Athens Arts League offers free cultural events for the community
ATHENS-Athens Arts League is setting the mood for art by offering the community free events to enjoy visual and musical arts as well as the spoken word.
Athens Arts League is sponsoring events at High Cotton Arts for the June 9 Fridays at Five and the reoccurring Listening Lounge that will be Tuesday, June 13.
Fridays After Five is a monthly Athens Main Street event in the summer to encourage downtown merchants to stay open later for shoppers. The event is 5-8 p.m. As part of the event, resident artists at High Cotton Arts are inviting the public for a casual art stroll to see new pieces they have created and learn about art classes available for all ages. Shoppers can purchase local art ranging from oil and acrylic paintings to jewelry to ceramics.
In addition, the Shoals-area band Sharpshooter will return to High Cotton Arts to perform country, rock and blues.
“Downtown Athens is a beautiful setting, and we always meet nice people who stop to enjoy our performance,” said Sharpshooter lead singer Misty Francis.
Athens Arts League Board President Amy Golden said there will be an Athens ROCKS station outside of High Cotton Arts, and the public is encouraged to paint a rock to hide for the popular scavenger hunt.
Athens ROCKS kicked off at High Cotton Arts in March with artist Roberta Ress as a bicentennial art project to encourage families to create, hide and hunt for painted rocks and explore our city. Searchers can find rocks on The Square, at city parks, City Hall, the Swan Creek Greenway and other public places. Selfies can be posted on the Athens ROCKS Facebook page.
“The art stroll, music and Athens ROCKS station during Fridays After Five are ideal ways for us to encourage the community to become more engaged in creating and owning art as well as supporting efforts to offer art opportunities in Athens and Limestone County,” Golden said.
In addition to Fridays After Five, Athens Arts League sponsors a year-round monthly event called the Listening Lounge. On the second Tuesday of each month, High Cotton Arts alternates between hosting musical and spoken word events that are free and open to the public.
Jim Owens
On June 13, Huntsville author James I. Owens, Jr., who is president of FirstBank in Madison, will be the guest speaker. He describes himself as an author-poet-cowboy-philosopher trapped in the body of a banker. He will discuss his book “Long Trail Home: a journey.” The tale follows young Matthew Masterson, who leaves a life of wealth and privilege and the demanding expectations of his father. From youth to adulthood, Matthew must face challenges from within and without, driving him to answer the question, “What path will I walk?”
“I suppose I suffer from a bit of attention deficit disorder,” Owens said. “I tend to describe my genre as ‘stuff that matters.’ Whether writing fiction, poetry or non-fiction, I want to explore ideas about spirituality, philosophy, mindfulness, science and everyday living. If you read my work, you will find those things present in my blogs, poetry, short stories, novels and work on business topics.”
Owens is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and blogs on Elephant Journal.
About High Cotton Arts
High Cotton Arts is the non-profit downtown art incubator located at 103 West Washington Street. It offers affordable studio space for artists, exhibits, art classes and cultural events. For more information, go online at www.highcottonarts.com.
About Athens Arts League
Athens Arts League is a non-profit group with a mission to support artists, provide art education and bring cultural events to Athens and Limestone County. Athens Arts League operates High Cotton Arts, collaborates with schools and other groups to support art opportunities, and is renovating the Scout House into a music venue. For more information, go online at www.athensartsleague.com.
