The Kennedy-Douglass Art Center & Volunteers would like to invite all High School Art Teachers and their students to join in a new opportunity to further your artistic pursuits! Starting in January, the KD Volunteers are kicking off a brand-new ART ADVENTURE SERIES! Art educator, Elizabeth Renault will partner with long time art teacher, Barb Hendricks to bring us some great presentations, combining fascinating lectures with hands-on activities. Art Adventures will be perfect for teens - AND adults, too! This program is free and occurs once a month, every third Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Kennedy-Douglass Art Center, 217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL 35630. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Art Adventures is FREE and open to High School students and adults. For hands-on activities following each presentation, sign-up is requested for material planning. Please call our office to sign-up: 256-760-6379

Sunday, April 21 - TYPEWRITER ART Presentation and Activity.

Typewriter art dates back to the invention of the first manual typewriter, and is different from computer generated art. It is so fascinating that one may be unable to determine that a piece of art was created by a typewriter. Elizabeth Renault presents a program that will explore the history of typewriter art, the variety of styes and processes used to create a piece using a typewriter, and review several typewriter artists and their works. . Following, Barb Hendricks will lead a hands-on activity - Work Art & Concrete Writing. Fun activities with letters, words, and images!

Project Threadways and Florence Arts & Museums Present Anita Flanagan Exhibition:

Using Our Cultural Clothing to Create for the Modern Native American

Friday, April 19, 2024

5:30 p.m.

Southall House (209 E. Tuscaloosa Street)

As part of the 2024 Project Threadways Symposium, Project Threadways and Florence Arts and Museums will host artist Anita Flanagan for a guided tour and exhibition at the Southall-Moore House (217 E. Tuscaloosa Street) at 5:30 p.m. on April 19, 2024. Titled Using Our Cultural Clothing to Create for the Modern Native American, this exhibit will showcase both traditional cultural garments made by Flanagan, as well as designs that integrate indigenous culture into contemporary clothing. This event is free and open to the public.

Born on the Qualla Boundary, home to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian in North Carolina, Flanagan has lived in or around Tuscumbia, Alabama, since high school. For more than thirty years, she has owned her own sewing and alteration business. Flanagan specializes in Native American cultural clothing and sews for members of all of the Southeastern Tribes, as well as some Western Tribes. She has been a participant and Board member of the Oka Kapassa Indian Festival, held every September in Tuscumbia, and most recently served as co-chair of the event. Flanagan currently serves on the Board of the Alabama Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, where she acts as Chapter Vice-President, and sits on the Advisory Board for both the Muscle Shoals Heritage Association and the Florence Indian Mound Museum.

Project Threadways is a 501(c)(3) organization that documents, studies, and interprets history, community, and power through the lens of fashion and textiles. From raw material to finished goods, we seek to understand the impact of textiles on our community, nation, and world. In partnership with Alabama Chanin and The School of Making, we connect people, places, and materials through design, making, and education—with cultural heritage, craft preservation, and creative placemaking at the core of our work.

Florence Arts and Museums’ sites include the Kennedy-Douglass Center of the Arts, Rosenbaum House, Pope's Tavern Museum, and Indian Mound Museum.

Contact Olivia Terenzio at think@projectthreadways.org.

The Muscle Shoals Chapter of the Alabama Archaeological Society is hosting a presentation by Scott Shaw:  “Red Ochre Pictographs from Bankhead National Forest” on Sunday, April 14th 2 PM at the Florence Indian Mound Museum.

Scott Shaw received a B.S. degree in geography from the University of North Alabama and completed numerous graduate courses in geography at the University of Alabama. He worked as an archaeologist between 1989 and 1995 on survey and excavation projects throughout the southeastern United States. Scott has been active in recording, mapping, photographing, and researching caves for over 30 years. He currently serves as cave file director and board member of the Alabama Cave Survey and is presently Archives Division Chief for the National Speleological Society.

Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts and the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House will be closed Sunday, March 31.

The Florence Indian Mound and Museum will be open Sunday, March 31 from 1-4pm.

Happy Easter!

Artistic Renderings of Youth (AROY) is one of KD Art Center’s longest running annual exhibits. It began 32 years ago by Jerry Foster and Ronnie Riner, two Shoals-area art teachers, and featured student artwork from two local schools. Today, this exhibit is still developed and coordinated by local art educators and now features artwork created by 7th through 12th grade students from 15 different schools!

Come see AROY 2024 and celebrate the talent of these young local artists!

Exhibit will be up March 20 - May 2.

Reception will be Wednesday, March 20, 5:30 - 8:30.

Come celebrate and receive the blessings of the Spring Equinox 2024 with the CORE Center and Friends of the Mound on

Wednesday March 20th, 2024, at sunrise 6:53 am

Please be at the Mound no later than 6:30 a.m. come with an Open and Loving Heart and wear white.

For more information call

Dr. Deborah Carter @ 256-386-9804 or the CORE Center 256-314-4542. If the weather is bad the ceremony will be held at the CORE Center.

The Kennedy-Douglass Art Center & Volunteers would like to invite all High School Art Teachers and their students to join in a new opportunity to further your artistic pursuits! Starting in January, the KD Volunteers are kicking off a brand-new ART ADVENTURE SERIES! Art educator, Elizabeth Renault will partner with long time art teacher, Barb Hendricks to bring us some great presentations, combining fascinating lectures with hands-on activities. Art Adventures will be perfect for teens - AND adults, too! This program is free and occurs once a month, every third Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Kennedy-Douglass Art Center, 217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL 35630. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Art Adventures is FREE and open to High School students and adults. For hands-on activities following each presentation, sign-up is requested for material planning. Please call our office to sign-up: 256-760-6379

Sunday, March 17 - KINETIC ART Presentation and Activity.

Kinetic art takes many forms; mobiles that spin and twirl, mechanical sculptures that make complex moves, pieces that walk, or paintings that appear to rotate and vibrate. Elizabeth Renault presents a program that explores a variety of kinetic art forms and highlights well-known artists who are renowned in the field of kinetic art. Following, Barb Hendricks will lead a hands-on activity - Alexander Calder: Inventor of the Mobile. Create your own mobile with a variety of materials.

Florence Arts and Museums is partnering with Summer McCreless, an herbalist who specializes in regional plant and material knowledge, to conduct a series of workshops, presentations, and demonstrations where participants can explore aspects of our region’s tangible history.

Join us at Pope’s Tavern Museum on Sunday, March 17, at 2 pm for an herbal soap making workshop. This workshop will provide an opportunity for people to engage with the history of native plants of the southeastern states, while learning about the processes and uses in soap making, both past and present. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive recipes and take home a small bar of soap. Register by clicking on the Eventbrite link or by calling us at the number listed below. Space is limited, so be sure to register soon!

Summer McCreless has been practicing herbalism for over 11 years, teaching herbal education and plant identification and uses in North Alabama. She has over 20 years of experience and education in plant identification in the United States.

This program is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums and the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. Pope’s Tavern is located at 203 Hermitage Drive, Florence, AL and is open, Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 256-760-6379 for more information. Please sign up on our website: www.florencealmuseums.com.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/herbal-remedy-workshop-soap-making-tickets-856425039347?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Florence Indian Mound Museum is hosting a series of children’s programs where students can explore the early history of the Shoals through short lessons and hands-on learning exercises. Each month will feature a practice that relates to Native American culture! Participants will explore the history and cultural meaning behind each practice while engaging in an activity related to that topic.

Join us on Saturday, March 16th, at 10 a.m. for a program and activity about Southeastern Native American music.

               Music is an artistic expression that has been shared by Southeastern Native American people for centuries. Music was and is still used for self-expression, as the carrier of language, and as a catalyst for bringing people together and keeping culture alive.  Today the music of the Native American people of the Southeast continues to be celebrated and shared in many different ways. Join us for this special class on Native American Music where we will make instruments and learn a dance. We hope to see you there!   

The Muscle Shoals Chapter of the Alabama Archaeological Society is hosting Archaeology at Pope’s Tavern on Sunday, March 10th at 2pm at the Florence Indian Mound Museum. Ana Peeples, Florence Arts and Museums Educator, and Clayton Davis, Historic Preservationist with the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, will talk about Archaeology at Pope’s Tavern.

Archaeology at Pope’s Tavern is a free, public archaeology program that has been documenting the history of Pope’s Tavern since 2022. APT works to create public opportunities to learn the processes of archaeology, through excavation, cleaning and sorting of artifacts, and cataloging. APT has excavated two test units at Pope’s Tavern and documented the process and artifacts. The program is free and open to anyone. Find out more at our website: https://www.florencealmuseums.com/archaeology

The Florence Indian Mound Museum is hosting a series of children’s programs where students can explore the early history of the Shoals through short lessons and hands-on learning exercises. Each month will feature a practice that relates to Native American culture! Participants will explore the history and cultural meaning behind each practice while engaging in an activity related to that topic.

Join us on Saturday, February 24th, at 10 a.m. for a program and activity about Southeastern Native American pottery making.

Pottery is an art that has been practiced over 4,000 years by the Native American tribes of the Southeast. The art and practice of pottery making was historically used for different purposes, including utilitarian purposes and ceremonial uses. Children will also have the opportunity to create their own pottery pieces with air dry clay to share in a student made exhibit or take home. Together we will learn how and why pottery was made in the past and how it is still created and shared today!

This program is free and is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums and the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. The Florence Indian Mound Museum is located at 1028 S. Court St. Florence, AL, and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 256-760-6427 for more information.

Herbal Remedy Workshop

 Florence Arts and Museums is partnering with Summer McCreless, an herbalist who specializes in regional plant and material knowledge, to conduct a series of workshops, presentations, and demonstrations where participants can explore aspects of our region’s tangible history.

Join us at Pope’s Tavern Museum on Sunday, February 18, 2023 at 2pm for an herbal teas workshop. This workshop will provide an opportunity for people to engage with the history of some native plants of the southeastern United States. In this workshop, Summer will share her knowledge of plant properties and the healthy benefits of making and drinking native herbal teas. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample fresh herbal teas and receive recipes as well.

Summer McCreless has been practicing herbalism for over 11 years, teaching herbal education and plant identification and uses in North Alabama. She has over 20 years of experience and education in plant identification in the United States.

This program is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums and the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. Pope’s Tavern is located at 203 Hermitage Drive, Florence, AL and is open, Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 256-760-6379 for more information. Please sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/herbal-tea-workshop-tickets-823786265897?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Kennedy-Douglass Art Center & Volunteers would like to invite all High School Art Teachers and their students to join in a new opportunity to further your artistic pursuits! Starting in January, the KD Volunteers are kicking off a brand-new ART ADVENTURE SERIES! Art educator, Elizabeth Renault will partner with long time art teacher, Barb Hendricks to bring us some great presentations, combining fascinating lectures with hands-on activities. Art Adventures will be perfect for teens - AND adults, too! This program is free and occurs once a month, every third Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Kennedy-Douglass Art Center, 217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL 35630. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Art Adventures is FREE and open to High School students and adults. For hands-on activities following each presentation, sign-up is requested for material planning. Please call our office to sign-up: 256-760-6379

Sunday, February 18 - THE ART OF ILLUSION Presentation and Activity.

Optical illusions are a beautiful union of science and art. We often think that optical illusions are closer to cheap magic tricks than they are highly revered works of art. Elizabeth Renault presents a program that explores different forms of optical illusions used to create remarkable works of art. Following, Barb Hendricks will lead a hands-on activity - M.C. Escher & Tantalilzing Tessellations. Explore the visual experiments of Escher as he creates new worlds for us: Worlds of shape and space and time.

Greg Gresham:

Gunboats, Pontoons, and Forgotten Skirmishes - Stories of Hood’s Campaign in Lauderdale County

Alabama.

Greg always interested in history considered history as a possible major years ago.   Greg majored in Chemical Engineering instead and worked in the Paper and Pulp industry for 30 years in multiple locations across the South East. Retiring back home, he got involved in researching “forgotten” history of the area. Greg’s ability to bring people, places, dates, and events to life is remarkable; Greg stories relates to the interest from his youth and the large amount of time he spent fishing the Tennessee River with his father. 

Greg is involved with the with the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area (MSNHA) in setting up a Civil War Trail and has officer roles with the North Alabama Civil War Roundtable and the Sons of the American Revolution.

ANCIENT TATTOOING: An Overview of Tattoo Tools and Traditions through Time

Archaeology at Pope’s Tavern is hosting a presentation and workshop on Sunday, February 4th, 2024, at 1:00pm at Pope’s Tavern Museum, 203 Hermitage Drive, Florence, AL. This is one of a series of workshops at Pope’s Tavern that will explore different aspects of history and archaeology.  

Andrew Gillreath-Brown will share a brief overview of ancient tattooing and show off a cactus spine tattoo tool replica he used for experimental tattooing. Attendees will also have an opportunity to try experimental tattooing too!

Gillreath-Brown, PhD graduate of Washington State University and fellow Alabamian, was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports in 2019, receiving international attention in publications such as National Geographic and beyond, for his identification of the oldest tattooing implement in Western North America.

The program is free and is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums. Pope’s Tavern Museum is a museum dedicated to the early (1800-1870) history of Florence and Lauderdale County. Archaeology at Pope’s Tavern is a free, public archaeology program that has been documenting the history of the site since 2022. Pope’s Tavern is located at 203 Hermitage Drive, Florence, AL and is open, Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 256-760-6439 for more information.

POSTPONED- New Dates TBD

The Kennedy-Douglass Art Center & Volunteers would like to invite all High School Art Teachers and their students to join in a new opportunity to further your artistic pursuits! Starting in January, the KD Volunteers are kicking off a brand-new ART ADVENTURE SERIES! Art educator, Elizabeth Renault will partner with long time art teacher, Barb Hendricks to bring us some great presentations, combining fascinating lectures with hands-on activities. Art Adventures will be perfect for teens - AND adults, too! This program is free and occurs once a month, every third Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Kennedy-Douglass Art Center, 217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL 35630. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Art Adventures is FREE and open to High School students and adults. For hands-on activities following each presentation, sign-up is requested for material planning. Please call our office to sign-up: 256-760-6379

Sunday, January 21 - PAPER ART Presentation and Activity.

Paper art encompasses a wide range of forms and styles, from simple to complex. Elizabeth Renault presents a program that will delve into the world of paper sculpture and spotlight various works and the artists who created them. Following, Barb Hendricks will lead a hands-on activity - creating Paper Sculpture Landscapes.

The Florence Indian Mound Museum is hosting a series of children’s programs where students can explore the early history of the Shoals through short lessons and hands-on learning exercises. Each month will feature a practice that relates to Native American culture; participants will explore the history and cultural meaning behind each practice while engaging in an activity related to that practice.

Join us on Saturday, January 27th at 10 a.m. for a program and activity about Native American Jewelry.

Jewelry is an important form of art and culture for many Native American tribes. In the past and today, jewelry making is passed down as a cultural practice and is used for adornment and individual and familial identification. The art is made with a variety of different mediums. Historically, jewelry was made of natural materials, such as shells and nuts which were carved into beads. As trading with Europeans increased, beading became more popular. The stories of the Native American peoples were reflected as symbols of design onto the beaded jewelry.  Today, art jewelry is made from metals, seeds, nuts, stone, fish bone, as well as synthetic beads. It is shared to preserve the artistic and cultural practice  from teacher to student within families and groups, or worn in cultural identification and celebration.  Join us for a short informational presentation on the art of Native American jewelry making past and present. After the presentation, students will have the opportunity to create their own beaded jewelry, which they can take home or share as part of our youth education exhibit.    

This program is free and is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums and the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. The Florence Indian Mound Museum is located at 1028 S. Court St. Florence, AL, and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 256-760-6427 for more information. 

Steven Meredith: Chert formations to Indian Quarries in Muscle Shoals and Lauderdale county Alabama

The Muscle Shoals Chapter of the Alabama Archaeological Society will meet at 2pm at the Florence Indian Mound Museum on Sunday, January 14th. Steven Meredith will present his talk on: “Chert formations to Indian Quarries in Muscle Shoals and Lauderdale county Alabama”

Muscle Shoals is in the center of an area of abundant high-quality knappable chert. Over the millennia, people living in the area developed various strategies for gathering this stone that changed as to meet its role in their societies. There will be a discussion of the geologic setting of the area and of quarrying sites. Archaeological sites that have provided information about stone quarrying at different intervals of time will be discussed to outline trends in knappable stone acquisition in the area over a span of several thousand years.  

Steve Meredith has spent over 20 years as an archaeologist, primarily in the cultural resources management field with the role of Principal Investigator, Field Director, and/or Lab Director for archaeological surveys of more than 32,000 acres in seven southeastern US states, as well as many excavations, mostly in Alabama. He owns and manages Cedars Consulting, LLC. He is a part in several archaeological research projects, centered primarily in southeastern North America. His research is focused on archaeological prospection, geologic sources of lithic raw materials and the use of artifact form and decoration as an expression of cultural identity in pre-Colonial Native American groups.

