Author: Kevin Ledgewood

(Tuscaloosa, Ala.) The Bama Theatre will be the setting for the District 3-4 Poetry Out Loud regional finals for West-Central Alabama students on Jan. 16, 2025. The competition begins at 9:30 a.m. in Tuscaloosa and is free and open to the public.

Poetry Out Loud is a competition that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. After successful pilot programs in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, POL was launched in high schools nationwide in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. POL has grown every year with over 365,000 students competing.

Prior to this final round in Tuscaloosa, the students will participate in a primary competition at their respective high schools. Students competing in the program are eligible to compete in the national/anthology portion of the program, the original poetry portion, social issue portion or a combination. The Alabama State Council on the Arts sponsors the original poetry and social issue portions of the competition. Traveling to Montgomery, Ala. in 2025, the winners in all three portions will compete in the state-wide competition. The winner in the national/anthology portion will then have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. for a final round.

Sponsors include the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, Alabama State Council on the Arts and The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa. The Region 3-4 Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud is Autumn Fuller, Director of Education for The Arts Council.

The Bama Theatre is located at 600 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa with the Dinah Washington Cultural Center at 620 Greensboro. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.

(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.)  The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will recognize artists, educators, volunteers and patrons of the arts at the 25th Druid Arts Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at the Bama Theatre. The winners and their families will be honored at a reception at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center at 6 p.m. with the awards presented at 7 p.m. at the theatre. 

The deadline for nominations is February 1, 2025 with a deadline for tickets for the event on Monday, March 19, 2025. Tickets will be available for purchase on the Arts Council’s website in early 2025.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/mvjtz7xt to access the nomination form, view lists of the 2022 winners and also all prior award winners. Anyone who lives in Tuscaloosa County can make a nomination in any category.

In founding and perpetuating the Druid Arts Awards, The Arts Council determined that Tuscaloosa County citizens who were working as volunteers, artists, educators and corporate sponsors was very large and growing.  The Council also realized that the work of these individuals as well as supportive businesses was not often publicly recognized.  It was for this reason that the Druid Arts Awards were established, and it has become a biennial presentation to honor these special individuals who have achieved distinction in the arts in Tuscaloosa County.

Three nominations- volunteer, artist, and educator- will be requested from Tuscaloosa County citizens in each of the categories of music, visual arts, dance, literature and theatre. Nominations are also requested for Patron of the Arts, Corporate Sponsor and Tuscaloosa’s Home Grown. Individuals or groups who have contributed to or supported the arts through actions outside of the aforementioned categories are honored with a Special Award. 

A committee comprised of members from The Arts Council Board of Directors will make the final selections based on their review of all submissions.

The Bama Theatre is located at 600 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa with the Dinah Washington Cultural Center at 620 Greensboro. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.

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(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa’s Bama Art House Nostalgic Holiday Film Series will continue in December. The Holiday Series will take place at the Bama Theatre on December 21 and December 23, 2024.

The box office, doors, and bar will open at 6:00 p.m. Single Tickets will be priced at $10 general, $9 seniors & students and $8 Arts Council Members and will be available at the box office prior to screenings. Discount Punch Card Tickets ($70) will also be available and will be good for any 10 Bama Art House films with no expiration date.

Screenings begin at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 21^st and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Dec. 23^rd.

Patrons can also order tickets ahead of screenings by visiting The Arts Council’s ticketing page at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36768. In addition to tickets to see the films, the opportunity to purchase a “Golden Ticket” to meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus in December at the “Polar Express” screening is already available for sale.

Visit www.tuscarts.org to view the list of films, details and accompanying trailers under the Bama Art House link.

DECEMBER 21, 2024 at 2 p.m.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Rated PG | 1 h 44 min | Comedy/Family/Fantasy
Written by: Dr. Seuss, Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman
Directed by: Ron Howard
Stars: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Kelley
Synopsis: On the outskirts of Whoville lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans to ruin Christmas for all of the citizens of the town.

DECEMBER 21, 2024 at 7 p.m.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Rated PG-13 | 1h 37 min | Comedy
Written by: John Hughes
Directed by: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Stars: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis
Synopsis: The Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.

