Courtesy of the JOURNAL RECORD
Date of Publication – August 15, 2009
NORTHWEST ALABAMA ARTS COUNCIL
Election of officers, committee members approved
Council seeking new membership
By ROBYN ZILLS
Staff Writer
HAMILTON - The Northwest Alabama Arts Council (NWAAC) held its annual elections and business meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, at 5:30 p.m. at Hamilton City Hall.
Offices and positions voted on at the meeting were president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and two board members.
The council voted to reinstate all officers currently serving. According to secretary Missy Miles, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
The officers are as follows: president - Tyna Pyburn, vice-president - Carrie Bolton, secretary - Missy Miles and treasurer - Ed Minter. The council also approved two other members from the council’s membership at-large to serve on the board, which were Skip Addison and Buell Harris.
The non-profit organization is also signing up volunteers to serve on festival committees for the Jerry Brown Arts Festival and the Buttahatchee River Fall Fest as well as public relations committee, performing arts committee, visual arts committee, literary art committee and art education committee and membership recruiting committee.
The council also approved changes to its bylaws. According to NWAAC Public Relations Officer Marla Minter, the council removed the counties of Franklin, Lamar and Fayette from its bylaws.
“As the Northwest Alabama Arts Council, we were meant to serve Marion, Franklin, Fayette and Lamar counties. We haven’t had any members or participation from any other county but Marion in the past several years. Some of these counties have also formed their own arts council. Because of this, we want to make sure all funds earned by the council stay in this county,” said Minter.
A name-change was not discussed at this time, but if the council finds it necessary, a change could be considered in the future.
Individuals interested in serving in an official capacity with the arts council, to volunteer for one of the committees or to become a member of the council can contact NWAAC President Tyna Pyburn at (205) 544-1413. The cost of membership is $25 for individuals and $35 for families annually.
The next item of business for the council was the Buttahatchee River Fall Fest arts-and-crafts show. The show, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 31, on the courtsquare in downtown Hamilton, will be headlined again this year by National Heritage Award winner and Hamilton potter Jerry Brown.
Applications for the arts-and-crafts section of the festival can be found on the festival’s website at www.hamiltonfallfest.org or by contacting the arts council at 921-3632 or the Hamilton Area Chamber of Commerce at 921-7786.
According to Minter, other festival participants will include fabric and bead artist Catherine Brown of Hamilton, turkey call and homemade knife specialist James Brassfield of Hamilton, gourd artist Missy Miles of Wayside, the Kozy Krafters Quilt Guild of Winfield and fabric artist Linda Lyndale of Amory, Miss. Lyndale won Best of Show in the 2009 Jerry Brown Arts Festival.
“We are actively trying to get artists from the arts festival to come to the Fall Fest. The council is also trying to improve the quality of our products. A selection committee will be going through all applications for the arts-and-crafts section of the festival to make sure all vendors offer quality products. The arts-and-crafts show at the festival is not a juried show,” said Minter.
“The Hamilton Area Chamber of Commerce is also attempting the same idea. As a member of the chamber, we want to prevent the festival from becoming a glamorized flea market. The chamber also has a selection committee to review all general vendors’ applications for quality and quantity control.”
The application deadline for the arts-and-crafts show at the Fall Fest is Oct. 23. Booths for the show cost $50 without electricity and $55 with electricity. The arts council reserves any right to refuse any application based on standards of quality.