The Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) is excited to again call students, alumni artists, faculty, and staff of Athens State University and Calhoun Community College for the tenth annual juried Festival of the Cranes Exhibition.

We encourage innovative and progressive works that utilize a diversity of art forms and media that depicts Whooping cranes, Sandhill cranes, birds, waterfowl, ducks, geese, raptors, eagles, falcons, owls, fish, deer, other wildlife, nature, and anything to do with General Joe Wheeler (“Fighting Joe”) or his home, Pond Spring, in nearby Hillsboro, Alabama.

This event is in conjunction with the annual Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Festival of the Cranes to be held on Friday through Sunday, January 12-14, 2024. (Note: the ACA will have special hours, 9am-4pm, on Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 12-14. There will be events throughout the weekend at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Princess Theatre, Cook Museum, Carnegie Visual Arts Center, ACA, and more. (The Refuge’s Visitors Center will still be closed due to their on-going renovation project.)

Artists may submit up to three works of art in JPG form along with the entry form for consideration by our juror. No more than three works per artist will be selected. Works selected for the show will be displayed in the Walking Gallery (first floor) of the Visual Arts building at the Alabama Center for the Arts in historic Downtown Decatur.

Call (256) 260-4299 or email Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu with any questions.

The Alabama Center for the Arts is holding auditions for our Summer ’23 production of:

“Green Day’s American Idiot”

Music by Green Day, Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, Book by Billie Joe Armstrong
and Michael Mayer

When:
Friday, May 19 – from 12-5pm
Saturday, May 20 – from 12-5pm

Where:
The Alabama Center for the Arts – Music & Theatre Building
133 2nd Ave. NE
Decatur, AL 35601

Audition Requirements:
Auditions will be comprised of three parts:

Singing – Prepare a 1 minute selection in style from the show, You are asked to bring an accompaniment track for your singing audition

• Cold Read Sides – these will be distributed at the audition
• Dance – You may be asked to learn a brief routine with our choreographer

Call Backs: Monday, May 22. 2-7pm
Performance Dates: July 13, 14, 15, & 16

Synopsis:

The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical Green Day’s American Idiot, based on the Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album, boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before. This high-octane show includes every song from Green Day’s album, American Idiot, as well as several songs from its follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown.

Johnny, Tunny and Will struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths are quickly estranged when Tunny enters the armed forces, Will is called back home to attend to familial responsibilities, and Johnny’s attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship. An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot, features little dialogue and instead relies on the lyrics from Green Day’s groundbreaking album to execute the story line.

Cast Requirements:
We are looking for men and women of all ages who are needed for this production to play a variety of roles. Non-traditional casting is to be expected based on potential pool of actors and casting is open to everyone including students of Athens State University, Calhoun Community College, or other schools, and is also open to all community actors and performers.

Character Breakdown:
Johnny – The self-proclaimed “Jesus of Suburbia.” Bored of his do-nothing, go-nowhere existence, he takes off for the city to get a new lease on life. He wages an inner war between a budding love for Whatsername and growing dependency on St. Jimmy and drugs. Vocal range top: B4, bottom: B2

Tunny – Johnny’s friend who follows him to the city and eventually enlists in the army. He travels to the Middle East. A dreamer who is easily swayed, first by Johnny’s ideas and then by patriotism and the American Dream. Vocal range top: B4, bottom: D3

Will – Johnny’s friend. He ends up staying in Suburbia to take care of pregnant girlfriend Heather. The more he stays on the couch, the more he becomes slowly disconnected from the world and his own relationships. Vocal range top: A4, bottom: C#3

St. Jimmy – Johnny’s alter ego. Known as the “city badass.” An enigmatic and charismatic enabler who gets Johnny addicted to drugs and grows jealous of his relationship with Whatsername. Vocal range top: F#5, bottom: C3

Heather – A girl in Suburbia and Will’s girlfriend. She discovers she is pregnant but has difficulty telling her boyfriend of the news. Once she settles down with him, she struggles to maintain their relationship with his despondency and eventually leaves him. Vocal range top: E5, bottom: A3

