Meet Laura Dunn | Founder & Primary Curator of CCA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Dunn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Community Circle Atlanta was started simply with the idea of creating what we all want to live in, which is Sesame Street. I have lived in the MGP (Memorial Drive Greenway)/ Grant Park area since 2018. I moved to this community and recognized this linear green space that was an untouched park that needed to come to life. I saw a huge social & physical gap between neighbors feeling unsafe to utilize it as a communal or personal space of leisure. This is due to the park’s physical infrastructure not being united & having lots of car violence on (Memorial Drive + MLK Jr. Drive) This inherently makes it difficult to access the greenspace safely.

During, Covid I started to run miles a day around the neighborhood which lead me to take a different recognition of the space. I started seeing MGP as a magical playground with lots of undiscovered potentials. This leads me to my journey into urbanism advocacy and environmentalism. Eventually, I took a solo trip to NYC & Long Beach, California which truly open my eyes & started my journey into making CCA. NYC made me realize the importance of public transportation & interacting with the everyday community. People in NYC have unique respect and tolerance for each due to their physical proximity to each other. Long Beach had a community culture that was deeply connected to the ocean and green spaces. Their public parks have a pleasure-oriented outdoor community where they host habitual community activities such as yoga, qigong, reading, chess, or friends laying out by the beach.

When I came back to Atlanta I had a tragic experience that changed the course of my life forever. It was the first time where I needed community and couldn’t keep living in the urban social isolation that covid intensified. I saw my friends were also struggling with social isolation, with the cost of living, and having limited opportunities to socially connect with others outside of Atlanta’s dining & nightlife.

These issues birth CCA’s framework through the Sunday Circle experience that I created. Sunday Circle is a four-part sequence where I guide participants together to reset (yin yoga), reconnect (conversation circle), play (social group play) , and rest (qigong) together as a community. It started as a space just for my friends and eventually rolled into the public domain. Seeing my friends happy, releasing stress, making genuine friendships, feeling safe, loved and truly having a community was the best feeling in the world. I decided that I wanted to create a project that was a framework for people to re-imagine everyday urban communities through their green public spaces. CCA is about allowing our community experiences to be informed & curated with local artists, cultural workers, and orgs. I felt truly this is the new turning stone Atlanta deserves as there has been a lot of social & physical division in Atlanta’s modern culture. This city is perfect we just have re-imagine it so that it works for everyone. We already have the most beautiful canopy and the most community-oriented culture. That’s what makes Atlanta so irresistible. CCA is a framework to bring this linear park together to create a creative safe park culture & haven that is reflects the true heart and essence of Atlanta’s everyday people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Question: How did you get to where you are today professionally? Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

Honestly, I am just winging it every day. This world can never be completely understood & all it is challenges. I decided to just trust myself and completely focus on my creative flow , while making myself happy in the process. I know that creating purely from imagination feels hectic and uncertain, but what I am cultivating can move humanity forward. When I see positive feedback from people it makes me feel more sure of what I am doing. The biggest challenges has been not having any finical funding to make this project run and still making it happen no matter what. Thankfully I’ve had support from my dad, sister, and community with resources.

Additionally I have been self taught through literally EVERYTHING. Graphic designing everything you see from CCA, event planning, social media communication, talk to the community (neighbors, apartment community management teams, & businesses) on foot daily. Nothing tops learning how to email people. I felt that email was extremely stressful. My background was in childcare so I never had any reason to really learn how to do professional emails.

Question: What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

Your heart and passion will lead you to the RIGHT + BEST places. There will always be challenges, but learning how to cultivate your everyday experiences into a devotion to your journey will make it all worthwhile. Life is a love story to yourself through your daily actions, choices, and expressions. Our world needs us to act from a place of humanity more than ever. I want people to know I created CCA as a place for folks to feel the joy of humanity and the earth. Learning how to engender deep unconditional self-compassion has made it easy for me to keep living and stay grounded in this ever-changing space. This principle has allowed me to love my community, family, and friends in a way I couldn’t imagine before. I believe that’s the story of creating your dreams. To experience yourself intimately and others in the best ways that couldn’t have been done otherwise.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course, Memorial Drive Greenway Park is at the top of the list. Anything that is a public green space. Selena Butler, Cabbage Town, Oakland Cemetery, or Adair Park. I literally just love drawing, stretching, and being outdoors with friends.

For food I love C-Town (Cabbage Town) my fav place to dine is at Jen Chan’s. EAV East Atlanta Village will always be the best place to do a lot at once. Soba Noodle House has been my EAV stomping ground since I was a teen, but in recent years I have fallen in love with the community kitchen space SUKI SUKI now known as “Qommunity”. For (MGP) Grant Park I love Kupcakeire, Farm Burger, Nick’s Gyros, Cereal and Cream, and Mezcalitos!

I am a full-time Marta transit user so most of the outting activities take place during the day. So I love spending time Downtown, at Central Library, For Keeps Bookstore, Peachtree Center, or the High Art Museum. Anything that allows me to connect to a public space with community is my go-to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shout out to my friends, family, MGP neighbors and the entire Atlanta community for supporting me & CCA! Also huge a thank you to Park Pride & Atlanta Parks and Rec for their support around this project!

Instagram: @communitycircleatlanta & @atlantatransitgirl

Image Credits
Maya Ingraham, Rosa Duffy and Laura Dunn.