The Atlanta Contemporary was founded in 1973 as ‘Nexus,’ a grassroots artist collective. (Photo by Isadora Pennington)
According to a statement released to me on behalf of Acting Chair of the Board of Directors Amanda Rhein, Floyd Hall has left Atlanta Contemporary. The statement reads as follows:
“Atlanta Contemporary Executive Director Floyd Hall submitted his resignation and stepped down effective August 22. We are grateful for Floyd’s service, having guided our organization over the past 18 months and contributing to the future of Atlanta Contemporary. Board Chair Everett Long will temporarily step down from the board to serve in the short term as interim executive director. The board of directors is excited about the next phase of Atlanta Contemporary, including the launch of our 2026-2029 strategic plan, the opening of a new exhibit by artist Jiha Moon on September 27 and the search for our next executive director this fall.”
The author during her tenure working at Atlanta Contemporary. (Photo courtesy of Leia Genis)
Hall assumed the role of executive director in January 2024 and resigned in August 2025. That’s a tenure of only 18 months, which is not very long by any stretch of the imagination, especially in comparison to his predecessor, Veronica Hogan, who served Atlanta Contemporary for 10 years. In addition, Hall leaves the art center with a skeleton crew. I was an employee of Atlanta Contemporary from October 2022 until just before Hall’s appointment. At the time of my departure, there were five full-time employees and one part-timer. Today, as of Floyd’s departure, there are only two-full time employees and one part-timer.
I find it hard to believe that someone, no matter how exceptional, can get onboarded, get up-to-date, fill existing gaps in art center programming and then also build out a future calendar in such a small amount of time. Hall’s departure makes me incredibly nervous for the immediate future of the organization, especially when the interim executive director is not someone with an abundance of arts administration experience — Everett Long previously worked in health care.
Long was appointed to the board of directors during Hogan’s tenure as executive director. When asked to comment on Long’s leadership qualities, Hogan had this to say: “I have full confidence in Atlanta Contemporary and its board leadership to guide the organization through this transition. I have always found Everett Long to be exceptional — as a collector, as someone who truly believes in the power of contemporary art to transform lives and as a thoughtful, capable leader.”
To put it lightly, I’m worried. Looking back at MINT gallery’s closure one year ago, one of the warning signs of the gallery’s closure was a series of executive directors with short terms; lack of stable leadership undoubtedly contributed to the gallery’s closure. Even more harrowing, Floyd Hall was on the board of directors of MINT leading up to its unexpected closure. This is not to say that MINT gallery’s demise was Hall’s fault, but it does leave him with a troubled history, one that he may have brought with him to Atlanta Contemporary.
To be clear, I don’t want to see Atlanta Contemporary close. But I am just putting the puzzle pieces together.
When inquired further, acting chair Amanda Rhine had this to say:
Leia Genis: Eighteen months is a short term for an executive director. Can you provide some insight as to why Floyd chose to depart after such a short term?
Amanda Rhine: We can’t speak for Floyd, but we appreciate all of his contributions during his tenure with Atlanta Contemporary.
Genis: The search for a new executive director can be a months-long process. Should we expect any interruptions to Atlanta Contemporary’s programming to accommodate the search for a new director?
Rhine: With an interim executive director in place, the Atlanta Contemporary will continue to move forward with a full slate of programming throughout the search process for a new executive director.
Genis: When can we expect to see the announcement of Atlanta Contemporary’s upcoming strategic plan?
Rhine: We anticipate sharing more information regarding the new strategic plan in the coming weeks.
So, for now, it seems to be a waiting game — waiting to see what we can expect from the art center in the coming three years, who we can expect to fill the role of executive director, whether this art center will stay afloat. And waiting to see what the strategic plan will look like, which, in my opinion, is a project that should be delayed until the onboarding of a new, hopefully more long-term executive director is found.
I desperately wish for this art center to continue. I believe it serves an incredibly important role as a mid-sized institution, providing artists with room for vertical growth without having to leave the city. But until I see adequate leadership and staff return to the art center, I will be waiting with bated breath.
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Leia Genis is a trans artist and writer currently based in Atlanta. Her writing has been published in Hyperallergic, Frieze, Burnaway, Art Papers and Number: Inc. magazine. Genis is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design and is also an avid cyclist with a competition history at the national level.
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