Arts Fell on Alabama

Lily Plowden is a Birmingham-based organizer and UAB medical sociology graduate student who serves on the organizing committee of Iron Hills Folk School. As the school’s commitments coordinator, she helps members collaborate on the workshops, social gatherings, and shared responsibilities that keep the cooperative running. Iron Hills Folk School is a Birmingham “cooperative school for life” where...

Birmingham-based children’s author Kerry Madden-Lunsford shares how a family therapist’s advice inspired her latest book, Werewolf Hamlet. 

Mary Margaret Scalici is a veteran dancer and movement educator who brought Dance for Parkinson’s (PD) to Birmingham in 2011 through her foundational work with Southern Danceworks and UAB Arts in Medicine . In her work with The Alabama Ballet, The Alabama School of Fine Arts, and The Dance Foundation, among many others, Mary Margaret blends her extensive dance expertise with comprehensive Pilates...

Brian Mast is the Education Outreach Coordinator at the University of Alabama’s Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. In his work with the museum, he helps students, educators, and visitors engage with the history and culture of Alabama athletics through the museum’s collections, programs, and stories.

Mary Foster is a former  Girls Rock Birmingham camper whose own life was shaped by summers spent learning instruments, playing music, and writing songs. Along the way, she also learned personal empowerment, self-expression, and tenacity. Now a University of Alabama student studying marketing, she’s returning to Girls Rock Birmingham as a mentor to help the next generation of young women find their...

Allison Grant  is an artist, writer, curator based in Tuscaloosa where she is also an Associate Professor of Photography at The University of Alabama. She is a 2022 Alabama State Council on the Arts Fellow and a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow. Her photographs are held in collections and museums across the United States, and The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have published her editorial photog...

Vitalis Wagome is a Kenyan musician and educator who left medical school to pursue music. A graduate of Alabama State University, he now teaches while continuing his graduate work and mentoring young people through music, a path he began in Nairobi’s underserved communities. He plans to return to Kenya to build a conservatory and expand access to music education.    Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekl...

Scott Wright is a singer, conductor, composer, actor, patron, and arts advocate. He currently serves as general and artistic director of  Mobile Opera  and is general director emeritus of the  International Performing Arts Institute  in Bavaria, Germany. He has performed in numerous operas, operettas, and musical theatre productions. His favorite role in opera, however, is that of conductor — alwa...

George Culver is a producer, arts administrator, and the former executive director of Talladega’s Ritz Theatre . His innovative approach to theatre programming and background as a producer helped transform the Ritz into an indispensable cultural asset for audiences throughout East Alabama.   Special appreciation to Stefani Priskos, Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture at the Alab...

Yogi Dada is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, poetry, music, and wearable art. Inspired by her mother’s early lessons and shaped by years of creative exploration, she transforms personal memory and emotion into bold, colorful earrings she calls “Dadas.” Based in Center Point, Ala., her custom jewelry tells stories of resilience, identity, and self-expression. Learn more at Yog...

Ashley Jeffcoat is the owner and fiber artist behind  Paper Crane Yarns , a hand-dyed yarn studio based in Calera, Alabama. Working from her self-described “secret lab of wonderment,” she creates small-batch colorways inspired by a wide range of influences including literature, film, video games, and natural landscapes. Her distinctive yarn collections serve as a foundation for connection and crea...

Gary Waldrep is best known for his skill as a banjo player, performing and preserving the traditions of bluegrass and old-time music. He has also worked as a teaching artist for several decades and has received multiple grants through the Alabama State Council on the Arts’ Folk Arts Apprenticeship program.   Special thanks to Anne Kimzey, folklorist and literary arts program manager at the Alabama...

Eric Essix is a guitarist and recording artist who lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama. He has released 29 albums to date maintaining a steady flow of new music that continues to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz. He has toured extensively with his own band, the Eric Essix Group, and with dozens of A-list artists as a sideman. In 1991, he was the youngest musician to be inducted into the...

Gary Chapman is professor emeritus of painting and drawing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As an artist, he’s had an extensive career marked by solo and group exhibitions at national and international venues, as well as numerous grants and artist fellowship awards. He is a recipient of the 2026 Arts Impact Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Learn more at  garychapmanart....

Debbie Bond is an internationally performing blues musician who splits her time between England, France, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Along with Michael McCracken, she co-founded the award-winning  Alabama Blues Project , a nonprofit dedicated to promoting and preserving the state’s blues heritage. The organization’s blues education initiatives have included in-school and after-school programs, exhibi...

High on the bluff in Old Town Daphne, an old community hall is stepping back into the spotlight.  Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre founder and executive director Erin Langley is leading the renovation of the Nicholson Center , transforming it into a vibrant hub that will empower local performers, give access for all audiences, and elevate the cultural life of Alabama's Eastern Shore.  Her vision: a...

Mobile, Alabama’s Ben Kaiser ( @ben.kaiser_art ) is the owner and CEO of Mirth Artists, a Mardi Gras float production company. He and his team work year-round to design and build traditional papier-mâché floats for several of Mobile's most historic krewes including the Knights of Revelry, Crewe of Columbus, and Infant Mystics. Every year, Kaiser consults with each group's parade committee to devel...

In a quiet room at the Homewood Public Library, young adult author Randi Pink is chasing her dream one sentence at a time. Here why Randi is working to put her name -- and Black stories -- literally on the map. Learn more about Randi at RandiPink.com . Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

A church organist reflects on a “two‑week” fill‑in job that became a 50‑year calling and shares how sacred music, sacrifice, and joy shape her life at the keyboard. Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

C.H. Wilson is a Navy veteran living in Birmingham who finds healing and community while participating in InToto Creative Arts programs at his local VA.   Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

Bethany Moody weaves history and sustainable practices into her fiber art, proving that even things that have been discarded can become useful once again.  Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art.  Music: Victor Military Band, Emil Waldteufel, and Walter B Rogers. Dreams of Childhood. 1913. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-133896/

Meet Timothy Huffman III: Birmingham drummer, keyboardist, and founder of Exposure Community Development Corporation. Free music lessons changed the course of Tim’s life. Now, he’s helping the next generation of Birmingham kids find their groove through his nonprofit.   Arts Fell on Alabama airs weekly on Troy Public Radio. © 2026 Alabama State Council on the Art. 

Montgomery-based writer Bob McGough shares how a lifetime of playing Dungeons and Dragons prepared him for writing novels and short stories -- and vice versa!

Treat yourself to some of 2024's best deleted scenes from your weekly dose of Southern creativity. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year from the Arts Fell on Alabama team!

Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Greta Lambert reflects on the joys and challenges of adapting Dickens' A Christmas Carol into a one-woman show during the coronavirus pandemic. In conversation with Annemarie Anderson.