Culture by Design: Adriane Jefferson on Atlanta’s Vision to Become a Global Creative Capital

How Atlanta Plans to Turn FIFA World Cup 2026 Into a Cultural and Economic Legacy

As Atlanta prepares to welcome the world for FIFA World Cup 2026™, the city is making a bold statement that extends far beyond the game. Through the newly launched Atlanta Cultural Exchange, civic leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and global partners are coming together to showcase the creative force that has long shaped Atlanta’s identity.

At the center of this vision is Adriane Jefferson, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, who is helping transform a global moment into a lasting cultural and economic opportunity. In this exclusive interview, Jefferson shares how Atlanta is intentionally designing its future as a global creative capital through the power of culture, collaboration, and innovation.

Atlanta has long influenced global culture through music, film, fashion, and entrepreneurship. Why was now the right moment to formalize that influence through the Atlanta Cultural Exchange?

What started as a vision has become reality. Atlanta has always been a city that moves culture forward, but FIFA World Cup 2026 presents an unprecedented opportunity to showcase that leadership on a global stage. When the world’s eyes are on Atlanta, we wanted to ensure they see our cultural depth and creativity – not just our logistics capabilities. This moment allows us to transform global visibility into lasting economic opportunities for our creative community. The Atlanta Cultural Exchange isn’t just about this summer – it’s about positioning Atlanta as a global creative capital for years to come.

Many cities host cultural programming around major sporting events. What makes the Atlanta Cultural Exchange fundamentally different from a traditional fan festival or arts activation?

The difference is in our approach: Culture by Design. We’re not adding culture as an afterthought to a sporting event – we’re creating a platform where culture, commerce, and community intersect intentionally. We’re transforming the 8th floor of The CTR into a hub that spans 8 activation days, featuring everything from Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to international partners from Spain, Mexico, South Africa, and Haiti. This isn’t entertainment for visitors – it’s infrastructure for our creative economy. We’re building partnerships and pathways that extend far beyond July 14th.

The initiative speaks frequently about connecting culture to commerce. Can you share specific ways artists, creatives, and cultural entrepreneurs will benefit economically from this platform beyond exposure?

Exposure doesn’t pay bills – commerce does. The Atlanta Cultural Exchange creates direct economic pathways: vendor opportunities across 8 activation days, collaboration opportunities with major sponsors like Amazon and Google, and partnerships with international partners that open global markets. We’re facilitating connections between local creatives and international buyers, investors, and collaborators. Our curatorial partners from CultureCon to HBCU Made are actively building networks that lead to contracts, not just conversations. When someone from our international partner countries discovers an Atlanta designer or musician, we’re facilitating those business relationships.

The Exchange is bringing together established institutions alongside emerging voices. How did you balance celebrating Atlanta’s cultural icons while creating opportunities for the next generation of creators?

Balance was intentional from day one. You’ll see Atlanta Symphony Orchestra alongside emerging voices, Historically Black Since alongside international collaborations. The platform spans art, fashion, music, film, entertainment, and digital innovation because Atlanta’s creativity doesn’t exist in silos. Our curatorial partners include both legacy institutions and grassroots organizations. When established institutions and emerging voices share the same space, you create mentorship naturally. You create opportunities for collaboration that wouldn’t happen otherwise. That’s how cultural ecosystems thrive.

FIFA World Cup 2026 will bring unprecedented international attention to Atlanta. What cultural story about the city do you most want visitors from around the world to leave with?

That Atlanta is where culture lives, not just visits. We want them to understand that this city has been shaping global culture for decades – from the music that moves the world to the movements that changed history. But more than our past, we want them to see our present and future. Atlanta is a place where creativity and commerce intersect, where global and local voices collaborate, where tradition and innovation coexist. The world is coming to Atlanta, and Atlanta is ready – not just to host them, but to inspire them.

The theme is ‘Culture by Design.’ What does that phrase mean to you personally, and how does it reflect Atlanta’s identity today?

Culture by Design means we’re not leaving Atlanta’s cultural leadership to chance. We’re being intentional about how we showcase our creativity, strategic about how we connect our artists to global opportunities, and deliberate about how we use this moment to build lasting infrastructure for our creative economy. Atlanta has always influenced culture, but now we’re designing how that influence scales globally. It reflects how Atlanta approaches everything – with purpose, with vision, with the understanding that great things don’t happen by accident

The Exchange includes partners from Spain, Mexico, South Africa, Haiti, and beyond. How important is cultural diplomacy in today’s global creative economy, and what role can Atlanta play in leading those conversations?

Cultural diplomacy is economic diplomacy in the creative economy. When we partner with Spain, Mexico, South Africa, and Haiti, we’re not just sharing stages – we’re opening markets, building networks, creating pathways for collaboration that extend far beyond these 8 activation days. Atlanta has always been an international city, and our cultural leaders understand global connection. We can lead these conversations because we understand how culture translates across borders while maintaining authentic local voice.

Technology and AI are becoming major forces in creative industries, with Google leading conversations around creativity and AI at the Exchange. How do you envision Atlanta balancing technological innovation while protecting authentic artistic expression?

Technology should amplify authentic voice, not replace it. Google’s partnership around Creativity and AI allows us to explore how technology can enhance artistic expression while maintaining the human element that makes art meaningful. Atlanta’s creative community has always been early adopters – we were using digital platforms to distribute music globally before most cities understood the internet’s potential. Our approach is to ensure artists control the technology, not the other way around.

Five years after the World Cup, what would success look like for the Atlanta Cultural Exchange? What legacy do you hope remains after the global spotlight moves on?

Success is measured in sustained relationships and economic impact. Five years from now, I want to see Atlanta artists with distribution deals in South Africa, fashion designers with retail partnerships in Spain, musicians collaborating regularly with partners from Mexico and Haiti. I want to see the international networks we’re building during these 8 activation days resulting in ongoing commerce, not just cultural exchange. The legacy should be infrastructure – platforms, partnerships, and pathways that continue generating opportunities long after the cameras leave.

Atlanta has often been described as a city that creates culture. Do you believe this moment positions Atlanta to become one of the world’s recognized cultural capitals—and if so, what still needs to happen to make that vision a reality?

Atlanta already influences global culture – the question is whether the world recognizes that influence. This moment during FIFA gives us global visibility to showcase what we’ve always been. But becoming a recognized cultural capital requires sustained investment in our creative infrastructure, continued support for both established institutions and emerging voices, and strategic international partnerships that extend beyond any single event. The Atlanta Cultural Exchange is proof of concept – now we have to scale that approach.

If a visitor only had one day inside the Atlanta Cultural Exchange, what experience, conversation, performance, or moment would best capture the soul of Atlanta?

I’d want them to witness the moment when Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and our international partners share the same space, when established institutions and emerging voices collaborate naturally, when global and local creativity intersect without losing their distinct voices. The soul of Atlanta is in that intersection – how we honor our legacy while building our future, how we remain authentically Atlanta while engaging globally. Culture by Design means creating spaces where those intersections happen intentionally.

See Also

Fela Kuti Enters the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. America Is Finally Admitting What It Took