Treasures of the
Black Belt Gallery introduces artists to national audience
B
lack Belt artist Stephen James likes traveling, both to the country and sometimes through time to a simpler, less frantic past. “Some of my fondest memories are of staying with my grandfather, who was a tenant farmer,” said James, who lives in rural Monroe County. “Everyone picked cotton by hand, and there were chicken and cattle.” But it’s not just James who sees those memories of Alabama farm life from long ago. Thousands witness them at the Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center in the paintings that James has created. The center opened in Camden as a way to attract tourists to Alabama’s Black Belt. The Black Belt is one of the poorest areas of the state, and is called the “Black Belt,” because of its black soil where most of the state’s cotton was once grown. Since opening in 2005, the center has grown from representing 75 artists to more than 450.
And those artists, who include painters, sculptors, potters, basket-weavers, quilters, woodworkers and others, have succeeded in attracting tourists to the area. So far Black Belt Treasures has attracted visitors from all 50 states and more than 26 countries. It has also helped those tourists discover artists such as James, the 62-year-old painter who has discovered his visions of the past now have a bright future. Of course, James also paints the present, but whether past or present most of his subjects are found in rural areas of the state that you can only get to by winding dirt roads. “I like country scenes, family scenes, scenes that emphasize the fun you can have in the country and that emphasize family values,” he said. One of his favorite things to draw is country churches. James has been selling his paintings for almost 40 years, but because of Black Belt Treasures and the Monroe County Her-
itage Museum, he said he has sold more paintings in the past five years than in the other 35 combined. He said he has been drawn to art since he was 3 or 4 and his father showed him how to draw a cowboy. He was about 10 when his parents began to realize he had talent. They had gotten him a paint-by-the-numbers set. “After I painted the dog on the front by the numbers, I turned it around, and on the back, I did a country scene,” he said. In school, he was always sketching and drawing and doodling, but never considered art as a career. Instead, he graduated from nursing school in 1977 and has worked as a nurse ever since. But he never completely spurned his love of art. When he was around 20, he started doing oil paintings. He gave the first two paintings he did to his parents, who he said were incredibly supportive.
Visitors to Black Belt Treasures in Camden will find work made by more than 450 artists, including painter Stephen James (center). The center opened in 2005 as a way to attract tourists to Alabama’s Black Belt, and has attracted visitors from all 50 states and more than 26 countries.
26 DECEMBER 2016
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