Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Artisan Edition

The Lowe Mill District & Flying Monkey Arts Center

Hello there all of you art lovers. My name is c.a. Marks and I will be writing the bi-weekly column of all things art related. Now, me personally, I can't draw a straight line to save my life but I sure do love art and all that it represents, in all forms.

We are privileged enough to live in a state full of art supported endeavors. Let me highlight one such beast that is located right here in my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. The Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment as well as Flying Monkey Arts.

First, from the Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment website:

...located in historic Lowe Mill, an old textile mill built in the year 1900. Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment supports a diverse community of artisans and businesses that are dedicated to the free expression of the arts in Huntsville.

The vision for Lowe Mill is of a true arts destination, where a community of artisans can practice their trade while improving their skills through interactions with other artists, all the while educating the public about art and its value.

Lowe Mill is home to a variety of different groups and artists, including The Flying Monkey Arts Center, Everett Cox’s new foundry, Susan Knecht’s glass blowing studio, Happy Tummy Restaurant and 34 new artists located on the recently opened 3rd floor. There are over 50 artist studios on site throughout the Lowe Mill building.

You can read more about Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment on their ABOUT PAGE.

Now, for the longest time I used to think that the Flying Monkey Arts and Lowe Mill A&E was the same thing but they are not. Lowe Mill is the whole entire complex that houses the artists and Flying Monkey is a non-profit that is within (or housed if you will) in the Lowe Mill A&E facility.

The Flying Monkey Arts Center includes a variety of participating artisans and groups such as The Film Co-op, Vertical House Records, and the Crash Boom Bang Theatre.

If you are looking for a grass roots art movement then The Flying Monkey Arts Center is for you. They put a whole new spin on the term Bohemian. It is my opinion that every town should have an art co-op such as The Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment and Flying Monkey Arts Center. These centers benefit our communities in many ways and we should support them anyway possible. Some may only need volunteers to help out and some may have wish lists in which you can contribute.

Getting involved in a local arts community is rewarding. As I stated earlier I don't have an artistic bone inside of myself but that doesn't mean I am not creative. I love anything artisan related, I love being around it, so I get my own sort of reward by pitching in when and where I can; even if it's just writing about it and promoting the endeavor of another.

Future article topics will include individual artisans and their personal stories, art retreats, art festivals, galleries, and all art mediums.

Thank you for reading.

2 comments:

Ashley said...

Have you ever eaten at the Happy Tummy @ Lowe Mill? I have friends who go there all the time and I've been meaning to check it out. I've heard some rave reviews!

kathi said...

Thanks for clearing up the difference between Lowe Mill and Flying Monkey--I never understood that before. I look forward to reading your posts.

If you haven't linked up and introduced yourself yet, be sure to go here to do so!