlanta,GA, where she mounted a group exhibition here.there.everywhere: A multidimensional portrait of the journey towards Black Futurity. King was the co-curator for New Worlds - Georgia Women to Watch alongside Melissa Messina showcased the work of 5 Georgia-based women artists.

She has presented her work about art and community archiving at the 2018 American Studies Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the 2021 Memory Work for Black Lives Plenary presented by University of Oregon Library Archives for Black Lives: A Liberated Archives Exhibition and the 2023 Art Libraries Society of North America 51st Conference in Mexico City, Mexico. She serves as the founder of Build Your Archive, a nomadic memory work lab for Black Women Artists, Cultural Workers, Organizers and their communities to build their archives in real time.

Featuring: Ariel Dannielle, Candace Caston, Lauren Jones, Rita Harper, Shefon Taylor

Everywhere I go is home

April 10, 2025
Atlanta, GA – Haugabrooks Gallery

In 1948, Primrose Paschal sat with Evelyn Leaverson Davis and a young girl in her painting studio to realize what we know today as “Beulah’s Baby”. A reproduction of this painting made it’s way into the art collection of The Stephens’ Family and traveled through Atlanta,GA as they moved from home to home. This painting grounded The Stephens family and the walls it kept. It became a reflection of motherhood and the feeling of tenderness between a mother and child, that their Grandmother made apparent in the ways that she loved them and her community.

Everywhere I go is home investigates the relationship that we have to cultural artifacts in the homes of friends and loved ones. Specifically, paintings that were marketed to African Americans through local galleries, art fairs, exhibitions and massive print sales which were painted during periods of racial segregation through the civil rights movement.

It is a recollection of elders' homes that have kept us safe from the outside world. Walking into their kitchens and sitting at their feet in their living rooms, we learned a lifetime of lessons. May a photograph be a portal back into their arms. May a figurine be a touchstone of remembrance to a time where you found peace. May a collage fill in the gaps that you may have forgotten.

As the Inaugural Mtamanika Youngblood Curator-in-Residence I am excited to extend the conversation and showcase the work of contemporary artists which are now being acquired, installed and preserved in familial collections. It is here that they activate the love they were given and share it with their communities who are looking for alternative strategies to continue to fight for a world that we believe is possible

The Historic District Development Corporation (HDDC) holds the conviction that championing arts and culture plays a vital role in safeguarding the profound cultural heritage of Sweet Auburn and the Old Fourth Ward.

Demonstrating this commitment, in 2019, HDDC meticulously restored Haugabrooks Funeral Home, transforming it into a vibrant community gathering venue and an enriching art gallery. This venue stands as a testament to their dedication to seamlessly blending and honoring art and culture.