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Arts in McNairy has been very fortunate to come of age in a community where economic development officials place a high priority on the arts and culture. Some rural arts agencies are not so fortunate, but thankfully, McNairy Regional Alliance has traditionally been among AiM's most valuable allies. They realize that a community who understands and values their own culture and supports the arts is attractive to business leaders providing a competitive advantage in industrial recruitment. They are also well aware of the tourism potential, enhanced livability, improved sales tax revenues, and other benefits directly associated with supporting cultural development in the community.
This mutual awareness and appreciation of how and where the arts and economic development intersect, have allowed AiM and MRA to forge lasting partnerships effectively extending the reach of both organizations in the community and the region. On the occasion of AiM's 10th Anniversary and at the brink of entering into the most ambitious cooperative effort to date (see the Latta Building story below), MRA's, Russell Ingle, weighs in on what Arts in McNairy means to the county's past, present and future.
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"Arts in McNairy...There is no way to sum up in a few words the positive impact that AiM has had on McNairy County. This group has awakened an appreciation and awareness for the historical, cultural heritage and tourism related assets of McNairy County. While many communities continue to scramble and struggle in regards to traditional economic development, AiM has opened up new facets of growing the community, both culturally and economically. Their efforts have inspired other communities and regions to also begin this process. AiM has shined the light on the things that make McNairy County uniquely McNairy County. We are blessed to have Arts in McNairy as a vital part of future successes in McNairy County."
Russell Ingle
McNairy Regional Alliance
Director of Chamber Programs
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Latta Building Slated to Open Early 2012 | |
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Hundreds of local music fans pack the Latta Building in this photo taken in the late 1940s |
A sight once familiar in McNairy County will soon be seen again: droves of people visiting the Latta Building in downtown Selmer. Not only did the landmark building serve as a well known Ford dealership through most of its existence, many locals recall how Earl Latta loved to entertain the community through regular music jams and other events at his place of business. The Latta family allowed the shop area of the building to be used as a community gathering space and since they were musically inclined themselves, the jam sessions were a natural fit for both their business and a region so rich in musical talent. It is thought that the space was used for such purposes as early as the 1930s, a practice that continued through the 1960s. Period photos show some of McNairy County's most revered musicians entertaining large and lively crowds at the building.
Mere sentimental recollections of a time gone by? Not hardly! Building on the incredible cultural heritage already associated with the County and the Latta Building, Arts in McNairy will soon help transform the old auto shop/community gathering space into a state of the art performance center, among other things.
A plan that has been in the works for more than four years finally got underway last month as construction began on the former Latta Building. The project cleared the final hurdles in June and is now moving forward with completion expected near the end of the year or by early 2012. The Latta Building will become an official welcome center with the aid of McNairy County and Tennessee Department of Transportation funding but it will also serve as a home for Arts in McNairy and McNairy Regional Alliance. Existing AiM programs such as the community theatre group, local artists showings, Artisan Trail, performing arts series, etc. will be greatly enhanced by the theatre and galleries spaces. The center will also allow for rotating cultural exhibits to be enjoyed by the entire community as well as visitors. MRA plans to provide staffing for the center and coordinate tourism amenities like short films for visitors and brochure racks to highlight points of interest in the area.
Perhaps most importantly, preserving the Latta Building dovetails nicely with the MRA and AiM's cooperative efforts to build community identity and improve tourism potential based on McNairy County's unique cultural heritage. Drawing heavily from AiM's ongoing cultural assessment and asset inventory, the two organization's have partnered to promote visitor-friendly events such as the Artisan Trail and Rockabilly Highway Revival to name just two high profile successes. The move into the Latta Building will allow these and other cooperative efforts to occur under one roof and provide a focal point for AiM and MRA programming. Tourism already accounts for more than $9 million in the local economy, much of that associated with heritage and cultural programming and spending. Those figures are expected to skyrocket with the addition of the Latta Building. |
| Plans Announced for New Downtown Mural | | 
Brian Tull is set to begin a companion piece to his successful 2009 Rockabilly Highway Mural later this summer. Arts in McNairy announced, last week, that the organization had been awarded a Rural Arts Project Support grant to complete the new mural. The grant will fund roughly a third of the total cost and remaining expenses will be matched with local dollars. Tull's larger-than-life paintings are part of an ongoing public art initiative that highlights McNairy County's musical heritage while providing highly accessible visual art for the whole community to enjoy. In addition to Tull's previous mural, two sculptures by metal artists Bob Brooks and Tim Pace now inhabit Selmer's downtown green space adjacent to the farmers market. The new mural will be in the same area on the wall of The McMahan law firm facing Front Street. If past successes are any indicator of the future, the new mural is destined for super stardom. Tull's first offering has been the subject of numerous articles in print and online media articles. It is featured as a cultural landmark on a number of online trip planning websites and travel blogs. It even graced the cover of the Tennessee Trails and Byways Walking Tall Trail brochure released last year. All of this has paid off in spades as people now exit the highway to have their picture made with the mural and enjoy a little local flavor in downtown Selmer. "I am looking forward to starting the new mural," Tull said this week. "It will be in a great location and hopefully further brand McNairy County and the significance of Rockabilly Highway." Just as Tull chose a contemporary Rockabilly act, Phil Hummer and the White Falcons, as the visual inspiration for the 2009 mural, he has selected the Silver Threads, a Nashville band fronted by Eileen Rose and Rich Gilbert to provide materials for his new composition. When asked why the Silver Threads, Tull remarked, "Image-wise, they have a very nostalgic look, but Eileen Rose's pure voice doesn't hurt anything!" He stressed that this mural, like the first one, was not so much about a particular musician or group as it was about images reminiscent of the Rockabilly era. He noted that his goal was to draw the viewer into the image evoking what it must have been like to travel Rockabilly Highway as a young music artist in the 1940s and 50s. When asked about her thoughts on being chosen as the subject for the mural, Eileen Rose commented, "I couldn't be happier that he would be inspired enough by our music to see us as a worthy subject. Brian's art, like The Silver Threads, draws on his love and respect for the classic but at the same time, he puts something new and original into it, part of who he is and how he views the world. It's a iconic but fresh and bold at the same time." Work on the mural should begin in August or September. |
| "Art in Motion" at Two Locations This Month | |
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Pottery by Vicki Cowan is featured in the July-August "Art in Motion" exhibit |
The traveling art show, "Art in Motion" continues to grow in popularity with artists, hosts and the public alike. It has become so large, in fact, that it now takes two locations to accommodate the volume of artwork on display! This month, a portion of the show moved to Community South Bank in Selmer, while new work was added to the existing display at the UTM Center. The show will remain in these locations through August.
Some of the exhibiting artists you can expect to see are: Vickie Andrews, Freida Hamm, Elizabeth Armstrong, Vesela Baker, Lyn Barchett, Elaine Chaney, Vicki Cowan, Linda Craig, Dixie Decker, Lisa Engle, Dennis Fischer, Patricia Fischer, Bob Hester, Gordon Hester, Jan Huddelson, Amber Kiddy, Shawn Pitts, Barbara Robinson, George Souders, and Shelia Treece.
If you are interested in exhibiting artwork or hosting an exhibition, please contact Vicki Cowan, Visual Arts Chair @ 646-1815, or Leanne Emmons, AiM President @ 646-3851. |
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2011-12 AiM Theatre "A Season of Believing" | |
 The AiM theatre season concluded last month with a great production of Bye Bye Birdie but that doesn't mean area thespians will be getting much rest this summer. Even as the curtain was closing on the old season the Performing Arts Committee announced "A Season of Believing," the 2011-12 theatre lineup which gets underway immediately. A strong element of whimsy is the connecting thread that runs through all of the new season's offerings which will, again, range from children's theatre productions to adult comedy and, of course, the traditional summer musical.
Auditions for Fools, a light hearted adult comedy by Neil Simon, will be one night only: 6:00-9:00, Monday July 25 at the Selmer Community Center. Production dates are August 26-29 at MCHS Little Theatre. Rehearsal schedules and more information will be available at auditions. The cast calls for a strong adult ensemble 18 years or older. Fools is being directed by Caleb McLean who last directed for Arts in McNairy as part of the Young Directors Series. Since that time, Caleb has appeared on stage in numerous roles for AiM, Corinth Theatre-Arts and as a student at Blue Mountain College. He was recently honored as best supporting actor for his role in CTA's production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
The second show of the season will be an original adaptation of the Grim Brothers', The Fisherman and His Wife. The classic fairytale was adapted for the stage by McNairy County natives David Maxedon and Autry Davis. The show will debut November 18-20 at the MCHS Little Theatre with an all youth cast. Theatre veteran David Maxedon will direct. No stranger to the AiM stage, Maxedon was recently seen as Harry McAfee in Bye Bye Birdie and also won a Maggie for best actor in CTA's production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Audition dates, cast requirements and rehearsal schedules will be announced at a later date.
Continuing the fantasy theme, Joanna Pitts will direct a children's production of Alice in Wonderland shortly after the first of the year and Bryan Essary will conclude the season by directing the Stephen Sondheim musical, In to the woods. Audition and production dates will be announced when they are scheduled. Follow AiM on Facebook for the latest details and discussions about the new theatre season. |
| March Book Club - The Way West | |
The Arts in McNairy Book Club will meet Thursday, July 21 to discuss Their Eyes Were Watching God. The club meets monthly at the Jack McConnico Memorial Library in Selmer at 7:00 PM. There are no participation fees and reservations are not necessary. Come as you are and participate in the lively and always insightful discussion. Everyone is welcomed.
This month's selection just happens to be on the summer reading list for many areas students who are urged to attend and share their insights or hear others discuss the work before school begins. Impress your English teacher by coming to Book Club!
