When many out-of-towners think of Atlanta, corporate business and an always-swamped airport come to mind. But Atlanta is buzzing with creators, thinkers and doers who make our city a bright and vibrant place to live and play.

In that spirit we dedicate this issue’s cover story to just a handful of folks who possess the ability to make breathtakingly beautiful art and objects with little more than their bare hands, who think outside the box to make living in Atlanta more enjoyable and efficient and those who are helping their fellow Atlantans connect with one another through their shared love of our city and social media.

Our cover story isn’t the only place in this issue where you’ll be introduced to innovative Atlantans. For “New Direction (page 24),” writer Jim Farmer sat down with The Theatrical Outfit’s new associate artistic director, Clifton Guterman, to talk about Guterman’s new role and the state of theatre in Atlanta in general. (Hint: It’s going strong!) And for “Mobile Murals (page 26),” writer Laurel-Ann Dooley hung out with Candler Park artist William Massey, whose Car Canvas project is linking automobile owners with local artists to turn their vehicles into four-wheeled works of art.

Of course, art isn’t limited to a painted canvas or stage production. Food and cocktails are art too, and we’ve got plenty of both. Kate Parham Kordsmeier dined at Venkman’s in Old Fourth Ward (page 28) to discover the music venue/restaurant’s best dishes, which are brought to life by chef/owner Nick Melvin, an artist whose preferred tool isn’t a paint brush and a palette, but a kitchen knife and a rainbow’s worth of fresh ingredients. Amelia Pavlik and Sarah Gleim, who reported our Liquids (page 30) and Fresh Bites (page 32) sections, respectively, quizzed some of our city’s top mixologists about summer’s must-have sips—and we’re not talking plain old pilsners. As you can see, creativity translates into nearly every facet of our lives, and we hope you enjoy celebrating some of Atlanta’s most fascinating trendsetters and tastemakers alongside us.

Lindsay Lambert Day
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF