The Tuscaloosa art scene continues to prosper and grow with the unveiling of The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center Aug. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

The Arts Center, a new space to be used as a venue for rotating art exhibits, live music performances, rehearsal space for the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers and wedding receptions, will host its opening night event Aug. 29 at the corner of Greensboro Avenue and 7th Street in downtown Tuscaloosa.

The Arts Center grand opening falls on the birthday of the center’s namesake Dinah Washington. Washington was born in Tuscaloosa and moved to Chicago and became known as “queen of the blues.”

“She was an iconic lady in the 1950s,” Sandra Wolfe, executive director of the Arts Council, said. “She had a passion for music and I think by naming the CAC after such an influential native of Tuscaloosa, we can celebrate and remember that passion.”

Wolfe said that an arts center is vital to the Tuscaloosa community.

“The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center will be a space for all of the community to connect to the arts,” Wolfe said. “This will be the home for all of the arts organizations in Tuscaloosa, and it can provide additional visibility and access to the arts in the heart of downtown Tuscaloosa.”

The University of Alabama has its own gallery at the center and will open with the exhibit “A Magic Carpet Ride: Rugs from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price.” It will stay at the CAC until Oct. 24. Paintings by local artist James Conner will be featured in the Arts Council Gallery from Aug. 29 to Sept. 26.

“The University Gallery is a great way for students and faculty to connect to Tuscaloosa,” Wolfe said. “We want the arts to be accessible to everyone, and the CAC grows the footprint closer to 15th Street for the UA community.”

Ann Bourne, president of the Arts Council and librarian in William A. Winter Reading Room in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, said she sees the CAC as a way for students to get involved in the revitalization of downtown Tuscaloosa.

“We have seen a huge increase of student involvement at the Bama Theater, which is in the same block as the CAC,” Bourne said. “The flexibility of the space, as well its location next to popular restaurants and the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater will be great for students.”

The building has always had a history of community.

“The CAC will take the place of the old Allen and Jemison building,” Wolfe said. “It used to be the hub for commerce in downtown Tuscaloosa. This building has a past, and the arts will help it to have a future.”

The Arts Council received a Housing and Urban Development grant from the federal government to begin renovations for the center. Wolfe said they were also expected to raise $1.2 million for the completion of the first floor of the center.

“The support for this project has been unbelievable,” Wolfe said. “We are just shy of the $1.2 million we had to raise, less than $150,000 away.”

Bourne said the Arts Council has had tremendous support from the City of Tuscaloosa and county commission, as well as individual donations.

“I have been so impressed by the amount of support we have seen from the city and county governments,” Bourne said. “Both Mayor Maddox and Probate Judge Hardy McCollum have told us how important they think the arts are to children and students of the community.”

For more information on the opening night festivities, visit tuscarts.org.