HAMILTON, Ala. - The 2010 Jerry Brown Arts Festival is slated for March 6-7 in the old Walmart building in Hamilton.
 
Now in its eighth year, 69 artists will be joining the festival’s namesake, renowned ninth-generation potter Jerry Brown. In 1992, Brown was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts and served as Alabama’s Folk Artist of the Year for 2001.
“We are glad to once again be in the old Walmart building. This allows more space for all the artists,” said Northwest Alabama Arts Council public relations officer Marla Minter.
“We are also proud to note that for the second year in a row, the Jerry Brown Arts Festival has been selected by the prestigious Southeast Tourism Society as a Top 20 Event for March 2010,” Minter noted.
 
The Jerry Brown Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, March 6, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday, March 7, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  Admission to the Jerry Brown Arts Festival is free.
Selected as the 2010 JBAF Special Guest Artist is Charlie “The Tin Man” Lucas, a resident of Prattville, Ala, who is a master of forming, shaping, and welding metal into unique pieces of art.
 
The list of artists scheduled to appear at the 2010 edition of the Jerry Brown Arts Festival is as follows, along with their hometown and artform:
Jerry and Sandra Brown, Hamilton, Ala. - Pottery; Brian Bohanan, Helena, Ala. - Folk Art; Jinx Bentley, Odenville, Ala. - Paper Mache; Alisa Case, Birmingham, Ala. - Recycled Sculpture; Ray Dutton, Moulton, Ala. - Wood; Don and Louise Colson, Aberdeen, Miss. - Jewelry; Tom Henry, Philadelphia, Miss. - Whirligigs; Bobby Gaither, Remlap, Ala. - Pottery; Brian Greer, Falkville, Ala. - Jewelry; Joe and Sandy Galloway, Huntsville, Ala. - Fused Glass; Jerry Mclennan, New Albany, Miss. - Stained Glass; Mark Williams, Bogart, GA - Pottery; CNC Museum Quilt Guild, Winfield, Ala. - Quilting; Catherine Brown, Hamilton, Ala. - Jewelry and Fabric Art; Anne Moore, Hoover, Ala. - Jewelry; Ted Butler, Northport, Ala. - Carved Walking Stix; Teresa Wamble, Caler, Ala. - Gourd Art; Tim Pace, Finger, Tenn. - Metal Sculpture; Linda Lindale, Amory, Miss. - Textile Art and Copper; Marilyn Huey, Springville, Ala. - Baskets; Roger and Renea Poer, Sylvan Springs, Ala. - Handcrafted Jewelry; Julie Jackson, Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Handcrafted Jewelry; Joan Curtis, Birmingham, Ala. - Painting-Acrylic; Brookie Pulliam, Haleyville, Ala. - Oil-Fine Art; Carolyn Bevis, Haleyville, Ala. - Oil, Acrylic, Water Color; Mary Rogers, Union Grove, Ala. - Sterling Silver Wirework Jewelry; Denise Brown, Ashland, Miss. - Pottery/Clay; John and Debbie Lay, Smithville, Miss. - High Fire Pottery; Mary Jo Williams, Aberdeen, Miss. - Pottery; Jimmy Armstrong and Richie Stone, Smithville, Miss. - Ironwork; Clay Paradiso, Columbus, Ms - Photography; Heaven Mccaulley, Piedmont, Ala. - Wearable Fiber; Carl T. Porter, Fayette, Ala. - Mud Paintings; Hubbert and Pam Wigginton, Smithville, Miss. - Carved Wooden Bowls; Jim Weaver, Florence, Ala. - Painting; Louise Hewlett, Hoover, Ala. - Jewelry; Constance Beck, Adamsville, Ala. - Handspun and Woven Clothing; John and Peggy Berryhill, Hamilton, Ala. - Echota Indian Display; Patty Mcnutt, Haleyville, Ala. - Oil Painting; Craig and Tracy Wilson, Blue Springs, Miss. - Clay; David and Judy Coker, Lexington, Ala. - Wood Carving and Turning; Helene Fielder, Booneville, Ala. - Clay/Sculptural and Functional; Al and Jayne Vinsant, Sterrett, Ala. - 2D Mixed Media; Laura Stacy, Birmingham, Ala. - Batik (Fiver Art); Adam Snyder, Homewood, Ala. - Clay/Wheel-Thrown Porcelain; Alice Sherrod, Birmingham, Ala. - Copper Jewelry; Earl McBroom, Detroit, Ala. - Handmade Knives; Melda Turner, Ohatchee, Ala. - Copperwire Sculpture; John Turner and John Turner, Jr, Ohatchee, Ala. - Handwoven Baskets; Crossroads Arts Alliance, Gordo, Ala. - Photography, Mixed Media, Sculpture, Book Arts; Lisa Crews, Hickman, Ky. - Clay; Dee Casterline, Columbus, Miss. - Etched, Stained and Fused Glass, Candles/Oils; Maurice Cook, Birmingham, Ala. - Painting; Missy Miles, Hamilton, Ala. - Gourd Art; Robert Taylor, Birmingham, Ala. - Hammered Copper, Candlesticks; Alison Bohorfoush, Birmingham, Ala. - Hammered Copper and Silver Jewelry; Janice Hall and Pat Shields, Danielsville, Ga. - Pottery; James Brassfield, Hamilton, Ala. - Handmade Knives; Ron Morris, Fayette, Ala. - Pottery and Crayon Etchings; George Jones, Florence, Ala. - Broom Maker; T. Lowry Wilson, New Albany, Miss. - Photography Tatia Johnson, Memphis, Tenn. - Lampwork Glass Beads She-She, Birmingham, Ala. - Folk Painting Nathan and Adam Ivey, Haleyville, Ala., Quick-Sketch Drawings Wesley Abbott, Crane Hill, Ala. - Pottery Sam Cornman, Orange Beach, Ala., Glass Art; Mark Sanders, Newport, Tenn. - Blown Glass; and John Hogarth, Jackson, Ala. - Stained Glass.
 
