Upon surveying the area, the people I encountered were both white and black , middle aged and young. One was a man who approached our group in search of antiques, which suggest he has disposable income, perhaps he approached us because he assumed us to be insiders to the Castleberry community; another group of people I encountered were also middle aged white women, presumably the gallery owners to the exhibits my group and I visited, the owners talked among themselves and paid little attention to my group and I as we browse the otherwise empty (empty of other visitors) gallery space. A young black woman advertising her hair dressing services also approached me. Although there are several residential areas surrounding the West End and Castleberry, the income of some of the business owners in Castleberry suggest that the area is simply where they work and don’t live. However, there are also some black business owners typically the owners of the tattoo shops, and hair salons. Because the art galleries can be viewed for free and aren’t for profit, they don’t contribute to the revenue of the owners, this once again hints that they are of a much higher income bracket than their West End neighbors and fellow black business owners that also occupy the area. These gallery owners not only have the money invest in venues, but venues that don’t generate any money
This is an area of high contrast; a small and unique pocket of a low income/ class area that offers art, to a neighborhood that otherwise would not have any. At the same time Castleberry offers some of the more typical and abundant services for the area like hair salons, and tattoo parlors to cater to its clients. In this same artful and creatively flourishing space there are also dilapidated factories and buildings that more closely resemble the West End, and yet still next to these are next to elaborate private properties with high tech and highly decorated gates giving the owners a small oasis from the broke down abandoned feel of the area. Perhaps, what could better describe what is happening in Castleberry might be gentrification. Small populations bring in money (in this case, money in the form of art) to poor working class neighborhoods. Castleberry is not quite an extension of the West End, which may boast being home to the Atlanta University Center (AUC), which adds a certain flare to that neighborhood, but its own distinct and easily distinguished region. The beautiful art that adorns almost everything gives Castleberry a feeling of “not so bad” (perhaps not as bad as the closest comparable neighborhood of the West End) because of the efforts of many artist has been a small, but nonetheless influential change in the perception of the Castleberry neighborhood and its people. The art acts as a blanket that covers some of the grit, and elevates the neighborhood slightly above the West End, they would otherwise be the same if it weren’t for the art. There are multiple groups and populations coexisting in the Castleberry area this diversity in an otherwise racially and economically homogenized community certainly adds to its charm and funkiness.
Written by: Monica Melton
