Camille Russell LoveShows How Art Makes a Difference

photo by steed media service

Director of Cultural Affairs for Atlanta

Camille
Russell Love’s work as the director of cultural affairs for the city of
Atlanta led to her recognition as one of the Atlanta Business League’s
100 most influential women in Atlanta. She was clearly humbled and
honored, both by the award as well as the opportunity to spruce up the
quality of life for the Capitol of the New South.

“You know
there are a lot of influential women in the city of Atlanta. And so, to
be recognized in my position as the director of the cultural affairs is
very gratifying,” Love says. “Our job is to make sure that there is a
healthy cultural environment for all of the city of Atlanta residents.
We do that with grants that we make to cultural organizations. We do
that with the public art programs that puts arts in the built
environments and into public spaces.”

It’s clear that Love
derives profound gratification from her work establishing a plethora of
events that enhance the quality of life for the city. “I’m just a
cultural junkie. I just enjoy making sure that there is a higher
quality of life that I know culture can provide to our citizens. [Like]
with the Jazz Festival – that’s a free event and we hope that families
come and participate. We have the summer program for high schoolers
where we actually teach them to be artists. Then we hope that the
organizations that we fund will [conduct] outreach into the community
and make sure that our citizens get access to cultural events.” –terry shropshire