About our festival, the JBAF

About our Festival, the JBAF

The Jerry Brown Arts Festival (JBAF) was established to promote Heritage Art Recipient, Jerry Brown, his pottery and the work of other artists working in pottery or other mediums that he identified with; to promote area artists and showcase the creative spirit of Northwest Alabamians; to provide an esteemed and reputable gallery exhibit for artists wishing to build a resume; to provide a venue for the art education of area children through experiment stations, visiting artists, children’s exhibits and summer art camps; to explore and promote “Reflections of the South” within our communities and present that to our local residents, as well as to those we hope to attract from outside our area and our State.

Jerry Brown is known internationally, as well as locally, as an artist sure to his trade. He very much wants other generations to recognize the importance of art and the skill it requires to be an artist. Our “Kids Station” will generate interest in all types of art and promote art education in our schools and our community. As shown by the personnel list working on this project, we will be able to involve people from all communities in our region, as well as the schools. The emphasis of our “Kids Station” is geared toward the younger school children to fuel the passion for art in future generations. It is our hope that Jerry Brown will help bring the same quality of artists to this festival as those that participate in Kentuck and other nationally known festivals. This festival has already demonstrated that we can lure artists from across the State and the South to celebrate art and the importance it has in the cultural fabric of every community.

The Jerry Brown Arts Festival (JBAF) will be accessible to all audiences, including those who have limiting disabilities. The facility meets the requirements of the Americans with Disability Act.

We are in the early stages of our existence as an organization. However, we already have a partnership with area schools, Marion County Community Development Foundation, and various businesses. Each county, in our four county focus, is represented on our Board, by art enthusiasts who are influential and active in their own communities. We hope to continue to build on this event, by expanding our partnership to all communities in counties we serve, and to include the area community colleges as well.

All those involved in this project understand the importance art has in the community and the economic impact it could have. It is our goal to encourage many business leaders and artists to promote this festival to its fullest and utilize the popularity of Jerry Brown and his work.

The NWAAC is funded, in part, by the Alabama State Council on the Arts.