Fulton Brighter Futures
Come see how Fulton County’s money-saving partnership works at an interactive exhibition presented by Fulton County’s Public Art Futures Lab and DREAM Sustainability Division.
Fulton Brighter Futures is a solar data visualization project developed by Partnership for Innovation interns Thais Alvarenga and Daksh “DK” Kapoor, exploring the growth of the County’s solar energy program. Their final project turns information about solar panel installation, cost savings, carbon reduction, and future growth into an evolving, updatable digital platform that can continue to serve as a public-facing educational tool beyond the exhibition.
Since 2021, Fulton County has partnered with Cherry Street Energy to install solar panels on 42 County-owned buildings, expected to save taxpayers $2 million in utility costs over the project’s 20-year term. Fulton Brighter Futures uses data from those installations.
The free public exhibition also includes selected works from the Hammonds House Museum Collection.
The exhibition opened with a reception on Wednesday, August 5, in the Peachtree Gallery at Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor St. SW. The exhibition will be on display in the Peachtree Gallery through September 4 during regular business hours.
To learn more please visit thaisalvarenga.github.io/solar-dinosaur/
About the PIN Interns / Artists and Technologists In Residence:
Thaís Alvarenga and Daksh “DK” Kapoor are GT Digital Media master’s graduates selected for their skills in creative technology, interactive media, visual storytelling, and digital design.
As Partnership for Innovation interns with the Public Art Futures Lab, they contributed to both public art programming and the development of Fulton Brighter Futures. Their work included:
- Translating real solar energy data from Fulton County buildings into a public-facing visual experience
- Designing and building an interactive website/data visualization
- Creating animations, visual elements, and user interaction features
- Supporting Public Art Futures Lab summer programs, including STEAM summer camps
- Collaborating with the DREAM Sustainability Division to better understand Fulton County’s Solar Energy Program
- Visiting Fulton County solar sites and learning directly from the County’s solar energy partner, Cherry Street Energy
Citizens needing reasonable accommodations due to disability, including communications in an alternate format, please contact 404-612-8600. For TDD/TTY or Georgia Relay Service Access, dial 711.
Stay Connected: For more information on this event and future happenings, follow on Instagram @fultonpublicart , opens a new windowand visit PublicArtFuturesLab.com for updates.
About the Public Art Futures Lab: The Public Art Futures Lab , opens a new windowis a space to exhibit, experiment, educate and experience the role of technology as it relates to public art. By reducing barriers to creating and participating in this emerging space, the Lab seeks to expand access to cultural enrichment, provide the tools for local artists to thrive and maintain Fulton County's status as a creative cultural capital. The Futures Lab is made possible through the support of our host Underground Atlanta, and our residency partners Downtown Atlanta Inc. and MARTA Artbound along with our Knowledge Partners, Spelman Innovation Lab, Georgia Tech Arts, GSU CMII and our Outreach Partner, Orange Barrel Media and Makerspace Partner; Freeside Atlanta, and Industry Partner; Lightscape Lighting and Equipment.
About the PIN Program, opens a new window Summer Internship: The Partnership for Innovation (PIN) Summer Internship Program supports project-based internship opportunities across the Southeast that connect emerging talent with civic-based projects. Through the program, interns contribute specialized skills to projects that advance public service, innovation, community impact, and cross-department collaboration.
For this project, Partnership for Innovation funding helped support a part-internship, part-artist-residency model that placed creative technologists within the Public Art Futures Lab to work at the intersection of sustainability, public art, data visualization, and civic engagement.