Committee seeks to establish arts board, new home for Artists on the Bluff

A new arts commission – and a possible new home for Artists on the Bluff – could be in Hoover's future.

On Sunday, Oct. 29, a group of council members, local artists and arts supporters met at the Artists on the Bluff facility in Bluff Park to explore possibilities for more artistic outlets in the city.

Councilman Curt Posey, who set up the meeting, said he has been talking about this issue with Mayor Frank Brocato since June, but it has taken on extra significance since it was announced that Artists on the Bluff must move out of the former Bluff Park Elementary property at the end of the year.

“It’s something that we’ve had on our minds for a while,” Posey said.

The committee looking into the arts issue has Jayne Morgan as its chairwoman and Linda Chastain as vice chairwoman. Posey and fellow council members Mike Shaw and Derrick Murphy also attended Sunday's meeting.

Their task is to come up with ideas and criteria for an arts commission in Hoover, and to consider possibile places where Artists on the Bluff could relocate. Posey hopes the council will take up legislation about the new commission and approve it before the end of 2017.

The arts commission that the committee discussed on Sunday will be "citizen-led," Posey said, with five to nine members representing different artistic groups and disciplines, as well as two council liaisons.

The commission would create a comprehensive plan for arts in the city, as well as oversee a potential new facility for performing arts and Artists on the Bluff. Posey said he wants to take inspiration from the library's system for booking artists and managing event space. Writing grant proposals would also be part of the commission's duties.

“You need to get a broad spectrum of the different kinds of people,” Chastain said.  

The committee will put together an application process for members of the arts commission, which Shaw said he expects to receive significant interest.

“This is one thing that citizens have been pushing for forever,” Posey said.

Posey said Monday that he plans to set up a town hall meeting for residents to give feedback on what they want in terms of art in Hoover. A date has not been set, but this will likely be a precursor to accepting resumes for arts commission applicants. He put in a formal request for legislation regarding the arts commission on Monday as well.

The other project the committee discussed on Sunday was a facility to house the Artists on the Bluff group and a performing arts center. They have found a possible opportunity at Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church, which is for sale at 2269 Chapel Road.

Posey, Chastain and City Executive Director Allan Rice toured the 25,000-square-foot building, built on 4 acres, on Oct. 27. Posey said he saw possibilities to turn the sanctuary into a theater to seat 400-500 people, and the other wings of the building could house artist studios, a gallery, meeting rooms and classrooms. There is even an industrial kitchen with space, should the former Capers on Park Avenue or another restaurant want to lease the location, and an area that could be turned into a storefront for Artists on the Bluff and other local artists' work.

Posey said the facility could “pull everybody together under one roof” with room for fine art, music and performance art. The property includes more than 80 parking spaces, and Posey said they could possibly work out a parking space-sharing agreement with Pioneer Playschool across the street.

The need to find a new home for Artists on the Bluff is pressing, Chastain said, with two months left in their current space. She said some artists have already chosen to leave the organization, and she expects more to follow. There are also groups, such as the Alabama Pastel Society and the local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women, who do not currently have a location for their 2018 shows. Chastain said the Finley Center is  “too big, too loud, too athletic, too expensive” for arts shows.

Chapel in the Pines is in better structural condition than the old Bluff Park Elementary, Posey said. If the city purchased the property, that would mean artists could call the Public Works Department for any repairs needed to the building.

“It’s a multi-function building where you can do so many things that you can’t do here,” Posey said.

Posey said Artists on the Bluff's residence in the Bluff Park Elementary building began on a handshake deal and, while “it blossomed into something really cool,” that lack of a formal agreement was not sustainable. If the city purchased Chapel in the Pines or another facility for Artists on the Bluff, Posey said a proper agreement regarding tenancy and rent would be set up in a way “that’s completely maintainable long term.”

Chastain said a performing arts center is something she's been advocating in Hoover for many years. The capacity at Chapel in the Pines is larger than the Hoover Library Theatre, which Posey said sometimes has to turn away audience members or certain bookings due to lack of space. If the city bought the building, Posey said they may work out a deal for Chapel in the Pines, which has about 40 members, to continue using the sanctuary on Sundays.

The committee said they may invite Artists on the Bluff to apply for spots in the new building, if purchased, rather than assuming everyone will want to move. The application may come with a community service requirement, such as teaching classes, but there was no final decision on criteria.

Chastain asked on Sunday if it would be possible to get a few more months' occupancy at Bluff Park Elementary if a finalized plan for the arts commission and a new facility is established but work to get the new building ready is needed. Posey said it might be possible if the city closes on Chapel in the Pines soon, but the school board will likely want to know how utility costs will be paid during that extra time, if granted.

“I’m trying to get a stay of execution, is what I’m trying to do,” Chastain said. “That would give everybody time to breathe.”

Posey said the next steps will be taking a group of artists to tour Chapel in the Pines and drafting legislation for a first reading sometime in November.