Please join us this Sunday, January 7th, at KD Art Center for a reception opening for our next two exhibits! The reception will be from 2-4pm. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙨 𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙧𝙠 and 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 will both be open until February 29th, 2024.

The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is pleased to present, This House Was Full of People: The Art of Mary Wallace Kirk which will be on display Jan. 7- Feb. 29, 2024. A reception will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7th. Mary Wallace Kirk (1889-1978) was a poet, author, and educator, as well as an artist. She was born and lived in Tuscumbia, Ala., for nearly all her life. Her finely detailed renderings of the rural surroundings of her home captured fragments of time and preserved them in etchings, prints, watercolors, and sketches. This exhibition is comprised of art and memorabilia on loan from private collectors throughout the community and the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library.

Kirk trained at the Art Students League in New York, where she studied etching with Harry Sternberg. She produced local landscapes as they appeared in the early 20th century. Most of the exhibited works date to the 1930s and 1940s. Kirk mainly created etchings of cabins of people she knew. She wrote, “Cabins, especially log cabins, are rapidly disappearing from the Southern landscape. Before these relics of an older day completely pass from the scene it seems fitting to make a pictorial record of them, and to try to capture some of the lowly charm that surrounded them.”

By the 1950s, after producing 80 etchings over the course of her career, Kirk focused on her duties as a trustee of her alma mater Agnes Scott College, in Decatur Georgia, and on two memoirs illustrated with reproductions of her prints. Her publications include “Cabins and Characters”, “Locust Hill” and “The Sum of Living; a Collection of Poems”.

The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is free and open to the public Monday - Friday from 9-4 and on Sundays from 1-4. The art center is located at 217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL and can be reached by calling (256) 760-6379.

Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is pleased to present the Shoals Piecemakers Quilt Guild Exhibition that begins January 5th and continues through February 29th. The Piecemakers Challenge theme for this year is “Paper Piece Challenge”. In conjunction with this exhibit, a display from guild members private quilt collections can also be enjoyed.

The mission of the Shoals Piecemakers Quilt Guild is to stimulate interest in quilting. The guild provides educational programs at all levels of quilting. They strive to provide a source of encouragement and friendship to all those interested in quilts and the art of quilt making. All interested individuals, from beginners to professional, are welcome at the meetings of the Shoals Piecemakers. The guild meets every second Monday evening at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, located at 1900 Darby Drive in Florence, Alabama.

Take a break from the chilly weather and visit the warmth of the art center’s latest quilt exhibits!

The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is free and open to the public Monday - Friday from 9-4 and on Sundays from 1-4. The art center is located at 217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL and can be reached at 256-760-6379.

Come celebrate and receive the blessings of the

Winter Solstice 2023

With the CORE Center and Friends of the Mound on

Thursday, December 21, 2023, at 12 noon

Please be at the Mound no later than 11:15 am and come with an

 Open Mind and Loving Heart and wear white.

If the weather is bad, the ceremony will be held at the CORE Center, 503 W State St # 1 Muscle Shoals, AL.  For more information call Dr. Deborah Carter at 256-386-9804 or The CORE Center at 256-314-4542.

The Florence Indian Mound Museum is hosting a series of children’s programs where students can explore the early history of the Shoals through short lessons and hands-on learning exercises. Each month will feature a practice that relates to Native American culture; participants will explore the history and cultural meaning behind each practice while engaging in an activity related to that practice. Join us on Saturday, December 16th, at 10 a.m. for a program and activity about Native American Finger Weaving.

Finger weaving is a traditional artform in many Native American and Indigenous nations. In the Cherokee tradition, finger woven regalia was historically used for men. It was used for adornment and item trading with others. In the past, Chickasaw women would gather in groups to weave. They would teach each other, share different methods of the craft, and create woven works while visiting with one another. Today, the artwork of finger weaving is worn as a part of regalia for both men and women during times of cultural celebration and to carry on tradition. It is also practiced by individuals, as well as passed down from generation to generation to keep the cultural practices alive. This program is free and is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums and the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. The Florence Indian Mound Museum is located at 1028 S. Court St. Florence, AL, and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 256-760-6427 for more information.

