The Art of Women Exhibit

One of the first projects that I started at the begining of my graduate career was to establish an exhibit that explored the history of women in Colbert county Alabama. The small room that the exhibit would eventually be housed in was once the town of Leighton, Alabama’s only museum and it was located in the back of the town’s library. However, a few years prior, Bank Independent-located next door-financed and opened a larger museum for the town in their lobby. The small room sat unoccupied until the new mayor, Derick Silcox, started to draft a revitalization plan for the city.

With the combined efforts of the Mayor, Debbie Bradford, the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, the University of North Alabama, and myself, we created a space dedicated to the inspirational women of Colbert county-many of which were intimately connected with the city of Leighton. Further art donations from prominent Colbert Colbert county women artists gave the foundation upon which the exhibit would be built.

Some of the featured women were:

Ms. Linda Hall, wife to the late FAME Studios owner, Rick Hall. Even after Mr. Hall’s passing, she is still heavily involved with the day-to-day operations at the studio. The studio still sees famous muscians who use it for recording purposes.

Ms. Tori Bailey, who is the daughter of the founder of the WZZA radio station. WZZA was the first African American owned radio station in Northwest Alabama. Tori’s father was a pioneer in the radio industry and known for his inclusive and positive relationships with people from all walks of life. Ms. Bailey continues her father’s legacy as owner and general manager of the WZZA station. In 2018, Tori became the first woman to serve as a Colbert County Commissioner representing district 4.

Ms. Ethel Davis, who was instrumental in founding the Tennessee Valley Art Association in 1964. Although she would never see its completion, her dedication to the arts helped to set a firm foundation for the Association to start on. Ms. Davis was a passionate artist using many different mediums. She came from a humble background and sometimes did not have the materials needed to create “traditional” art. She was known to use tar from recently tarred roads to complete her paintings. An example of this can be seen in this exhibit’s collection and is called Magnolia. The painting featured below is called Girl with Hat. She taught art classes that inspired several students to become other well known artists in the area-some even included in this exhibit.

Ms. Eloise Brown Nicholson was a student at the Leighton Training School. The Leighton Training School was a Rosenwald school and provided education to African American children during segregation. Ms. Nicholson was also a teacher of Art and Home Economics at the school after she graduated in 1957.

The exhibit’s grand opening was in September of 2023 with over 100 attendees. By adding the voices of multi-ethnic and multi-generational women in the Colbert county area, the museum stands as an important landmark in creating an inclusive narrative of the town’s history. The exhibit is a permanent installation and can still be visited today.