The Kentuck Art Center in Northport, Alabama is a visit that has to be experienced! We more than 50 years in the business of promoting art and engaging the community, they do both so well!
Located in a 100-year-old building in Downtown Northport, Alabama, the Kentuck Art Center is so much more than just an art gallery, conclave, and festival. We had the greatest experience here and want to tell you all the reasons you need to visit too!
The What and Why: Kentuck Art Center provides a variety of programming year around that not only engages the community in what is going on at Kentuck but also empowers the artists. The programming includes opportunities year around that allows the community members to interact with art and culture seven days a week for free!
The Kentuck Festival of the Arts: With 2022 being the 51st year of the festival, it is obvious they are doing a lot right! The two-day event features more than 250 artists that perform live music, spoken word art, and other art demonstrations as well as drawing around 20,000 visitors. This is one festival that needs to be on your list to attend!
Exhibitions: Kentuck Art Center has a variety of exhibitions throughout the area. Currently, there are exhibitions in both the gallery of Kentuck and Hotel Indigo in Tuscaloosa. These exhibitions change several times a year, making the transition something every art fan looks forward to.
Art Night: Art Nights are held the first Thursday of each month and are free events! Art Nights are usually scheduled from 5pm-8pm and include and sometimes include an exhibition in the artists’ studios, extended gallery hours for shopping and exploring, pop-up shops, and live music.
First Fridays: These tremendous events are held at Kentuck’s Gallery at Hotel Indigo Tuscaloosa and serves as an opening reception for new exhibitions coming to the gallery. They happen throughout the year on the first Friday of the month.
Workshops: We had the unique pleasure of taking a Painting with Music workshop and had the best time! If you are not into painting, there is something for everyone! For adults, there is Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain, the Art of Tattoos, ceramic mugs, portrait workshop, and animals in clay, in addition to several more! For kids, there is paper Mache, after school art, and additionally, there are classes parents can take with their kids as well!
Boxes of Joy/Outreach: This incredible program began in 2021 when they served 46 kids under the age of 12! The original goal was to provide a creative outlet for children during the pandemic, but the demand was so great they had to expand it through this year. Now, you and I can donate to this incredible cause so children can continue to find their creative outlet!
Art Camp: Art camp is offered every summer for different ages of students and different focuses depending on the age. They only take a handful of children per each class to ensure they can get the desired information to them. Many times, these students come back for years on end, continuing a lifelong love for art.
The Campus: One thing about the Kentuck Art Center campus is that you are not going to miss it! The Big Red Dog will help you find your way and once on campus, you will be amazed! In addition to the artist studios spread throughout the campus, on any given visit you may find them honing their craft. You will also find the workshops and gallery all in the same area as well. This is a fun place to wander around. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy here.
Something for all ages: We loved the fact that Kentuck Art Center did not actually focus their attention on one specific type of art or one age group that would enjoy it. The focus here is to just get familiar with art until you find something you enjoy either in terms of viewing it or doing it. Regardless of if you have loved all types of art from an early age or if you think art just isn’t for you, give Kentuck a try. We think you will change your mind!
One Response
Thank you for the feature. We hope you had a wonderful time at Kentuck Art Center, and we hope you make it back to visit the Kentuck Festival of the Arts sometime in the near future. We had the best time giving you a tour!