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DeKalb CEO proposes $500,000 seed, director and nonprofit reconstitution for county arts council
Summary
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson proposed reconstituting a DeKalb Council for the Arts with $500,000 seed funding, a paid director and a memorandum of understanding with Discover DeKalb, while commissioners offered input but no formal vote was taken.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson told the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7 that she will reconstitute a DeKalb Council for the Arts and begin the initiative with seed funding and formal governance steps.
The proposal would start with $500,000 in county support, an MOU to house the council at Discover DeKalb, and the recruitment of a full‑time director. Johnson said the plan calls for the council to be incorporated as a nonprofit so it can pursue grants and earned revenue, and for a slate of countywide programs including public art installations in all 12 cities, arts camps, traveling exhibits, a film series and a monthlong jazz festival.
Why it matters: County leaders said a formal arts council could centralize programming that currently exists in scattered pockets, increase tourism and create earned‑revenue opportunities. Commissioners said they supported the…
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