The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will be hosting Community Arts Conversations in order to connect the general public with local arts and theatre organizations.
Representatives from 27 groups will be attending the event who will be available to answer questions from the public. It will be held at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m.
“Community Arts Conversations is a chance for the community to come out and speak with the different arts organizations that are active in Tuscaloosa,” Sandra Wolfe, executive director of the Arts Council, said.
Each group will have their own individualized display set up within the amphitheater. Throughout the evening, groups will have ticket giveaways and offer discounted tickets. The event will also feature theatrical performances by some groups, and a variety of artwork on display. Kentuck will be giving out a few passes to the Kentuck Art Festival.
“There are some opportunities to really, really connect with the organizations,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe said she believes the best part about the Community Arts Conversations event is the easy access it gives the community to the arts organizations of Tuscaloosa.
“It’s great for if you’re interested in seeing, under one roof, all of the different organizations and how to get an idea of what their schedules are in terms of performances, what they do here in the community and a chance to see one-on-one the executive directors of those organizations and the people and volunteers who are active in those groups,” she said.
While the event is geared toward the general public, Wolfe said she believes Community Arts Conversations is a great opportunity for students who are interested in the art culture in Tuscaloosa.
“The nice thing about this is, sometimes with the community arts, with our different arts organizations, it’s hard for students coming in to have a one-stop shop for the community arts,” Wolfe said. “It’s an opportunity to connect under one roof with the arts in the community they are living in.”
The University of Alabama is expected to have a large presence at the event as well. The University of Alabama Press, Department of Theatre and Dance, Creative Campus and the School of Music are all scheduled to be in attendance. Campus Arts Coordinator for Creative Campus, Alexis Clark said Community Arts Conversations reminds her of an art-specific Get On Board Day.
“The event really is like a Get on Board Day for arts organizations in the community,” she said. “Similarly, Creative Campus will man a table and we will have info in regards to our upcoming projects. It really is a great opportunity to engage with the community at large.”
Clark said Community Arts Conversations is a great program not only because of its access to the general community but also because of the format in which the event is organized. Groups are able to display all they have to offer at once and answer any questions the community may have for them.
“The nice thing about it is that it’s short and sweet,” she said. “It gives arts organizations an opportunity to put their calendars out there, to offer ticket discounts. It’s really beneficial for the community to come out and really get information in a concise way. If they had any questions about who the composers or the performers were they could come and ask the representatives face-to-face.”
Community Arts Conversations is free to the public. For more information on Community Arts Conversations and similar events visit tuscarts.org or call The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa at (205) 758-5195.
