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SPELMA JV
THE VOICE OF BLACK WOMANHOOD
SPOTLIGHT
VOL. XLII, NO. 1
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
SEPTEMBER, 1974
ATLANTA CENTER
for
BLACK ART
by Shelia Venson
Creative expression, a topical social phenomena that
has been given a considerable amount of attention by the
American press, radio and television has also reached the
American college scene, as once creatively stifled students
profusely “do they thang.” Needless to say, Spelman and
AU Center students are no exception to this multifarious
trend.
Consequently, if you are a fledgling poet, a neophyte
musician, a skilled, semi-skilled or on your way to be
coming a skilled sculptor, painter, or photographer or
maybe just a sensitive nobody who wants to give con
scious expression to that somebody in themselves and
are looking for involvement with persons of similar mind,
then the Atlanta Center for Black Arts may be the oasis
that you have been looking for in a barren Atlanta.
The Atlanta Center for Black Arts, located at 850
Mason Turner Road, is a quaint unassuming hole-in-the-
wall situated off of Atlanta’s famed Hunter Street.
Walking, driving or dealing a toboggan, if you are not
looking and happen to glance at an eye-catching sight,
you may bypass its almost obscure structure. But once
on the inside, the feel of creative colors saturate your vi
sion as the nightclub-like atmosphere sweeps you into a
Dolphy, Trane, Nikki, Hansberry rhythm, and the Black
giants of traditional bumpin vibrations dance the neplus-
ultra of black genius on your soul.
The Atlanta Center for Black Arts is a self-supporting,
community-based conglomeration of creative Black folks
who have merged to form a viable and functional organi
zation to give a much needed outlet for cultural activity
in the Atlanta area on the grassroots, professional and
student levels.
In an interview with Mr. Ebon Dooley, Acting Direc
tor for the Center, (and who prefers to be called Bro
Ebon—an Aquarian, Bro Ebon expressed the need for
the Center in Atlanta, saying that “in recent years there
hasn’t been a systematic means of showcasing the young
Black artist. There has been no place where fledgling po
ets, musicians and artists can read, play or exhibit their
works!” As a result, in the South’s leading metropolis,
the Center for Black arts had its primal beginnings four
years ago to meet this urgent need as a creative outlet
source.
The Center is funded by community donations and
admission fees charged at the various functions held at
the Center. Initially it began as an instructional operative,
teaching courses in photography, dance and music. But
in recent years performing and exhibitions have been its
major project as the Center now moves meticulously into
its fall/winter creative movements. The schedule for this
year’s activitiesdncludes movies on Thursday nights, along
Continued on p.5, Col. 3
From Beulah Land to Predominantly Negro Colleges
and Universities in Transition, Dr. Eleanor Victoria
Williams is a black woman of the past and present.
Embellishing the shelves of her office are a modest se
lection of books, some potted foliage and a silver mug
hailing from Indiana University where, in 1968, a year
after receiving an A.B. in Sociology from Spelman, she
earned a Master of Science degree in Student Personnel
Administration. 1972 witnessed an even deeper penetra
tion into her professional field upon completion of a
Ph.D. in Higher Education from the mid-western univer
sity.
Previously employed as Assistant Director of Reading
and Study Skills Center at Indiana University, Dr.
Williams returned this fall to Spelman as Associate Dean
of Students and as Assistant Professor of Education. “I
thought it would be very challenging,” stated the Asso
ciate Dean when asked what motivated her decision to
come to work at Spelman. The capacity in which the new
Associate Dean will be working will be in the areas of
program planning and developing activities for the SSGA.
“The students are more verbal about their feelings,”
stated Dr. Williams when asked what has changed about
Spelman. “I understand that Spelman is leading in the
AU Center as far as having open visitation. When I was
here that would have been unheard of. That was just a
few years ago.”
“I think that there should be more involvement with
more aspects of campus life; educational things that are
extended beyond the actual classroom time. I under
stand that not enough faculty participate or attend diff
erent programs. I think we need to encourage more fac
ulty participation and leadership in the area of educa
tional, cultural and social programs.”
Among the objectives Dr. Williams has set for herself
this year will be to encourage participation and recom
mendations on all levels of the college community. When
asked if she still considers herself a Spelman woman,
Dean Williams replied, “Yes, I am very much a Spelman
woman and I’m very proud of it.”
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HUMANITY
FRESHMEN 1974
Freshman students are getting their first glimpse of
college life at Spelman. Amid the perplexities and the
fast pace of Freshman Week, conclusions are being drawn
and opinions are being formed. To get an idea of how the
Freshman are thinking, I asked Ms. Sharon Washington
from Washington, D. C. what her impression of college
life at Spelman consisted of at this point.
Sharon likes the campus and finds the people here fri
endly and cooperative. Sharon had anxieties over making
friends before arriving but when she found that other
girls felt the same way, the initial ice was easy to break.
Sharon says that she has tried to look at coming to
college in a realistic manner. She says that Spelman holds
more positive attributes than negative ones to her but she
takes everything in stride.
Ms. Washington likes her dormitory, the way things
are done, seemingly everything about Spelman College.
She feels that a school is what you make it and that
everyone has to work together.
Concluding, Sharon said, “I like the moral attitude
that the school tries to instill in its students. I think Spel
man is a very good school.”
Katherine Dowdell, an Economics major at Spelman
College, discusses the functions of Mobil Employee Re
lations Department with Leighton King of Mobil’s North
American Division at the Mobil Oil Corporation head
quarters in New York City.
Chosen as oneoof 25 students for a trip to the New
York metropolitan area, Ms. Dowdell said, “A week in
the Business World gave me a chance to see the practical
applications of the theories I’ve studied.”
Ms. Dowdell’s visit to Mobil is part of a special pro
gram offered to Black students so they can see how a
large corporation functions and find out about job op
portunities.
NEW STAFF
ALLEN, Mrs. Marsha-Secretary, Office of Special Assis
tant to the President and Sociology Department. Re
ceived the B.S. degree in Business Education from
Georgia State University, 1972.
CRAIG, Miss Rita L.-Secretary, Counseling Services
DeLARA, Mrs. Helen J.-Staff Development Officer. Re
ceived the A.B. degree from Spelman College and the
M.B.A. from Stanford University. She comes to us
from the Atlanta Urban League where she was Direc
tor of the MDT-OJT Program.
Continued on Page 6