About Us

The Reentry ARTS Connection was established in Atlanta, Georgia, in the Spring of 2021, by co-founders Curtis Alexander King, CEO, and Garry Yates, Creative Director.  With combined experience,  King and Yates have spent over 50 years of service and patronage in the arts. They understand, on a personal and professional level, how the arts can be transformative and have life-long effects on individuals and communities.

The Reentry ARTS Connection seeks to serve individuals impacted by the justice system by creating platforms, places, and possibilities where their creative voices can be expressed through the arts.

Our Mission

The Reentry ARTS Connection is a nonprofit organization [501 (c) 3] that connects people impacted by the justice system to the healing and life-changing power of the arts.

Co-Founders

Founder Curtis King

Curtis Alexander King
CEO

For over 30 years, Curtis Alexander King has been a champion for the arts, beginning in the mid-1980s with his involvement at the Los Angeles Inner City Cultural Center, a multi-arts institution founded as a positive response to the Watts Riots.
He relocated to Washington, DC, and worked in public relations and marketing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. King distinguished himself as a leader in audience development as the Community Relations Director for the Alliance Theatre Company and for Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company, respectively. During his tenure at the Alliance, he also led the Patron Services Team.
Additionally, he served as the Executive Director of the Performing Arts Program for Youth and the Associate Director of the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry. He co-founded and currently chairs the Big Country Reentry Coalition. King holds an MBA from Howard University and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degree from Abilene Christian University.
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Garry Yates
Educational Program Director

Garry Yates has worked in Theatre Arts, Television, Film, and higher education from Atlanta to LA for over 20 years. He has consulted with various organizations on innovative curriculum design and performing arts creations and has memberships with the Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, Stage Directors, the Choreographers Society - Associate Member, and the North American Association of Drama Therapy.
He is an academician, actor, director-writer, a pioneer in theatre. Yates has held leadership roles throughout Atlanta as the Chair of the Theatre Arts and Mass Media Arts academic programs at Clark Atlanta University and the Educational Director for Theatre in the Square.
He has also worked with various theatrical organizations developing new content for the stage and television. Yates holds a Master of Fine Arts (Specialization Acting) from Indiana University – Bloomington and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Richmont Graduate University.

95% of people incarcerated will return to the community. Educational training in the arts can make a positive, powerful, and lasting impact on an individual’s life!