By Scott Mims
The Chilton County Arts Council is a way for artists and art lovers to connect and promote art in the county.
Members host several events throughout the year for the public to enjoy local art.
Throughout the month of May, CCAC is hosting the Chilton County Art Show starting May 6 with a public reception at Rose Galler, located on Second Avenue North in Clanton, y from 1-3 p.m. Featured work will remain on display throughout the month, each Wednesday in May from 1-3 p.m. and Saturdays starting May 13 from 10 a.m. until noon.
Prizes range from $10 (honorable mention) to $100 (first place). An out-of-county judge will select the winners.
“We just really want to encourage people to submit art to it,” CCAC President Sue Anne Hoyt said. “That’s an outreach, and it’s a chance for the community to see local artists.”
This will be the seventh year for the Chilton County Arts Council’s annual Arts Festival, and this year’s event will be a summer affair.
Organizers found the festival, previously held in the fall, simply had too much competition during that time of year, particularly with football games.
Hoyt indicated she hopes the date change will attract more vendors and attendees, as well as continue to provide exposure for the young nonprofit.
“The biggest goal we’ve had is to build our festivals,” Hoyt said. “We’ve changed the date because we found there was too much conflict with football and other festivals.”
Festivals seem to be the best way to showcase the work of local artists. While CCAC is able to exhibit artwork year-round in its Rose Galler there are things a festival can accomplish that a gallery display cannot. Festivals afford vendors the opportunity to rent booths and sell their artwork to members of the general public.
“We want to promote them (artists) and give them an opportunity to sell their work,” Hoyt said. “It gives the local public a chance to buy handmade quality artwork. We want to keep the quality high.”
The Seventh Annual Chilton County Arts Festival is scheduled for Saturday, July 29 at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center, adjacent to Jefferson State Community College, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Shortening the festival from two days to one will free up an extra day for CCAC to rent the facility for March Gourd Madness in 2018, another annual event in which local and regional gourd artists display, demonstrate and sell their art.
Hoyt expressed appreciation to the city of Clanton for its support and use of the venue.
“I really think that’s going to rival our other festival, maybe not the first year, but I think that’s going to be a really big festival,” she said of March Gourd Madness.
Of course, there are different kinds of art. It’s said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The Arts Council has adopted part of that old adage for the title of its upcoming September event, the second annual “Another Man’s Treasure,” featuring art made using items that might otherwise be discarded.
Examples include Ocie DeVaughn’s nail sculptures and Rebecca Watts’ jewelry made from repurposed electronic wire.
Children’s outreach is another important part of what CCAC does each year. In addition to a two-week summer art camp, 2-D children’s art classes are taught each Monday evening at the Arts Council’s building at 703 Second Avenue North.
Last spring, the council partnered with Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center for an exhibit during Child Abuse Awareness Month, in which children in the community did paintings based on what they thought it would feel like to be abused.
Hoyt would like to see more opportunities offered to children through the help of locals who would be willing to share their knowledge and time.
“We would like people to come teach something if they have a skill they would like to teach,” Hoyt said.
The Chilton County Arts Council has approximately 75 members, four officers and a board of directors. Anyone can be a member; membership is not just for artists but also for those who have an interest in supporting the arts.
“We’re here. The door’s not shut to anybody,” Hoyt said.
For more information, visit www.chiltoncountyartscouncil.com or email chiltoncountyartscouncil@hotmail.com.