Suggestions are now being taken by the Literary Committee for the 2012 reading list. Book Club members or those interested in future participation are encourage to bring a list of their favorite reads to the next meeting or give chair, Leanne Emmons, a call at: 731-610-3013. The list will be compiled and finalized in November.
Future Book Club selections include:
July 21 - Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
Aug. 18 - The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
Sept. 15 - The Blind Side - Michael Lewis
Oct. 20 - The Late George Apley - John P. Marquand
Nov. 17 - The Christmas Box - Richard Paul Evans |
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Selmer Parks and Recreation Holds Sign Contest | |
 Selmer Parks and Recreation needs your help! Long overdue welcome signs will soon be placed at the Selmer city limits beginning at the north entrance on the Highway 45 Bypass. The city is asking for creative input from area artists and designers. Suggestions for new designs will be accepted through July 30 and the winner will receive recognition at the official unveiling ceremony. The theme may include something related to the culture or heritage of the city of Selmer (music heritage etc.). It should reflect a positive image for the city and be attractive in all designs elements. Anyone interested should submit their design to the Selmer Community Center at 230 N Fifth Street, Selmer TN 38375. The size of the sign will be determined once a design is chosen. The contest is open to everyone.
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| Littlejohn Recording Project Nearing Completion | |
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Stanton Littlejohn around 1950 |
This month, the Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University will conclude work on approximately sixty discs that have their origins in McNairy County. The records are eight and ten inch commercial acetate discs collected from a variety of sources but primarily from the collection of McNairy County natives, Marjorie and Don Rayburn Richard. The discs contain recordings made by Marjorie Richard's father, Stanton Littlejohn from the 1940s and 50s. A broad cross section of McNairy County musicians and families are represented on these discs and efforts are currently underway to identify as many of the players as possible and make the discs accessible for local listening purposes.
The Center for Popular Music has been busy transferring the individual tracks to digital media and restoring, as much as possible, the original sound quality of the recordings. Some are better than others, of course, but the fact that they survive at all in any useable condition is remarkable. It is an archive that offers a rare glimpse at McNairy County's musical past and the AiM Heritage and Culture Committee is currently considering several possibilities for sharing its contents. The project was made possible by a generous grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. Some of the musicians featured on the recordings are: The Arnold English Band, The Chickasaw Ramblers, Ernest Whitten, Virgil Murray, Charlie Cox, Con Crotts, The Banks Band, The Hometown Quartet, The Southern Playboys, The Doc Whittaker Quartet, The Latta Ramblers, The Pickwick Fishermen, The Humphries Band, George E. Knight, Eunice Smith, The Littlejohn family, Peck Boggs, Rob Richard, Curtis White, Paul Taylor, Everett Walker, Clyde Sargent, Milton Banks and Waldo Davis to name just a few. Research is ongoing with this project and anyone with information about the recordings or any of the artists mentioned should contact Shawn Pitts at 731-645-3850. |
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5 Year Annivesary Issue of "Taking AiM" | | |
By Arts in McNairy's fifth Anniversary in 2006, the organization had already experienced tremendous success. Below is page three from that season's winter newsletter recapping some important accomplishments from the first five years. Highlights included: five successful years of summer art camps; a popular summer concert series with every imaginable genre of music; two local awards for outstanding effort in community development; the annual youth art month show and celebration; wildly successful youth and adult theatre productions; group and individual art showings and receptions; the Southern Fried Poetry Contest and the Fiction and a Flick Club. That newsletter also highlighted the organization's commitment to arts advocacy and building strong partnerships. AiM was a vital partner for Project Enrich which established the afterschool program in McNairy County. The AiM board served as an advisory panel to insure that the arts were well represented in that program. AiM had also partnered with a student organization from Union University to teach young Brazilian artists how how to market their work, helped fund the Tennessee Watercolor Society annual show in Jackson and sponsored a legislative reception in Selmer for area lawmakers.
But perhaps the most important sign that AiM was maturing as an organization was the front page story and invitation to attend the Community Culture and Commerce Forum. That event was hosted by UTM Selmer and cosponsored by Arts in McNairy and the McNairy County Chamber of Commerce/ Economic Development Commission. It was the first gathering of it's kind in West Tennessee and perhaps even the state. Artists, arts leaders, elected officials, economic development planners, tourism professionals, community development organizers, business owners, civic groups and interested citizens were assembled to participate in a number of sessions exploring shared community goals and potential solutions offered by the arts and culture. The overwhelming local success of the event is seen in AiM's ongoing cultural assessment efforts and the development of a number of new programs and partnerships which stemmed directly from those sessions. The AiM Artisan Trail, Rockabilly Highway Revival, local public art program, cultural tourism efforts and soon, the visitors and culture center, grew out of discussions that began around that time. More than anything else, Community Culture and Commerce set the direction for Arts in McNairy's last five years.
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