For more information, interested persons may call Minter at 921-3632.  You may also visit the Jerry Brown Arts Festival’s official website at www.jbaf.org.
 

HAMILTON, ALA. – On Tuesday, November 24, Senator Roger Bedford, Alabama State Senate District 6, presented officials with the Northwest Alabama Arts Council a check for $1,000 in support of the 2009 Jerry Brown Arts Festival.

Shown in the photo are arts council vice-president Carrie Bolton, treasurer Ed Minter, Senator Bedford, president Tyna Pyburn, potter Jerry Brown for whom the festival is named, and secretary Missy Miles.

Bedford stated, “The great artistic work of Jerry Brown has put Northwest Alabama on the map.  We’ve become a destination for people who enjoy good American art.  I’m so proud of Jerry and what the local arts council has done.”    Proceeds from the annual Jerry Brown Arts Festival support the arts and art education in Marion County. 

Arts council president Tyna Pyburn responded, “We are extremely fortunate to have the support of Senator Bedford.  He has been an advocate for the Jerry Brown Arts Festival and the Northwest Alabama Arts Council since their inceptions.  We sincerely appreciate all he has done for us.”

The all-volunteer arts council is an IRS-approved nonprofit organization that works throughout the year in arts-related activities and events, with the Jerry Brown Arts Festival being the council’s largest event.  The 2010 Jerry Brown Arts Festival, which has been selected as a Top 20 event by the Southeast Tourism Society, is set for March 6 and 7 in Hamilton.

Applications for artists and food vendors are now available online at the festival website, www.jbaf.org.  Anyone who is interested in volunteering with the arts council or who is interested in joining the arts council can call (205) 921-9483.  For additional information on the Northwest Alabama Arts Council and its programs, visit the council’s official website, www.NorthwestAlabamaArts.org.