This Town Has a Lot of Art!
From festivals and galleries to museums, Huntsville has it covered

The Huntsville Museum of Art – named one of the state’s top 10 destinations – attracts some 100,000 visitors each year.

The Arts Council in Huntsville is perhaps one of the hardest-working organizations in the community.

Not only does the council represent individual artists, arts organizations and supporters of the arts, it also sponsors the Panoply Arts Festival, one of Huntsville’s best-loved community events, and co-sponsors the Concerts in the Park series with the City of Huntsville.

“We’re like a chamber of commerce for the arts, advocating the needs of artists and artist organizations,” says Andrea Williams, communications director for The Arts Council, which has been in existence since 1962. “We’re a common ground between all arts organizations, like one big family. We’re also a community resource, because we’re a referral agency – we get calls all the time about actors and other artists.”

Panoply Arts Festival, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2006, is a three-day event that draws as many as 90,000 spectators and more than 200 volunteers. It is held the last full weekend of April at Big Spring International Park.

“It’s absolutely loved by the community, and it seems to be a family tradition,” Williams says. “The purpose of Panoply is to give Madison County a cultural outlook on all the fine arts. The festival features visual, performing and hands-on arts.”

In addition to a parade, daily fireworks and “some surprises,” Williams says the festival features a Global Village that will showcase crafts, music and other art forms from various countries and cultures.

“It’s going to be a great anniversary,” she says of Panoply.

Huntsville’s affinity for the arts is also evident in a number of other organizations, such as the Huntsville Art League.

“We have around 300 members,” says Karen Young, an artist member of the Huntsville Art League. “We’re a cooperative art gallery. Each member has to pass a standards committee evaluation to have their work displayed in the gallery, and all members work at the gallery a certain number of hours per month.”

The Huntsville Art League also hosts special arts events. Every month, one of the league’s artists gets to display their work in a Limelight Exhibit and Reception at the front of the gallery.

The league’s biggest event and fundraiser is the Collector’s Draw in late January.

“The public purchases tickets and comes in to review artwork that artists donate,” Young says. “Then they get to choose which pieces they would like to have based on a drawing. They are usually really happy with the artwork they receive, because it’s worth more than the cost of their ticket.”

The Huntsville Art League gallery also participates in two citywide art studio tours every year, usually held in July and December.

“Artists open their galleries to the public, and we have food. It’s normally from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on a Friday night,” Young says. “It’s a lot of fun, because you can talk with all the artists.”

Located in Big Spring International Park, the Huntsville Museum of Art is another place where the arts abound. The nationally accredited museum has seven galleries and a 2,300-piece permanent collection, and it hosts traveling exhibits that feature the work of nationally acclaimed artists.

The Museum Academy at the Huntsville Museum of Art offers classes in everything from drawing to jewelry making. Log onto www.hsvmuseum.org for a complete list of classes.

Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Greg Emens