Behind the Scenes with Art Initiative on Southern Company Installation

Headquartered in Atlanta Georgia, Southern Company is the second largest utility company in the US and is focused on providing clean energy to their customers. Kristen Rolando & Kimberley Campbell’s advisory firm, Art Initiative, has had the honor of handling Southern Company’s artwork collection for the past two decades. Recently, they ushered a large-scale installation for the company, inaugurating their headquarter’s new Conference Center with a stimulating art display.

Kristen shared, “This particular area of the Southern Company Headquarters holds a great deal of importance to the client, as this new Conference Center is the gathering point for the company’s expanding leadership team from around the country as well as their employees nationwide. The client wanted the artwork collection to foster innovative, collaborative thinking using a variety of mediums with a particular focus on dimensional pieces from mid-career and emerging artists while working within the new, more modern architecture and design of the space.”

Installation of Kenny Nguyen, Sun Voyager.

Kenny Nguyen, Sun Voyager.

Nguyen’s work explores the concept of cultural identity, integration, and displacement, and is influenced by Vietnamese cultural heritage and his background in fashion design. He uses silk as a metaphor for personal identity, becoming the connector that ties the artist’s cultures together.

Installation of Katy Stone, Reflection Circle, 2023.

Katy Stone, Reflection Circle, 2023.

Stone’s wall sculptures involve painting and layering elements into sculptural assemblages that blur the boundaries of drawing, painting, and sculpture, acting as both kaleidoscope and microscope.

Installation of Lisa Cahill, Breathe Series #6.

Lisa Cahill, Breathe Series #6.

Cahill’s kiln-formed glass connects structures of urban architecture, the associations and memories they invoke, and her innate respect for the natural landscape. Rather than a direct reproduction they are more her own interpretation of light and landscape and become a place for quiet contemplation.

Cheryl Goldsleger, Exodus, 2021.

Looking ahead, Art Initiative is excited to continue their work with Southern Company with the installation of a Rob Ley work this spring.