2005 Shoals Arts in the News
8.15.05
- Hits and misses
Artfully connected
Thumbs up to a computer-savvy group of artists and arts enthusiasts
who are making information about the Shoals available in cyberspace.
The Web sites provide information about music, the arts, art galleries
and arts events in the Shoals to anyone connected to the Internet.
Information can be found at www.shoalsart.com, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tommywrightproductions/,
and www.shoalsfringe.com. All the sites, along with www.shoalsliving.com,
are linked, providing cyber visitors easy access to a wide variety
of information about the arts. These are valuable sources of information
and good guides to things to do for potential visitors.
Source: www.TimesDaily.com
8.8.05
- Artsy network
Web sites connect to local arts community
By Cathy Wood Myers, Feature Writer
Local art lovers have a new way to stay informed and connected
-- through their computers. - At three new not-for-profit Web
sites that focus on the Shoals' artistic and creative side, online
visitors can do everything from locate their favorite local bands
to learn more about their favorite local painters.
But that's
not all.
The Web-site founders see online access as a way to get everyone
-- not just those who know the difference between a Monet and
a Matisse -- involved in the Shoals' cultural community.
Graphic
artist David Messer founded www.shoalsart.com a few months ago
after moving to the Shoals, where his next-door neighbor turned
out to be renowned watercolorist Tim Stevenson. "The
arts have always been a passion of mine, but I've never had an
opportunity to participate," Messer said. "Then, I met Tim. He
was my inspiration. I wanted to do something to promote the artists
in the Shoals who are so well known throughout the country but
not so well known here at home."
Shoalsart.com
To get started, Messer first worked with Florence gallery owner
Lori Davis, who brought in more galleries and artists. "Then,
we expanded it to promote anything connected with art," he said.
"I'm adding more artists every month."
Visitors to www.shoalsart.com will find an easy-to-navigate site
that focuses on local artists, galleries and art-related events.
Its Find-a-Gallery feature lets you browse for galleries by Shoals
cities. The Find-an-Artist feature groups artists by categories
such as acrylics, crafts and watercolors.
There's an updated list of events, including the First Fridays
in downtown Florence, when musicians and artists will gather for
informal exhibits and performances 5-8 p.m. the first Friday of
every month.
The Web site also includes maps plus information on the history
and background of the Shoals. Since March, 1,500 people have visited
the site, with close to 500 in July -- high numbers that Messer
said surprised even him.
ShoalsArtNetwork
Another Web site launched to promote and support the Shoals arts
scene is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tommywrightproductions/.
That's the home of ShoalsArtNework, an online group local photographer
and printmaker Tommy Wright founded in February. "It's not a club
or an organization or anything like that. It's a network, a way
that people can stay in touch and get information about arts in
the Shoals," Wright said. "I'm trying to be all-inclusive with
it. It's for anybody who ever saw a piece of art or listened to
a piece of music. It's completely open to anybody." Visitors to
the site can join discussions, chats, e-mails, instant messages
and other features when they join the group. It's free and can
even be anonymous if visitors want to register under made-up screen
names.
The site also spotlights various artists and offers a calendar
of arts events. "We're just getting started," Wright added. "It's
a good amount of work. I'm the moderator. I keep out spam and
flaming. The messages we have there pertain to the arts, and I
try to keep them effective and informative."
About 40 members have joined so far, including grade-school students
and Shoals arts fans from as far away as Scotland and Hawaii.
Davis, owner of Lori Davis Gallery in Florence, is a fan. "It's
a good bulletin board for artists who want to show their work
online or to pass along information about festivals," she said.
"Anybody can join, and you can participate in the conversations
or sit back and read them. It's a good way for me as a gallery
owner to know what's going on out there and see what artists are
thinking."
Shoalsfringe
Bryan Van Devender, of Sheffield, started www.shoalsfringe.com
this past December.
This site, which is linked with Shoals Web presence www.shoalsliving.com,
offers up-to-the-minute bands and clubs info as well as features
on local artists, restaurant reviews and lists of arts and other
Shoals cultural happenings. "I was developing my own blog, and
once I completed the layout and design, I realized it would be
a gross negligence of the potential for what I had done to waste
it on my own musings," Van Devender said. "There's a need for
some unity in the arts community, especially if the area's trying
to capitalize on the tourism movement."
Through www.shoalsliving.com, users can access the Web site from
cell phones. "There are less than 10 cities in the country that
have access to that service," Van Devender said.
In a spirit of cooperation, the arts sites link to and support
each other as well as other local and state Web sites that offer
information about Shoals events. The sites also are online extensions
for a couple of informal local arts groups that get together monthly
for show-and-tell sessions, round-table discussions and socializing.
In fact, the local Web sites and the local casual arts gathering
are intertwined -- the Web sites publicize the meetings and the
groups encourage online visits. And that's the way it should be.
"These are all different ways of connecting with artist, both
online and in the real world," Wright said. "That's the whole
idea, and once you connect, you'll know what's going on."
Source:
www.TimesDaily.com
