Art livens Harmony Club

By Katie Nichols (Contact) | Selma Times-Journal

Published Wednesday, March 11, 2009

A building steeped in 100 years of Selma history collides once again with local artists Friday night.

Cindy Stoudenmire of ArtsRevive, and David Hurlbut, owner of the Harmony Club, worked Wednesday afternoon hanging works from Alabama and Selma artists on the first floor walls of the building.

“We have 18 Selma artists and others from all over the state,” Stoudenmire said. “It is a collection of really talented artists. Stepping into [the Harmony Club] is like going to New Orleans. The architecture is so reminiscent of it and the building is art in its own right.”

The art show at The Harmony Club, 1009 Water Ave., will start Friday from 6-7:30 p.m. for ArtsRevive members and then open to the public from 7:30-10 p.m.

The show will also be open Saturday from 7-10 p.m. and during Pilgrimage hours — March 20, 21 and 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

An art professor in New York, who will impartially choose a winner in each category, will judge the artwork at the show.

This isn’t the first time an art show has been held at The Harmony Club.

“It’s been at least seven years,” Hurlbut said. “It started out with me and another person just hanging art on the wall and know it has grown.”

The Harmony Club began as a place for a social club for the Jewish community in 1909. In it’s early day the first floor held two retail spaces and the front part of the second floor served as a restaurant. The back of the second floor was more of a secret to most of the public. It functioned as a Men’s Lounge for males in the social club. The ballroom on the third floor held many dances and parties.

The building acted as the home for the social club until it became the Elks Club in the 1930s. It was boarded up in 1960.

Hurlbut bought and began restorations to the building in 1999.

He said the art show at The Harmony Club represents what can make Selma a thriving arts town like Savannah, Ga. and Charlotte, N.C.

“There needs to be a nexus between artists, historic buildings and economic development,” Hurlbut said. “Selma is chock full of talented artists, especially for its small population. We also have great historic buildings that are unfortunately falling down and vacant. For Selma to thrive we have to start using those buildings and letting artists work on them and in them.”

ArtsRevive’s purpose echoes Hurlbut’s sentiment Stoudenmire said.

“What ArtsRevive is all about is expanding Selma’s tax revenue through a positive way and generating commerce for not only now, but the future,” she said. “We also want to build culture in Selma because when a business wants to open, then they look at that aspect. They look at schools, safety and amenities like theatres, art galleries and things like that.”

For the arts to thrive in Selma there must be support by the locals, Stoudenmire said.

“We just want people to come out see some of the talent in town and have some food and drinks,” she said. “This collection of artists is a great showcase of everything. We have photographs, sculptures, paintings and just about everything else. There will be something that you will like and most of the artwork is for sale.’”

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