Charlie &8216;Tin Man&8217; Lucas showcases works

By Coy O&8217;Neal

The Selma Times-Journal

A holiday themed open house and Christmas party was held at the gallery of Charlie Lucas and the Everyman Books bookstore

at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, on Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

It was a grand opening of sorts for Lucas and the bookstore, which is jointly owned by Nancy Ziccardi and Willie E. Lynch. Open house attendees came from Dallas and Lowndes counties, Montgomery, and upstate New York.

People milled about in small crowds, browsing through the gallery. Others played chess outside, curled up with books or talked at the small tables scattered throughout the bookstore. Gumbo was served, along with several desserts.

Lucas said it took about four months to get the gallery prepared for the open house, and two weeks to get the art pieces in place.

Lucas currently has an exhibit at the Birmingham Museum of Art, which is scheduled through the end of the month. Known as the &8220;Tin Man,&8221; Lucas has several tin sculptures on display at the gallery, including &8220;The Old Schoolteacher&8221; and &8220;Servants of Art.&8221;

The gallery and bookstore will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Lucas said he plans to have local schoolchildren to attend to the gallery during the week. &8220;It&8217;ll be set up so that they come in, do their homework, (and help customers),&8221; Lucas said.

Lucas said humility is key to his work. In regard to the support at the open house, Lucas was pleased. &8220;I couldn&8217;t ask for better,&8221; Lucas said. &8220;You have no idea how beautiful the world is until times like this.&8221;

Lucas will be heading to France in May for an exhibition.