Whatsername – A girl in the city who falls for Johnny. A rebellious activist who is willing to follow Johnny to the ends of the earth, but fights to have him embrace their authentic relationship rather than pursue his addiction. Vocal range top: D#5, bottom: F#3

Extraordinary Girl – A girl in the Middle East who appears as a sexual hallucination to injured Tunny. Attractive and mysterious, she later appears as his nurse and accompanies him home after the war. Vocal range top: E5, bottom: Bb3

Ensemble: The Men (Carson, Daniel, Brandon, John, Jamal, Dustin, Jared); The Women (Chelsea, Ashley, Aurie)

The Gallery Committee of the Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) is excited to call theatrical artists from ACA (including faculty, staff, students, and alumni) as well as the community theatre groups in Decatur for a juried exhibition in our Main Gallery featuring The Art of Decatur Theatre.

Artists may submit up to three works of art in JPG form along with the entry form for consideration by our jurors. No more than three works per artist will be selected. Works selected for the exhibition will be displayed in the main gallery of the Alabama Center for the Arts in historic Downtown Decatur.

We would like to accept the following types of art (artists are limited to 3 submissions each):

• Handmade props
• Costumes (ACA has a limited number of dress forms and/or mannequins. If a costume piece is submitted and accepted, a form on which it can be displayed is appreciated.)
• Puppets
• Smaller handmade set pieces
• Sound design submissions (made up of only original creations)
• Video clips of performances. Time lapse or video progressions of costume or set creations.
  • NOTE @ video clips:  We have a limited number of monitors and accepted clips and sound design submissions may be featured in a running loop featuring more than one artist’s clip.
• Framed High Resolution Production Photos of lighting and set designs (minimum size 11×14 – maximum size 18×24)

The timeline is as follows:

• Submissions accepted April 3 through May 5, 2023
• Jury (projected) dates:  May 8-22
• Artist notification by email:  June 5-9
• Deliver accepted pieces to ACA:  June 26-30
• Show installation:  July 5-10

Show dates:

• Opens – July 11
• Reception – TBD
• Closes – September 7
• Pick-up art:  September 8, 11-15, 2023

*ACA has very limited storage. It is imperative that you pick up your art during the designated times.

Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to participate in this Call to Theatrical Artists.

Contact Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu (256-260-4299) or Kimberly.Parker@calhoun.edu (256-306-2701) with any questions.

The Alabama Center for the Arts’ annual Youth Art Month (YAM) celebration is underway. The Annual Showcase of Young Talent features 116 pieces of art divided into Early Elementary, Elementary, Middle School, and High School categories. All of the artists are K-12 students from Morgan County, Decatur City, and Hartselle City schools, as well as students from some area private schools.

The exhibit will be open from February 27 – March 30 in the Alabama Center for the Arts’ Main Gallery and Walking Gallery. An Awards Reception is planned at the ACA for March 9 at 5:30 pm.

Youth Art Month encourages support for quality school art programs and promotes art material safety. Administered by The Council for Art Education, the program helps children of all ages develop problem-solving, observation, and communication skills while enhancing their creativity.

The event is sponsored by the Alabama Center for the Arts and the Carnegie Visual Arts Center, with artist awards to be given by Daybreak Rotary Club of Decatur. The Carnegie provides educational and cultural opportunities to the Decatur area and strives to encourage greater involvement in art at all levels and ages. Their excellent children’s art education program promotes creativity via hands-on activities. In addition, the Carnegie often awards scholarships to their summer camps and offers a variety of other programs, events, and collections for all ages.

The Project is an intensive, 2-week, summer camp experience, open to rising sophomore, junior, and senior high school students who will work with faculty from Calhoun Community College and Athens State University on a collaborative arts project using aspects of Visual and Performing Arts. This program is COMPLETELY FREE to all participants! Students must be available to attend the full 2 weeks of our program, which is scheduled for June 5-9and June 12-16, 2023. To be considered for this program, student applicants must:

1. Complete an online or paper application
2. Submit a Letter of Recommendation
3. Digitally submit samples of their work.
   Performance applicants will need to send videos of their vocal or instrumental performances.
   Audio Engineering and Visual Arts applicants will need to send portfolios/reels of their work, including but not limited to: video editing, audio mixing, music production, projection design, theatrical lighting, and graphic design.
4. Submit a 500-word essay about one of the following topics:

• How has American music influenced music globally? (Feel free to choose a specific genre.)
• How has technology changed the music industry?
• Connections between music and other media types.

