The first thing you notice inside Diana Ries Sheldon’s Machine Shop Lofts home isn’t the high ceilings or magic-hour sun pouring through the windows. It’s the mannequin standing sentry beneath a staircase painted purple and red, one of a series of life-sized sculptures Ries Sheldon has created and sold over the years.
Covered in rhinestones, beads, and mirrored glass, the figure is clearly decorated with careful intention: tiny floral mosaics, swirling stripes of color, and embedded fragments that catch and bend the light. The scene — elegant, eccentric, and distinctly handmade — mirrors the spirit of the community Ries Sheldon has helped cultivate in the downtown arts district of Castleberry Hill.
“Castleberry Hill is like a living studio, full of history, grit, and constant reinvention,” Ries Sheldon says. “Being surrounded by artists, makers, and visionaries keeps me curious and evolving.”
That mix of artistry and stewardship has made Ries Sheldon one of the neighborhood’s most visible advocates. From volunteering to organize this year’s Castleberry Hill Loft Tour to exhibiting her mannequin sculptures at Burning Man, her creative life moves between making and connecting, between the work of art and the work of community.
Art as community glue
Ries Sheldon first moved to Atlanta after working in retail advertising in Washington, D.C., drawn by a job offer and the promise of a new creative chapter. She and her husband, Kevin, bought into Castleberry Point while it was under construction in the mid-2000s and finally moved in 2017. “We’ve always loved this historic, diverse, walkable neighborhood,” she says.
Ries Sheldon’s art practice and the neighborhood ties she maintains both grew out of that love. Around 2018, Sheldon saw a painted mannequin at a local studio. “I wanted it,” she recalls. “But after I found out what it would cost, I decided to make my own.” That moment sparked a series of sculptures that have since traveled far beyond Atlanta. “It’s incredibly affirming,” she says. “Seeing my sculptures come alive … reminds me why I started making art in the first place — to connect, provoke thought, and be part of something bigger than myself.”
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That same impulse animates her work at home in Castleberry Hill. Sheldon was the 2025 chair of the neighborhood’s Loft Tour + Wine Tasting, a one-day event that opens Castleberry’s historic warehouse homes, studios, and galleries to the public. Under her leadership, this year’s tour raised roughly $15,000, its largest total to date. “We use funds to improve infrastructure not supported by the city, support the arts, plus community events, among other things,” she says.
The annual Loft Tour is more than a fundraiser. It’s a showcase for Castleberry Hill’s evolution. Once an industrial zone of factories and warehouses, the area began transforming into a live-work district in the 1980s. By 1992, it counted about 120 lofts and 150 residents; today, the neighborhood thrives as one of Atlanta’s most complete surviving warehouse districts and home to the city’s Second Friday Art Stroll, a monthly showcase of galleries, murals, and pop-ups.
“The creative energy here pushes you to experiment and collaborate,” Sheldon says. “Being surrounded by artists, makers, and visionaries keeps me curious and evolving.”
Preserving a neighborhood’s creative pulse
As chair of the Loft Tour, Sheldon handled social media marketing, e-blasts, sponsorships, and creative materials, applying her art-director background to an event that depends on both design and diplomacy. “I had a couple core support staff that worked with me for planning, organizing, and more,” she says.
Castleberry Hill’s location, on the edge of downtown redevelopment projects like Centennial Yards, makes the need for community organization in the area more urgent than ever. “I hope [artists] can [stay], and I believe we can if the creative community stays visible and engaged,” she says. “Development brings opportunity, but we have to make sure the arts remain part of that story. Creativity is what made Castleberry Hill magnetic in the first place; it shouldn’t be an afterthought as the skyline changes.”
That conviction shapes her art and her advocacy. Her latest work, “Denial of Service,” is in progress at artist Kris Gunderson’s expansive studio. “It’s literally in pieces,” she says, laughing. “I can make a huge mess with spray paint there because his space is like an airplane hangar.”
Between artmaking and event planning, Sheldon remains committed to keeping the creative spirit visible in Castleberry Hill and accessible to anyone curious enough to walk through.
“Growth is inevitable,” she says. “But preservation requires intention. I try to bridge the two by championing art and community events that honor our roots while inviting new energy in. When growth respects authenticity, everyone benefits.”
The post Artist Diana Ries Sheldon keeps Castleberry Hill’s creative heart beating appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
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