Thursday was Art Night. The first Thursday of the month, when Art Galleries in Tuscaloosa and Northport celebrate the opening of new exhibits and invite the public into their studios.
As a bakery surrounded by artists, Mary’s usually participates with edible and performing arts, serving wedding cake and hosting live blues music. Except in August, when the shop closes at 6 and we take a month off from the evening festivities.
So this month we helped our neighbors at Kentuck celebrate and raise money for their organization. Kentuck is a non-profit organization dedicated to perpetuating the arts, engaging the community and empowering the artist. They host a folk art festival in October. The Kentuck Festival of the Arts is designated a Top Ten Art Fair and Festival by American Style Magazine. The 38th Annual Kentuck Festival of the Arts will be October 17 & 18, 2009.
Kentuck’s courtyard was a true display of engaging the community. Over a hundred people gathered to celebrate the opening of the August exhibit of recent works by Jeannie Guthrie and Elizabeth Quinn, boost awareness of the organization, and raise money. If you live in the community you know about Kentuck’s recent financial struggles.
For a small donation to the organization, dozens of patrons received a hand made bowl by ceramic artist Kerry Kennedy of Firehorse Studio. The bowl was filled with freshly made gelato from Mary’s.
The cob oven in the courtyard was fired up with fresh bread, pizza and grilled fresh vegetables from Snow’s Bend Farm. There was live music and, after dark, a movie played on the outside wall of the gallery building.
Melina McClure, who is opening the new restaurant on the corner of 5th Street and Main Avenue was there to meet the community, and the advanced band from the Alabama Blues Camp entertained from the sidewalk.
Kentuck is an integral part of the flavor of Historic Downtown Northport, along with the many independent merchants, artists and restaurants and other businesses. This past art night proved how much they help create that sense of community Northport is famous for.
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