DECEMBER 23, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Home Alone (1990)
Rated PG | 1h 43 min | Comedy/Family
Written by: John Hughes
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
Synopsis: An eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.

DECEMBER 23, 2024 at 6 p.m.
The Polar Express (2004)
Rated G | 1h 40 min | Comedy /Animation / Adventure
Written by: Chris Van Allsburg, Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles, Jr.
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter
Synopsis: On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.

The Bama Theatre is located at 600 Greensboro Avenue in Downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit www.tuscarts.org for further information.

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(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will host “Gary Chapman: NOIR” in The Arts Council Gallery at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center Oct. 4 – Nov. 21, 2024. Featuring works by Chapman, Artist/Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the exhibit will open on Oct. 4th at 5 p.m. during the free First Friday Art Walk in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and admission is free.

The exhibit will be composed of ten pieces from “NOIR: The Series” and five works from “The Firmament: Falling, Floating, Flying.” Chapman sites Black as being a fundamental interest of artists throughout history and references such artists as Juan Sanchez Cotan, Edouard Manet, Kazimir Malevich, Louise Nevelson and Anish Kapoor as clear examples.

In reference to the remaining pieces in the display from the collection “The FIRMAMENT: Falling Floating Flying,” Chapman referenced a quote by author Stewart Stafford to describe the collection. “Nature, with its paradoxical twin firmaments of breathtaking beauty and extreme cruelty, never explains itself and cares even less for our admiration and acceptance.”

Chapman has had over 80 solo exhibitions with institutions such as The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, The Arts Center of St. Petersburg, FL, University of Cincinnati and the Indianapolis Art Center. He has also participated in numerous group and invitational exhibitions with regional, national and international venues. Chapman was named a Joan Mitchell CALL Legacy Artist in 2013 and has received numerous grants and fellowships, including a 1996 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Painting from the Southern Arts Federation. He was granted two Individual Artist Fellowships from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in 2002 and 1994. Fourteen of Chapman’s paintings have been purchased for the collections of ten museums in the southeast region as well as by many corporate and private collections throughout the country.

The artist received the MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art and the BA and BS from Berea College. For more information about the exhibit and Chapman’s commentary, visit https://tuscarts.org/cac/galleries-venues/cac-gallery/. Visit the artist’s website at https://www.garychapmanart.com/ for more information.

Gallery hours are weekdays 9 a.m.- noon and 1-4 p.m.  For more information about all gallery events taking place on First Friday and the locations, visit www.firstfridaytuscaloosa.com.

The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.

(Tuscaloosa) “Monster Makeover” is back and will open on Oct. 4th, 2024, during First Friday at Harrison Galleries, 2315 University Blvd., in downtown Tuscaloosa from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.  The exhibit will be on display throughout the month and will end on Oct. 30th when the artists’ works are auctioned off from 6 p.m.-8 p.m., benefitting The Community Foundation of West Alabama’s Arts in Education fund.

Originally established by staff at The Tuscaloosa News in 2010, “Monster Makeover” is an annual exhibit consisting of drawings of creepy creatures created by students from a local elementary school alongside the interpretation of the monsters by West Alabama visual artists.  After the students completed their drawings and an accompanying written description, they were sent out to local artists who then chose the one that appealed to them the most. The artists could work in their chosen media for the project in two- or three-dimensional formats. This year’s exhibit will feature the work of 48 second grade students from Westwood Elementary in Coker, Ala., alongside 48 different local artists.

Artists whose work will be included in the exhibit are Sandee House, Anna Humphreys, Lee Hubbard, Debbie Hite, Jennifer Champion, Sarah Ferguson, Abel Phillips, Greer Jones, Ryan Watson, Sharon Greenwood, Abi Brewer, Christi DeZoort, Cecily Downey, Sherry King, Charlotte Wegrzynowski, Daniel White, Tony Bratina, Richard Nowell, Hannah Warner, Huey Rudder, Kayla Moring, Kimberly Barfield, Northridge High School, Jeremy Rich, Joslin Milstead, Neel Alexander, Sherri Warner, SK Steen, Jeremy Satcher, Amy LeePard, Marysia Galbraith, Jack Leigh, Natalie Peeples

Sheryl Jefferies, Tiffany Amirkahnian, Tom Wegrzynowski, Margaret Wilson, Allison Hetzel, Michael Hand, Leslie Sheppard, Amy Smoot, Jude Weaver, Rhandie Weaver, Victoria Christensen, Molly Brooke Threadgill and Shweta Bratina.

