by Kandiss Edwards
February 18, 2026
The Integral Group, a Black-owned growth firm partnered with cultural company Subsequent to assist artists.
The Integral Group, a Black-owned growth firm, partnered with cultural company Subsequent to assist artists whereas revamping a historic Atlanta neighborhood with its BLVDNEXT arts initiative. Ultimately, the present development website will likely be a multi-use advanced on 22 acres, changing the previous Atlanta Medical Heart. The years-long undertaking might undoubtedly be lower than aesthetically pleasing. Nevertheless, the proprietor of NEXT, Religion Carmichael, and the Integral Group got here up with a plan to embellish development fencing with murals that talk to the group in transition.
The undertaking’s BLVDNEXT initiative seeks to create an area that honors and respects the current whereas concurrently getting ready for the long run. Carmichael and inaugural artist Tracy Murrell spoke with BLACK ENTERPRISE concerning the initiative, discussing how visible artwork performs a component in growth and the way group historical past formed their strategy.
Why was it vital for artwork to be concerned from the very starting of this growth?
Carmichael: They [are] a Black-owned growth firm, and over time of working collectively, they’ve proven a honest and genuine dedication to group, to the Atlanta arts ecosystem, and to rising artists of coloration. This can be a area with deep historical past and legacy, but additionally a historical past of disinvestment and actual challenges. The query turned how we might use the ability of artwork to point out that this developer was strolling the discuss. They have been dedicated to constructing one thing that revered the legacy and the tales of the group, not simply specializing in the long run.
Tracy, because the inaugural artist, what did it really feel wish to know you have been setting the tone for a undertaking that may final for years?
Religion and I’ve labored collectively for years. When she calls with an thought, they’re all the time considerate. She by no means simply asks if you wish to put work someplace. She asks if you wish to be in dialog.
What sort of response have you ever seen from the group to this point?
After I lastly noticed how folks have been responding, pals calling and saying they cherished what they have been seeing on Boulevard, it validated that the work was chatting with my folks. That’s significant. It all the time makes me smile.
How do you concentrate on working with artists as this initiative continues?
Carmichael: Atlanta has an abundance of artistic expertise. Our position is ensuring extra folks know that. Artists encourage the imaginative and prescient. We already know the expertise is there. The work is about partaking artists who’re already telling our tales superbly and giving them area to be seen.
What sorts of tales can the viewers count on because the undertaking continues?
Carmichael: Something and every thing we do will inform our tales—the tales of Black and brown communities and the narratives that come from them. Whether or not artists are Atlanta-based or not, the tales will all the time be rooted on this metropolis.
Development in an older, established space will be jarring for long-term residents. The separation of what exists from what will likely be can create a disconnect. By centering artwork somewhat than the end line, the BLVDNEXT undertaking reimagines what growth can seem like when it listens first.
Richard White, senior vice chairman of The Integral Group, informed BE the corporate is decided to “honor the tradition of this neighborhood and make it seen, even when others select to not.”
White insists artwork is the right medium to provide that visibility because it “holds historical past, voice, and id, and people issues matter.”
For Murrell and Carmichael, the work is each private and communal, a dwelling dialog unfolding alongside a well-recognized Atlanta hall. As the location continues to evolve, the artwork stands as an early promise that legacy, creativity, and group stay inseparable from what comes NEXT.
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