Georgia Tech / AvantSouth: Atlanta Forward / Science Square Rooftop

GEORGIA TECH
AVANTSOUTH

Atlanta live event painter Corey Barksdale was commissioned by Georgia Tech to paint a 4x4-foot piece live at the AvantSouth: Atlanta Forward conference reception, built around the conference's theme — the future of Atlanta.

The commission

Painting the future of Atlanta, live on a rooftop

Georgia Tech booked Corey Barksdale to anchor the rooftop reception for its AvantSouth: Atlanta Forward conference at Science Square. The brief was simple to state and harder to pull off live: a four-by-four-foot canvas that could hold its own answer to the conference's theme — the future of Atlanta.

Corey set up on the rooftop and worked the canvas as the reception filled in around him — conference attendees, local founders, investors, and inventors, with Atlanta's mayor among the guests who stopped to watch a futuristic Atlanta skyline take shape brushstroke by brushstroke.

Inside the reception

Photos from the AvantSouth reception are being added to this page — check back soon, or see more of Corey's live event painting work in the meantime.

AvantSouth: Atlanta Forward brought Georgia Tech together with founders, investors, and the city's innovation community for a conference at Science Square. Corey's live painting anchored the rooftop reception, giving guests a piece to gather around, photograph, and watch develop over the course of the evening — a visual response to the conference's own question of what Atlanta becomes next.

The four-by-four-foot canvas was planned and executed entirely on-site, built and finished in step with the reception itself rather than prepped in advance.

Corey Barksdale, Atlanta live event painter

01 / THE BRIEF

A 4x4-foot canvas, one theme.

Georgia Tech asked for a large-format piece interpreting the conference's theme — the future of Atlanta — for the AvantSouth rooftop reception.

02 / THE ROOM

Painted for the people building that future.

Spectators, business owners, and inventors gathered on the Science Square rooftop throughout the reception, with Atlanta's mayor among the guests who watched the piece come together live.

03 / THE PRACTICE

Conferences, galas, and brand activations.

This sits alongside Corey's other live painting bookings for universities, nonprofits, and brands — see the full Live Event Painting page, or browse the Work gallery.

Helpful project answers

Frequently asked questions

What did Corey Barksdale paint for Georgia Tech's AvantSouth conference?

A 4x4-foot live painting built around the conference's theme, "the future of Atlanta," commissioned by Georgia Tech.

Where and when did the live painting take place?

On the Science Square rooftop in Atlanta, Georgia, during Georgia Tech's AvantSouth: Atlanta Forward conference reception on October 6, 2024, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Who watched the painting come together?

Reception guests circled the easel throughout the evening, including local business owners and inventors attending the conference, with Atlanta's mayor among those who watched the piece take shape.

Is Corey Barksdale available for university and corporate conferences?

Yes. He works with universities, corporations, and conference organizers on live painting built around a conference theme or brand.

Work with Corey Barksdale

Planning a conference or campus event?

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