Thriving Together

Mobile Art Experience

NEXT is proud to serve as the creative engine behind the Thriving Together Atlanta Mobile Art Experience — a citywide partnership that brings art, healing, and health equity directly into Atlanta neighborhoods.

In collaboration with the City of Atlanta, MARTA, National Black Arts Festival (NBAF), and other prominent cultural and health equity leaders, this innovative mobile activation transforms transit hubs, public plazas, and sidewalks into powerful stages for reflection, celebration, and connection.

01 COMMUNITY VOICE

Each activation centers the lived experiences, stories, and creative expression of Atlanta communities. Through performance, dialogue, and storytelling, residents are invited to reflect, share, and be seen.

02 ART IN MOTION

The Mobile Art Experience brings multidisciplinary artists directly into public space — transforming everyday transit stops and sidewalks into stages for music, poetry, movement, and visual art.

03 HEALING PRACTICES

Wellness offerings such as breathwork, sound experiences, and guided movement create moments of grounding, restoration, and collective care within each activation.

04 HEALTH EQUITY

Educational and storytelling elements explore health equity through a community-centered lens, connecting creativity with access, awareness, and shared understanding.

05 CONNECTION & COMMUNITY

At every stop, the experience invites connection — across neighborhoods, generations, and disciplines — fostering belonging through art, dialogue, and presence.

A Mobile Experience for Art,
Healing, and Community

The Thriving Together Atlanta Mobile Art Experience travels across the city — meeting people where they are and transforming public space into platforms for creativity, wellness, and dialogue.

NEXT leads curation, design, and storytelling at every stop, producing multidisciplinary “art salons” that showcase the power of art to advance health equity.

At the heart of this experience is a belief that art is not a luxury — it’s a force for justice, wellness, and belonging. Together with our partners, we amplify voices too often unheard and create spaces that nourish both body and spirit.

Every mobile activation includes: (click below to learn about our artists and partners)

From the King Center Global Summit to MARTA stations, the Edgewood Art Walk, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, these stops invite Atlantans to engage deeply with the themes of health equity, historical memory, and creative resilience.

Upcoming Stops

01 MLK Day @ The King Center

January 12, 2026

Performance by Bria Anai, sound bowl healing by Kymistri Wellness, and an exhibit created by NEXT in partnership with The King Center’s archival audio and video collections.

02 National Center for Civil & Human Rights

January 16, 2026

Performance by the Soul Drum Ensemble, sound bowl healing by Malaika Floyd of Flo & Vibe, and an exhibit created by NEXT in partnership with The King Center’s archival audio and video collections.

03 MARTA Artbound Exhibit @ Oakland City Station

February 7, 2026

Live installation by the Moma Murrell Collective, guided meditation led by Sandy Beauford Muhammad, and the See Our Voices exhibit curated by Krystle Chanel.

04 Edgewood Art Walk @ ONE Contemporary Gallery

February 28, 2026

Performances by Jon Goode, KHILA, Kenny Banks Jr., and the Moma Murrell Collective, sound bowl healing by Malaika Floyd, and an exhibit featuring the faces of the Thriving Together Atlanta campaign.

05 TBD | Upcoming Activation (Details Forthcoming)

Site, date, participating artists, and program elements to be announced.

our art champions

Faith Carmichael

Is the curator and creative director of the Thriving Together Atlanta Mobile Art Experience and founder of NEXT. In addition to shaping the curatorial vision, Faith leads the project’s storytelling campaign—guiding how narrative, visual design, and public engagement come together to advance health equity, civic reflection, and community connection through art in public space.

Paris Humphrey Jr.

Is NEXT’s Chief Technology Officer and supports the digital and experiential strategy behind the Mobile Art Experience. Paris helps translate complex ideas around health, equity, and culture into accessible, interactive tools that strengthen storytelling, audience engagement, and learning in public space.

Catherine “Cat” Lee

Cat Lee is the lead designer of the Thriving Together Atlanta Mobile Art Experience and the artist behind the exterior bus wrap. Her work establishes the project’s visual identity, transforming the bus into a bold, recognizable presence that signals creativity, care, and community wherever it travels.

Leah Howard

Serves as NEXT’s health equity advisor for the Thriving Together Atlanta Mobile Art Experience, bringing her expertise in public health to bear across the project. A graduate of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, Leah provides strategic insight, helps shape partnerships with public health practitioners and organizations, and ensures the work is grounded in public health principles as it bridges art, healing, and wellness.

Yana Lee Fong

Is the creative force behind the Mobile Art Experience bus’s immersive interior. Through spatial and experiential design, Yana shaped the interior environment to support storytelling, reflection, and movement—crafting a space that draws visitors in and deepens their engagement with the work.

Bria Anai

A soulful singer and songwriter blending R&B, pop, and lived experience—using voice, vulnerability, and storytelling to foster connection, reflection, and shared healing.

Kenny Banks Jr.

An acclaimed jazz pianist and composer whose soulful improvisation blends jazz, gospel, and blues—bringing emotional depth, joy, and creative freedom into public space.

Catherine “Cat” Lee

An emerging visual artist and illustrator creating bold, human-centered work—using color, form, and storytelling to celebrate identity, community, and shared experience.

Soul Drummers Ensemble

Atlanta-based Soul Drummers Ensemble blends West African percussion with jazz and Afro-diasporic rhythms, bringing energy, movement, and connection to public space now!!

Iyahdae

Iyahdae is an Atlanta-based healing practitioner and multidisciplinary artist centering restoration, self-worth, and transformation through holistic trauma-aware creative.

KHILA

A choreographer and movement artist blending African Diasporic traditions and contemporary dance—using the body as storytelling to explore healing, history, and connection.

Krystle Chanel

A visual artist and social practitioner using photography and film to amplify community stories—inviting dialogue around place, health, and lived experience.

Jon Goode

Emmy-nominated Atlanta poet Jon Goode brings spoken word to public space, blending performance, literature, and community voice to spark reflection and dialogue united!!

Moma Murrell Collective (Marryam Moma & Tracy Murrell)

Atlanta-based visual artists Marryam Moma and Tracy Murrell form the Moma Murrell Collective, creating bold murals that honor history, identity, and shared place united!

Faith Carmichael

Dr. Kimberly Farris of Kymistri Wellness

A trauma-informed yoga teacher and public health professional blending movement, breath, and sound—creating inclusive spaces for healing, balance, and embodied wellness.

Iyahdae

Iyahdae is an Atlanta-based healing practitioner and multidisciplinary artist centering restoration, self-worth, and transformation through holistic trauma-aware creative.

Malaika Floyd of Flo+Vibe

A wellness coach blending therapeutic movement and sound healing—guiding restoration, grounding, and ease through embodied practices rooted in healing and creativity.

BLK HLTH

BLK HLTH is a national nonprofit organization advancing health equity through culture, policy, and community-driven solutions. By centering Black voices and lived experience, BLK HLTH works to transform systems, elevate trusted messengers, and create pathways to better health outcomes for Black communities across the United States.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is a living memorial dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Through education, training, and archival stewardship, The King Center promotes nonviolence, social justice, and civic engagement—connecting Dr. King’s teachings to contemporary struggles for equity and human dignity.