Contact Autumn Fuller, Director of Education for The Arts Council, for information about the upcoming show. For updates regarding this year’s Monster Makeover exhibit, visit The Arts Council’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/monstermakeoverXII.

For more information about The Arts Council, Bama Theatre, or Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and also on Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.

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(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa is announcing its annual Small Grants Program, awarding projects by Tuscaloosa County artists and non-profit organizations. Grants to all local teachers for arts related projects are also available through the Community Foundation’s Arts in Education Grant. 

The Arts Council is now accepting grant applications from local artists and organizations for upcoming projects taking place between Oct. 1, 2024 and May 15, 2025. The deadline for applications is Oct. 1, 2024 with recipients announced by Oct. 31, 2024. The maximum Small Grant available to organizations is $1,000 and $750 to individuals. 

Organizations can apply for Small Grants Program awards for such projects as exhibits, festivals, residencies, consultants, attendance at seminars, institutes, workshops by artistic and/or administrative staff and productions. Professional artists may apply for grants covering pilot or short-term projects or opportunities such as seminars, workshops, conferences or apprenticeships with master artists. Since the advent of the Small Grants Program in 1986, local artists and organizations have received more than $140,000.  

The Arts in Education Grant provides funds that are specifically earmarked for arts related projects through the Community Foundation of West Alabama. Local educators pursuing any arts related project can apply for funding from the Foundation through The Arts Council with a deadline of Oct. 1, 2024 for grant activities which will be taking place between Oct. 1, 2024 and May 15, 2025. 

Guidelines and applications for both grant programs are available online at https://tuscarts.org/small-grants/.  Additional information is available to individuals or groups interested in applying by contacting Autumn Fuller, Director of Education, at education@tuscarts.org or 205-758-5195, ext. 4.

For more information about The Arts Council, Bama Theatre, or Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and also Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.

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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release                                            
The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa
Contact: Kevin Ledgewood
pr@tuscarts.org
205-758-5195, ext. 6

KIKI KARATHEODORIS EXHIBIT EXTENDED AT THE DINAH WASHINGTON CULTURAL ARTS CENTER

(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) “The Middle Ground: Connecting Opposing Visual Forces” in The Arts Council Gallery at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center has been extended to August 15, 2024. Featuring works by UA Art and Art History Dept. alumnus Kiki Karatheodoris, the exhibit features both works on paper and paintings.

The exhibit will also be featured at 5 p.m. during the free First Friday Art Walk in downtown Tuscaloosa on August 2. Gallery hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and admission is free.

To view sample images from this upcoming exhibit and complete background information about the artist, visit https://tuscarts.org/cac/galleries-venues/cac-gallery/.

The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.

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(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will host “The Middle Ground: Connecting Opposing Visual Forces” in The Arts Council Gallery at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center June 7-July 25, 2024. Featuring works by UA Art and Art History Dept. alumnus Kiki Karatheodoris, the exhibit will feature both works on paper and paintings.

The exhibit will open on June 7 at 5 p.m. during the free First Friday Art Walk in downtown Tuscaloosa. Although the display will continue for two months, there will be no First Friday in July due to the holiday. Gallery hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and admission is free. Visit www.firstfridaytuscaloosa.com for all First Friday information.

To view sample images from this upcoming exhibit, visit https://tuscarts.org/cac/galleries-venues/cac-gallery/.

The exhibit is about bridging contrasts, oppositions, dualities, etc. visually experienced in the world around us.  Contrasts in color, such as violet blue and orange or oppositions in drawing such as the straight as opposed to the curved meandering line, can be described as “opposing visual forces.” Some of the works on paper combine the opposition of the organic, curving forms and lines, with the inorganic, straight, geometric ones. Others contrast the chaotic in nature and the orderly in geometry. Some pieces have actual organic matter (grasses, petals etc.) attached and a bit hidden.