All application materials can be submitted to kimberly.parker@calhoun.edu or chris.vrenna@calhoun.edu by March 31, 2023 at 5pm. Please note, if accepted to participate in The Project, you will be notified via email starting April 20, 2023.

The Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) is excited to call students, alumni artists, faculty and staff of Athens State University and Calhoun Community College for the ninth annual juried Festival of the Cranes Exhibition.

We encourage innovative and progressive work that utilizes a diversity of art forms and media that depicts Whooping cranes, Sandhill cranes, birds, waterfowl, ducks, geese, raptors, eagles, falcons, owls, fish, deer, other wildlife, nature, and anything to do with General Joe Wheeler (“Fighting Joe”) or his home, Pond Spring, in nearby Hillsboro, Alabama.

This event is in conjunction with the annual Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Festival of the Cranes event to be held on Saturday & Sunday, January 14-15, 2023. (Note: ACA will have special hours on Jan. 14 & 15, 9am until 5pm). There will be events throughout the weekend at the ACA, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Princess Theatre, Cook Museum, Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Old State Bank and more.

Artists may submit up to three works of art in JPG form along with the entry form for consideration by our juror. No more than three works per artist will be selected. Works selected for the show will be displayed in the walking gallery (first floor) of the Visual Arts building at the Alabama Center for the Arts in historic Downtown Decatur.

Questions? Call (256) 260-4299 or email Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu with any questions.

The Alabama Center for the Arts Foundation in partnership with the Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority and other community partners is seeking proposals for the design and creation of a mural to be located in an repurposed alleyway in the heart of downtown Decatur, Alabama. Artists are encouraged to think outside the box with their design and are free to incorporate the various elements of the building.

We are currently in the design phase of the Johnston Street Alley Project with a goal of transforming an alleyway in the heart of Decatur, Alabama’s downtown arts and entertainment district into a vibrant community gathering space. The repurposed space, flanked by historic buildings and restaurants, will include areas for outdoor dining, small events and small audience theatrical and musical performances. Located across the street from the Alabama Center for the Arts student dormitory, the alleyway will also serve as a space for art students to relax and socialize. An additional goal is for the space to showcase a variety of public art. Sculptures, murals, and revolving displays of Alabama Center for the Arts student art are just a few of the ideas being discussed.

Full details for this project can be found at artist.callforentry.org.

Entry Deadline: 10/14/22
Entry Fee (Entry Fee): $15.00
Budget: $15,000 – $20,000 (subject to negotiation depending on overall size / complexity of mural)

[button link=”https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=10564&fbclid=IwAR0_zvRRGT4PlV1nb7tmc_FAid2D6crAqY7jVf0w-9hROl0WFOxUT61hAyU” color=”teal”] Get details & apply now[/button]

July 12, 2022, Decatur, AL – The Alabama Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the opening of the 2022 Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama. The exhibit is a traveling juried art show that displays artwork created by students throughout Alabama who have visual impairments, blindness, and/or deaf-blindness. The show, which opened today, will be displayed through Wednesday, September 14 in the Walking Gallery. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama has been hosted by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Vision Science Research Center and Education Outreach Module for over 20 years. The show travels throughout Alabama to eight museums over the course of the year.

Children who participate in the show use various media to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces. The arts are included in the students’ academic curriculum in areas such as the development of communication skills utilizing visual and tactical abilities, math, science, reading, and leisure-time activities. This year’s exhibit will feature 46 unique pieces of art that can be purchased for a donation starting at $100.00. The funds collected help with the costs of framing, the opening reception, scholarships, and summer workshops.

The Alabama Center for the Arts is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm and on Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.