Storyteller Tim Lowry, will perform Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol

at the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts

Southall-Moore House

The Shoals Storytelling Festival and Florence Arts & Museums are pleased to present Tim Lowry’s Performance of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol on December 15th from 7:00-8:30pm at the Southall-Moore House, the grey Victorian situated next door to the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, 209 E. Tuscaloosa St. in Florence, AL.

From ghosts and geezers to hope for all of humanity, Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is the most told holiday story ever. Storyteller, Tim Lowry brings the classic tale to life with his entertaining interjections and insight on thirteen recurring themes throughout the story.

Tim Lowry has been delighting people with this story for many years and we hope you will join us! This event is free and open to the public.

At his performance, Tim will have his new book Haunted by Dickens for sale for $12.99.

50% of the proceeds will be donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

The Muscle Shoals Chapter of the Alabama Archaeology Society presents

 Lee Freeman: “The James Gang Strikes back; The 1881 James Gang Robbery on the Muscle Shoals Canal" The facts and subsequent folklore surrounding the March 11, 1881 James Gang robbery of Receiver of Materials Alexander George Smith near Douglass' Gate at Lock 5 on the Muscle Shoals Canal.

 Lee Freeman is the local historian at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library since 1997. He was born, raised and educated in Lauderdale County and am a board member of several local historical/historical preservation boards: the Alabama Renaissance Faire; the Mayor's Walk of Honor; the Natchez Trace Genealogical Society; the Tennessee Valley Historical Society; etc. I've written one book (a Medieval dictionary/encyclopedia), and had articles published in Alabama Heritage and The Journal of Muscle Shoals History.

All Florence Arts and Museums will be closed for Thanksgiving on November 23. Kennedy-Douglass will remain closed on Friday November 24, while The Indian Mound Museum, Pope’s Tavern, and The Rosenbaum House will reopen for regular tours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Florence Arts and Museums is hosting a book signing and gathering with author Michael Diaz-Griffith on Sunday, November 19th, 2023, from 2:00-4:00pm at the Frank Lloyd Wright- Rosenbaum House, 601 Riverview Drive, Florence, AL. Michael will be discussing and signing his latest book, The New Antiquarians: At Home with Young Collectors (Monacelli Press, 2023). The book is available for purchase locally or online. Refreshments and drinks will be available.

Michael Diaz-Griffith is a native of Florence, Alabama. He is a writer, designer, art-world leader, and Executive Director of the Design Leadership Network. Prior to joining DLN, Diaz-Griffith served as Executive Director of the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation and as Associate Executive Director of The Winter Show, America’s most prestigious and longest-running art and antiques fair.

The program is free and is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums and Books-A-Million. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rosenbaum House is located at 601 Riverview Drive, Florence, AL and is open, Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call (256) 760-6379 or click here to RSVP

The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron is more than a book; it's a life changer. This course - it's a twelve week experience not just a class - is an agent of creative awakening! We will meet for 2.5 hours on November 18, then you can go forward at your own pace at home. or choose to join in a weekly zoom meeting (which will also be recorded so you can have access to it later). Either way, I'm providing 12 technique videos to everyone who signs up.

You will get:

• A copy of the book

• A fresh new art journal that's a bit heftier than usual

• A notebook for your Morning Pages

• A smooth writing gel pen

• A large Creativity Bundle to take with you

• Art Journal Primer

• Access to 12 videos showing techniques

We start with a 2.5 hour class on Saturday, November 18, at Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts. We'll dive into the book for a short overview and discussion, pick up supplies, learn some techniques to get you started with the art part of journaling, and spend time creating. After this class, you'll be granted access to the videos.

For those who choose the "all classes" option, we will meet via zoom for the following 12 weeks, on Tuesdays at 5:30 for a conversation about the book chapter, and work in our journals. These meetings will be one hour and will be recorded and made available in your course.

So you can take this course in one of 4 ways:

1. Just do the November 18 class with the book, materials + access to videos

2. Just do the November 18 class with NO book (if you have a copy), materials + access to videos

3. All Access -November 18 and twelve weekly classes with book materials + access to videos

4. All Access- November 18 and twelve weekly classes NO book (if you already have a copy) materials + access to videos

Sign up on Event Brite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-artists-way-art-journal-course-florence-tickets-740265613377