The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs has revealed the official artwork for the 49th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival, and it’s a vibrant, motion-filled tribute to the city’s rhythmic soul.
Created by Atlanta-based illustrator and designer George F. Baker III (known as GFB3), the piece titled Spirit of Atlanta will appear on the festival poster and commemorative T-shirts, available for sale at the event.
George F. Baker’s Spirit of Atlanta Chosen for Jazz Fest
Baker’s design bursts with golden yellow tones that draw the eye across a lively tapestry of musicians, instruments, speakers, and Atlanta cityscapes. Every character appears caught mid-motion—inviting viewers to mentally complete the swing, step, or riff.
One striking detail shows a woman treating the skyline as her drum kit, while the central figure is modeled after Atlanta creative Plewto Smith, whose boundless energy and inclusive vibe embody what makes the city special.
“I wanted to showcase the dynamic of how a combination of people, music and energy can uplift the SPIRIT of the city of Atlanta,” Baker said. “What makes Atlanta interesting is the varied tapestry of cultures that come together to create a special sauce you can’t get anywhere else!” He noted that the piece feels “pulsating with the energy of the city,” and he tied its improvisational flow directly to jazz itself: “Jazz as a whole teaches you to keep playing, and you’ll find your rhythm. A lesson I try to take into the art I create every day.”
Adriane Jefferson, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, praised the work as a perfect representation of the festival’s heart: “This piece represents the heartbeat of Atlanta. It captures the spirit of the festival and the cultural legacy that makes this city a global center for music and creativity.”
The free, public Atlanta Jazz Festival returns to Piedmont Park over Memorial Day weekend, May 23–25, 2026.
Founded in 1978 by Mayor Maynard Jackson as the “Atlanta Free Jazz Festival,” the event has long championed jazz as America’s original art form while ensuring broad access to world-class music and culture for residents and visitors alike.
A Tradition of Powerful Visual Storytelling
This year’s commission continues a cherished Atlanta Jazz Festival tradition: each year the Mayor’s Office selects a distinctive artist—often a local or Black artist with deep ties to the city or jazz—to create signature artwork that becomes the visual identity for posters, T-shirts, and promotional materials.
The goal is to capture not just the sound of jazz but the lived spirit of Atlanta through visual art.
Recent examples include:
- 2025 (48th Annual): Vernicia Respres’ colorful Streetlight Jazz, which spotlighted a saxophonist bathed in dramatic light to evoke the electric energy of live performances. Respres, founder of the inclusive BRUSHED art studio and gallery, has long used her work to expand access to the arts in underserved communities.
- 2024 (47th Annual): Najee Dorsey’s mixed-media collage Two Generations, showing a father and son sharing a quiet, meaningful moment. Dorsey, known for chronicling African American life in the South through nostalgic and historical scenes, described his practice as preserving “stories untold” that might otherwise be forgotten.
- 2014 (37th Annual): The festival honored legendary artist Romare Bearden with his jazz-inspired collage Bopping at Birdland (also known as Walking Bass). Bearden’s improvisational photomontage technique—layering fragments of paper, fabric, and photos—mirrored the spontaneous spirit of jazz, a connection he explored deeply in both his art and writings.
From Bearden’s historic collages to the vibrant, community-rooted works of recent Atlanta artists, the festival’s signature artworks have consistently celebrated Black creativity, cultural fusion, intergenerational bonds, and the city’s unique “special sauce.
Baker’s Spirit of Atlanta carries that legacy forward, reminding everyone why the Atlanta Jazz Festival remains one of the city’s most beloved summer traditions.
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