By Emily Enfinger
The Selma Times-Journal

In fall 2015, ArtsRevive began a three-phase capital campaign titled “The time for Selma is now” to help revitalize Selma into a more engaging and vibrant community. 

The three phases of the campaign include transforming the Carneal building into an arts and cultural center, creating a retail space for artists to display and sell work and to create a community garden to act not only as a garden but also as a hub where children could play and people could enjoy nature.

Fran Pearce, chairman of the campaign for ArtsRevive, said the progress of construction and moving forward depends on how fundraising goes. ArtsRevive has a goal to raise $1 million.

“We aren’t halfway there, but we feel good about where we are with raising money,” Pearce said.

She said ArtsRevive took a break from fundraising during December because of the holidays but will be resuming soon now that the new year is here.

Pearce said the Carneal Arts and Culture Center and Gallery 905, work and gallery space for artists, are the only two of the three phases they are currently working on.

“That’s about all that we could chew on at first,” Pearce said.

Construction on the Carneal building began earlier than expected in fall 2015 because of the collapse of part of the riverbank in April.

Pearce said they were hoping to be finished with construction around December, but now they are hoping the Carneal Arts and Culture Center will be near completion in February.

Gallery 905 opened as a pop-up gallery from November to December but closed for renovations. Pearce said Gallery 905 will be closed for the next six to eight weeks to finish work on the space such as sealing the concrete floors and installing heating and cooling.

She said they are expecting it to reopen in mid-February and are hoping to have an official grand opening at that time.

Pearce said the workspace for artists will be located in the back of Gallery 905 and will not be available for the grand opening, but should will be complete in the months ahead.

Pearce said work on the community garden, named Cammak Garden, will begin once they are further along with phases one and two.

“We do believe in Selma and we feel like it has some wonderful untapped recourses that art can put life back into,” Pearce said.

“When you take a garage and turn it into an art gallery, we think that is pretty fabulous.”

For more information about ArtsRevive and to make donations, contact Martha Lockett at 412-8052, Fran Pearce at frannypearce@gmail.com or visit www.thetimeforselmaisnow.org.