Karatheodoris has over 20 years of experience as an artist, and her work is in many individual and permanent collections. She has been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally in juried shows and invitationals. Influenced by Josef Albers’ work on color, her major interest is in color interaction and transparency. She was invited to exhibit and discuss her work in England at an international conference on color sponsored by Kingston University, UK. Her presentation was published as a book chapter in the book “Cultures of Color.” She has a second book chapter on color in the book “Hermes and Aphrodite Encounters.” She taught art courses at The University of Alabama and painting and drawing at Shelton State Community College before her employment as the registrar at The University of Alabama Honors College. She has retired from UA and works as a full-time artist. Born in Greece, she has also lived in New York and Toronto and resides in Tuscaloosa. She holds a BA degree in Sociology from City University of New York and also BFA and MFA degrees from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

Gallery hours are weekdays 9 a.m.- noon and 1-4 p.m.  For more information about all gallery events

taking place on First Friday and the locations, visit www.firstfridaytuscaloosa.com.

The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.

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(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa’s Summer Bama Art House Nostalgic Blockbusters Film Series will kick off in June and will feature six movies. Screenings will take place at the Bama Theatre on June 11, June 18, June 25, July 2, July 9 and July 16.

The box office, doors, and bar will open at 6:00 p.m. Single Tickets will be priced at $10 general, $9 seniors & students and $8 Arts Council Members and will be available at the box office prior to screenings. Discount Punch Card Tickets ($70) will also be available and will be good for any 10 Bama Art House films with no expiration date.

Patrons can also order tickets ahead of screenings by visiting The Arts Council’s ticketing page at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36768.

Visit www.tuscarts.org to view the list of films, details and accompanying trailers under the Bama Art House link.

JUNE 11, 2024
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Rated G | 1h 42min | Adventure / Family / Fantasy
Written by: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf
Directed by: Victor Fleming, King Vidor(uncredited)
Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Clara Blandick, Terry (Toto)

JUNE 18, 2024
Top Gun (1986)
Rated PG | 1h 49min | Action / Drama
Written by: Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., Ehud Yona
Directed by: Tony Scott
Stars: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt

JUNE 25, 2024
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Rated PG-13 | 1h 40min | Drama / Music / Romance
Written by: Eleanor Bergstein
Directed by: Emile Ardolino
Stars: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes

JULY 2, 2024
Independence Day (1996)
Rated PG-13 | 2h 25min | Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Written by: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch

JULY 9, 2024
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Rated PG | 1h 44min | Animation / Adventure / Comedy
Written by: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, Gary K. Wolf
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer

JULY 16, 2024
Jurassic Park (1993)
Rated PG-13 | 2h 7min | Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Written by: Michael Crichton, David Koepp
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough

The Bama Theatre is located at 600 Greensboro Avenue in Downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit bamatheatre.org for further information.

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(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) “Westwood Art Month at the Bama” will take place April 29-May 17, 2024 and will feature the fine arts programs of Westwood Elementary. The annual event will include an exhibit of the students’ visual art in the Bama Theatre’s Junior League Gallery and the 17th annual Musical Extravaganza in the theatre on April 30. The events are hosted by The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa, Westwood’s adopt-a-school partner.

The Musical Extravaganza will take place on April 30th at 7 p.m. on stage at the Bama Theatre with the Westwood Singers presentation of “Night at the Movies.” Over 60 students in grades one through four will participate in this production, with Chris Babb conducting. Admission to the musical is $1 for adults and teens and $1 for children twelve and under who are not performing on stage. Tickets will be available at the box office.

Art work created by students in grades K-4 will be displayed at the Bama’s Junior League Gallery April 29-May 17. All work is original and consists of drawing and painting. Awards for Best of Show, first, second, third and honorable mention will be presented in grades K-2 and 3-4. Admission to the exhibit is free. Gallery hours are weekdays 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Enter the gallery through The Arts Council offices, located on the second floor of the PARA Building, if visiting during office hours.

The Arts Council is Westwood’s partner in the Tuscaloosa County Adopt-A-School program. For more information about the program, visit the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama at https://westalabamachamber.com/adopt-a-school/.

The Bama Theatre is located at 600 Greensboro Avenue in Downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit bamatheatre.org for further information.

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